Fantasy Upside
The best-case scenario for Leonard Hankerson is that Roddy White has another injury-ravaged season. While still productive last year, White is coming off two injury-plagued years and is already scheduled to have surgery on his right elbow (though he's expected to play Week 1). Hankerson, meanwhile, has drawn praise from coaches, teammates and reporters alike in his first preseason with the Falcons and he would benefit the most if White were to miss significant time. The former Redskin has always had the size (6-foot-2, 211 pounds) and speed (4.43) to be a starter, but a knee injury sustained in November of 2013 robbed him of his entire 2014 campaign. Now that he’s paired with a quality quarterback in Matt Ryan and a creative play-caller in Kyle Shanahan, Hankerson has the opportunity to make a fantasy impact. If he gets enough looks, he could wind up being a WR3 at a bargain bin price for fantasy owners.
Fantasy Downside
Harry Douglas started 17 games over the last two years as White and Julio Jones battled injuries, yet finished as the WR33 and WR65 despite increased opportunities. What makes anyone think that Hankerson (who like Douglas will be Atlanta’s No. 3 receiver) will make an impact in fantasy? Granted, the Falcons have a new coordinator in Shanahan, but the Falcons passing game will still run through Jones even if Hankerson winds up receiving starting snaps with White banged up. Unless both Jones and White were to go down again, Hankerson won’t receive enough targets to be anything more than a WR4 this season.
Bottom Line
Hankerson’s value will come as a streaming option if White misses games, but he’s not worth more than a late-round flier in fantasy drafts. Shanahan’s offense will run through Jones so unless he goes down, Hankerson will have a limited fantasy impact. He's currently ranked as our WR80 in standard leagues.