Who To Watch: Leonard Hankerson
(Atlanta Falcons, Wide Receiver)
Week 5
Every fantasy owner usually rosters at least one top 10 wide receiver during the draft. Some of those receivers stay healthy, put up great fantasy points, and carry your team throughout the season. If you drafted like me this year, the wide receiver you pick has a season ending injury. With the loss of players like, Jordy Nelson, Kelvin Benjamin, Dez Bryant, and others, fantasy owners are forced to depend on their secondary wide-outs and pickups off the waiver wire. This happens every year, but there are many players that are overlooked and undrafted to fantasy all-stars. This season going into week 5, Atlanta Falcons' WR, Leonard Hankerson, has become one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.
The 26 year old was a dominate receiver during his college career at the University of Miami (FL). He was First Team All-ACC in 2010. At the NFL combine in 2011, Hank showed off his speed and athleticism by running a 4.43 in the 40-yd dash and jumping a 36 inches in the vertical jump. His great athleticism, route running, and smooth hands gave NFL scouts that he was one of the top wide receivers in the draft. The 6'2", 209 lb receiver was the 3rd round, 79th overall pick by the Washington Redskins in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Washington has never been a good team for rookies to begin their career. We have seen many great college players come into the league and perform horribly for the Redskins. Highly scouted and projected coming out of the draft, Leonard Hankerson was almost forgotten about in Washington. In his rookie season, he missed 11 games, due to a torn labrum in his right hip. Barely thrown to, Hankerson had 13 receptions for 163 yards with 0 touchdowns. The rest of his time in Washington, Hank spent most of his time on the IR with a torn ACL but was able to scrap up 918 yards on 68 receptions with 6 touchdowns.
Although the Washington Redskins were barely able to use Hank due to his injuries from 2011 through 2014, the wide-out found found hope as he took his talents to Atlanta. Practicing behind two all-star receivers, Julio Jones and Roddy White, Leonard was able to learn and develop his game during the offseason. By watching and mimicking Julio Jones, Hankerson improved himself as an offensive playmaker. Also, as a veteran, Roddy White was able to mentor the young wide-out into becoming a smarter offensive player. During his short time in the ATL, Hank has improved his stats greatly. As a 5 year veteran receiver, Hankerson has entered the season hungry for success. Matt Ryan and the Falcons have shown their excitement early this season about the young player.
Atlanta's offense has been performing great; leading their franchise to a perfect 4-0 start this season. In the fantasy world, Atlanta's strong offensive start has not gone unnoticed. Matt Ryan has performed like a top 3 QB. Tevin Coleman and Devanta Freeman have been lighting it up in the backfield. In fact, Freeman has become one of the most popular fantasy players. As for the wide receiver position Julio Jones is not only the number one WR in fantasy, but he has become the number one fantasy player overall.
To go along with an amazing offense, Atlanta's hidden treasure, Leonard Hankerson, has gone from undrafted to a weekly fantasy starter in only four games. Only 4 weeks into the season, Hank has already surpassed Roddy White as the number two wide-out on the Falcon's depth chart and has caught the eye of the gunslinging quarterback, Matt Ryan. He has 241 yards on 17 receptions and has scored 2 touchdowns. These are amazing stats for a player who's available in most leagues. How can this be? I have no clue, but I advise you to take advantage of it! He is currently 51% owned in standard leagues, which is going to dramatically change after this week. His price on Daily Fantasy is $4,000 and is definitely worth the cash for this week. In fact, ESPN's Senior Fantasy Analyst, Matthew Berry, spoke about his love for Hankerson this week.
"With touchdowns in two of the past three games, he's the No. 2 on the Falcons and has been for a while now. They can't all go to Julio Jones...well, maybe they actually can. But against his former team with an overmatched and banged-up secondary that will be throwing everything possible at Jones, expect another solid game from Hank."
His performance makes him a solid start for this week, especially with the matchup against his former team, the Redskins. Leonard Hankerson is a WR2 with a lot of upside for week 5.
-Who Else To Watch in Week 5-
Brian Hoyer (HOU • QB) - The Houston Texans have had a hard time trying to win, but quarterback, Brian Hoyer, has proven himself as the starter every week. Finishing his last performance against the Atlanta Falcons with 232 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, Hoyer is the perfect choice for a streaming quarterback for fantasy. In the coming weeks, look to Hoyer to be a perfect BYE week fill in. Matchup-dependent for DFS.
Blake Bortles (JAX • QB) - Coming off a great game against the Indianapolis Colts, Blake Bortles is definitely earned his way into a weekly start at quarterback. Throwing for 298 yards and one touchdown, the Jaguars are showing off their unbelievable talent at every key position. Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns are great wideouts; TJ Yeldon is one of the most talented backs in the league; and Julius Thomas is a great tight end. With the right weapons, this young quarterback is on the right track to have a monster fantasy season. With the right price on DFS, Bortles is a top 5 fantasy quarterback for the rest of the season.
LaGarent Blount (NE • RB) - Coming back to his regular role in the Patriots backfield in week 3, Blount looked great! Getting 18 carries for 78 yards and 3 touchdowns. Yeah, you could call that a good comeback game. Going through two weeks of practice (week 4 was a BYE week for New England), I look for the Patriots to get creative with their backfield. Dion Lewis should be used more in the pass plays, while Blount leads more of the ground game. A low-end RB1 rest of season. He and Dion are both great starts for DFS. Dion is the better start in PPR; Blount is the better start in standard.
Tavon Austin (STL • WR) - What position does he play? Running back? Wideout? Kick/punt returner? He does it all. If you're looking for a flyer, which is a complete wildcard player, Austin is your guy. PPR, standard, or Daily - Tavon Austin can do it all. Last week against Arizona, Tavon had 2 rushing attempts for 20 yards but led the team in targets with 7. He had 6 receptions for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns. Even with such an outstanding performance, Tavon Austin is barely owned in many leagues. Going up against a decent Green Bay defense, Austin should be a nice start, especially in PPR.
Kamar Aiken (BAL • WR) - Coming off a big performance against Pittsburgh, catching 5 of 7 targets for 77 yards and 1 TD. Aiken is the man for Joe Flacco. He is the most consistent wideout on an offense that is continuing to struggle. Heading into a favorable matchup against Cleveland, Aiken should be a fantasy WR2. Staying away from him in Daily, he's too much of a risk at his high price - high risk, high price. He's an add and stash; his schedule looks great for the weeks ahead.
Zach Ertz (PHI • TE) - With such a slow start, Ertz was dropped in many leagues. Totaling 10 receptions of 20 targets through 4 weeks, Zach Ertz just hasn't been getting the targets. In a struggling Eagles offense, he is the only player I'm interested in on the Eagles. Entering some crucial BYE weeks, Ertz is an interesting pickup. Tempting to play in PPR leagues, he has no value in standard. Going into a game against a terrible defense against tight ends, look to see how Ertz plays against the New Orleans Saints.
By: Cameron Black
@GBCam_Black
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