Once again, the Atlanta Falcons will have to overcome injuries in order to make a run at the playoffs this season. Last year, the team had Super Bowl dreams that were dashed when several marquee names went down for the year. Their attempt at avoiding the same fate a second-straight year has hit a speed bump as several members of the offensive line and the receiving corps are expected to be out for the short and long term future.
With the offensive line in disarray, the Falcons got more bad news as Harry Douglas has been ruled out for the Week 5 matchup against the Giants. The wide receiver has been dealing with a foot injury that is proving to be more than the minor issue it was originally diagnosed as. Douglas was not active for the loss to the Minnesota Vikings and has officially be ruled out for Sunday after not practicing all week.
Losing Douglas is a hit, but not a catastrophe. The Falcons need a win and the Giants will prove to be a tough challenge. However, with Devin Hester playing well, the team can afford to have Douglas on the bench for another week. Hester will likely take over as the third receiver behind Julio Jones and Roddy White along with tight end Levine Toilolo. Hester has been the surprise of the season so far in 2014 as the Falcons continue to utilize him across the middle of the field, creating mismatches on defense. Fantasy owners should expect more targets headed his way while Douglas remains out.
The impact of the wide receivers could rely heavily on the offensive line that has lost three players this week. Joe Hawley and Lamar Holmes were put on season-ending injured reserve while Justin Blalock has been ruled out this week as well. There could be some chemistry issues as the Falcons dig into their depth chart for help, but quarterback Matt Ryan remains confident the unit gets the job done.
"Mike Tice has done a really good with those guys this entire year," Ryan said, via the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "We have guys who've had more experience playing. Last year, it was a lot of people's first opportunity when they were thrown into the fire. One of things that is going to help us is last year guys who had the opportunity to go out there and play, now they have that experience under their belts. I think that's huge for us."
Atlanta is currently looking for their first road win of the year after losing to both the Cincinnati Bengals and Vikings away from home. Traveling to New York will certainly not be easy and the offensive line is going to the focal point of the team until they are proven to be a capable unit.
