Atlanta Falcons: 2015 Fantasy Football sleepers
October 19, 2013; Greenville, NC, USA; East Carolina Pirates wide receiver Justin Hardy (2) carries the ball against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. East Carolina Pirates defeated Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles 55-14. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Justin Hardy, WR
A player I like a lot is rookie Justin Hardy out East Carolina. Hardy was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round and will be competing for the third receiver spot left by Harry Douglas.
Jan 24, 2015; Mobile, AL, USA; North squad wide receiver Justin Hardy of East Carolina (82) carries the ball up the field against the South squad during the fourth quarter of the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The North squad defeated the South squad 34-13. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Hardy will line up in the slot for the Falcons and has the talent to be a consistent weapon for Matt Ryan.
Hardy is an excellent route runner and will be used primarily in short to intermediate routes. While we won’t see him bursting down the field as a deep threat too often, he will be able to accumulate points with multiple receptions.
He was impressive during his four years with East Carolina, catching a total of 387 passes for 4,541 yards and 35 touchdowns.
Brian Jones of 247Sports.com believes Hardy can be a secret weapon for the Falcons this year:
"“Other than Jones, the Falcons need a spark on offense to get them over the hump. Hardy has all the tools to be that guy, and the good thing about Hardy is, opposing teams know little about what he can do. But when the seasons begins in two months, the entire NFL will know how much of a weapon Hardy is, which could lead to the Falcons getting back to where they were in 2012.”"
And he could be a weapon for your team also.
With Hardy on your roster, he has the potential to become a security blanket for Ryan which would give him plenty of targets.
With defenders focused on Julio Jones, Roddy White and the run game, opportunities should open up for Hardy to get open often and put up points.
If you’re looking to add some depth late on, pick up Justin Hardy and you may have a useful fantasy scorer on your roster.