Hooper failed to haul in his one target during Sunday's 40-14 win against the Cardinals.
Dealing with knee and ankle injuries, Hooper sat out of practice Wednesday and Thursday before participating in Friday's session, and ultimately being cleared for Week 15. On a first quarter red-zone drive set up by Tevin Coleman's monstrous 65-yard run, Hooper had a golden opportunity to cash in for his fifth touchdown of the season, but was unable to haul in a chest-high pass from Matt Ryan on third-and-goal. With an eye on the future, and perhaps out of concern stemming from his questionable status entering the weekend, Hooper received just one target in Sunday's convincing win over Arizona, compared to an average of 7.1 targets per game between Weeks 5 and 14. Upcoming in Week 16 is a matchup against a Panthers defense that's been lenient on tight ends, ranking bottom-14 in both catches (73) and receiving yards (796) allowed to the position, with an NFL-high nine touchdowns surrendered on the year.