The Atlanta Falcons will be without their star tight end for the next few weeks due to a knee injury he suffered in the 26-9 win over the New Orleans Saints last Sunday.
According to Ian Rapoport, Austin Hooper will miss about a month due to an MCL sprain. Hooper caught four passes for 17 yards and a touchdown against the Saints before exiting the game early. He has caught 56 passes for 608 yards and six touchdowns this season -- and is the team leader in receptions and receiving touchdowns.
When an MRI confirmed that Hooper had an MCL sprain, he decided to hear a second opinion on the injury to nail down exactly how much time he would have to miss. Apparently, that second opinion did not yield positive news. With Hooper out, Luke Stocker should take over as the Falcons' starting tight end. The 31-year-old is in his first season with the Falcons, and has caught six passes for 34 yards in nine games.
Stocker spent his first seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then two additional years with the Tennessee Titans. His best season actually came last year with the Titans, when he caught 15 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. The Falcons also have Jaeden Graham, who is sure to get more playing time with Hooper out. He has dressed for all nine games, but has caught just two passes for 32 yards.
Hooper was not the only Falcons star to be injured on Sunday, as running back Devonta Freeman also suffered a foot sprain that could knock him out for about two weeks, according to Rapoport.
While the 2-7 Falcons aren't fighting for a spot in the postseason, they did register a big win over the first-place Saints on Sunday. It's hard to build momentum with the amount of injuries the Falcons are having to deal with, however.
