With Roddy White banged up, Tony Gonzalez hurting and Julio Jones out for the season, the Atlanta Falcons have seen their receiving corps (and their Super Bowl aspirations) go down the drain. The lone bright spot for the squad has been the play of fifth-year wide receiver Harry Douglas.
Once thought of as a slot receiver with some upside because of his speed and play-making ability, Douglas has emerged as Matt Ryan’s favorite target in recent weeks. In the five games before Thursday Night’s showdown against the Saints, Douglas had averaged seven catches per game, good for 107 yards per contest. He was also targeted a whopping 47 times over that period (9.4 per game) and has scored two touchdowns. On TNF it was more of the same, as Douglas caught nine of his 11 targets for 79 yards.
Many feared that the re-integration of White back into the offense would hurt Douglas’ production, but that certainly hasn’t been the case considering he went for 134 yards and a TD on six catches against Tampa Bay in Week 11. It was his third 100-yard game of the season and he is showing no signs of slowing down despite Atlanta’s woeful record.
Douglas’ needle is only pointing up if you believe this tweet from ESPN’s Vaughn McClure: ‘“One of the silver linings is the play of Harry,’ Matt Ryan on Harry Douglas.”
The fact that the Falcons will probably be trailing early for much of the rest of the season and therefore be forced to throw is another factor that enhances Douglas’ value. Going forward, he is probably the only player on the Atlanta offense, besides Gonzalez, that owners should start with confidence.
Need another reason? Harry will probably want to put on a good show during games while his brother, Golden State Warriors point guard Toney Douglas, watches on TV as he recovers from a stress reaction in his left tibia.
Evan Bleier is a freelance writer based out of wherever he can plug in his laptop. You can send him questions, comments and Buffalo wing suggestions @itishowitis or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
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