Hooper hauled in three of his four targets, while accounting for 48 receiving yards during Monday's 23-20 win against the Giants.
Hooper put forth a performance Monday that more so resembled the player he had been through his first 34 career games, compared to the prolific production he had enjoyed over his previous two outings. The third-year tight end posted per-game averages of 2.2 catches and 27.1 receiving yards for his career prior to Week 5 of this season, when he suddenly exploded for 18 combined catches for 148 yards and a touchdown in matchups against Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay. Make no mistake about it. Hooper has become a more integral part of this Falcons passing attack in 2018, with 5.9 targets per game compared to 3.1 per game during his first two professional seasons. Still, expectations should be tempered somewhat, as he may not yet provide consistent TE1 upside with the plethora of weapons that Atlanta sports on the perimeter. Following a Week 8 bye, the Falcons return to action Nov. 4 against a Redskins defense that has allowed the seventh-fewest yards to tight ends this season (267).