RADIO
Earlier in the season, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Leonard Hankerson was one of the nicest fantasy football surprises around. He seemed to be quarterback Matt Ryan’s second favorite target behind only Julio Jones. Unfortunately, he has struggled as of late.
On the season thus far, Hankerson has 22 reeptions for 291 yards and two touchdowns. However, he has caught only five footballs for 50 yards in the past three games combined.
In Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans, Hankerson had to leave the field with a hamstring injury. The injury has forced him out of practice all week and now seems highly doubtful to suit up for Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If Hankerson were healthy he’d be a WR3 this week. But with him most likely out, the team will look for rookie Justin Hardy to fill the void.
I’d view Hardy as a WR4 this week. I don’t think he’ll receive a ton of targets with Hankerson out of action. Instead, I look for Ryan to target Jones even more than usual. I also believe the Falcons will rely on running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman early and often in Week 8.
In other news, Green Bay Packers running back James Starks returned to practice on Thursday but reportedly appeared limited with a hip injury. Now that he’s practicing, he will likely suit up and play some sort of a role against the Denver Broncos in Week 8. However, the fact that he’s appearing limited in practice should be a positive sign for Eddie Lacy owners.
The other day the team confirmed that Lacy is finally 100 percent healthy. If Starks is hurt, Lacy should receive the bulk of the workload from the running back position on Sunday.
Starks has actually played better than Lacy up to this point, but Lacy has reportedly been injured. Starks has had 63 rushes for 286 yards and one touchdown. He has added 11 receptions for 75 yards and another touchdown.
I would consider Lacy a high-end RB2 against the Broncos in Week 8. Starks, on the other hand, is a RB4 if he suits up. But if you are even thinking about starting him this week, be sure to keep a close eye on his injury status.
Hopefully Lacy will take advantage of Starks’ injury and finally start putting up some points for all of those fantasy owners who selected him in the first round.
