Scores for second consecutive week

Hardy caught all three of his targets Sunday, accumulating 29 receiving yards and one touchdown during a 40-14 victory against the Cardinals.

Analysis: Through Week 13, Hardy had eight receptions for 74 yards and no touchdowns. The fourth-year man has six catches for 59 yards and two touchdowns over the past two games against Green Bay and Arizona. Hardy hasn't been playing a greater number of snaps necessarily (in fact, last week he only fielded 14 offensive snaps in a breakout performance), but 35 percent of his targets this season have come over the last two weeks. It will be intriguing to see Hardy's involvement in Week 16, when the…read more

Records first touchdown of 2018

Hardy caught three of four targets, compiling 30 receiving yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 34-20 loss to Green Bay.

Analysis: After accounting for seven combined receiving scores over the past two seasons, it came as a surprise that Hardy had yet to find the end zone entering Week 14, having come into Sunday's road test at Lambeau Field without logging a single red-zone target on the year. Matt Ryan looked for Hardy three times when the Falcons were inside the Green Bay 20-yard line, once connecting for a 19-yard junk time score to bolster Hardy's stat line for the day. With Atlanta all but mathematically eliminated…read more

Targeted twice against Saints

Hardy caught one of two targets for six yards during Atlanta's 31-17 loss to New Orleans on Thanksgiving.

Analysis: The veteran receiver has fallen off over the past month. He's been targeted just thrice over his last four games, totaling 13 yards. Hardy has been targeted more than twice in a game just once all year and hasn't really been a contributor in a prolific Falcons passing game. Sunday brings the Ravens' top-five pass defense.

Targeted once in loss

Hardy caught his only target, a 7-yard gain, during Sunday's 28-16 loss to Cleveland.

Analysis: Despite taking part in a revitalized Falcons pass offense ranked fourth in the league, Hardy has been seldomly used in Atlanta's scheme. Five of Hardy's seven catches this season came during the Falcons' recent three-game winning streak, but -- even then -- he failed to garner much production. Next up is a Dallas pass defense ranked in the top 10 of the league, giving up just 232 yards per game.

Remains involved in passing attack

Hardy collected two receptions for 24 yards during Monday's 23-20 win against the Giants.

Analysis: The crafty veteran now has five receptions on nine targets over Atlanta's pass two games, after collecting just one catch on one target through the first five weeks of the season. Minor injuries to Mohamed Sanu (groin) and Calvin Ridley (ankle) have facilitated Hardy's uptick in his offensive involvement of late. But so long as he keeps producing, Hardy has a chance to field between 15 and 25 snaps per game as a No. 4 or No. 5 option for the Falcons receiving corps. Following a Week 8 bye,…read more

Could see more snaps in Week 7

Head coach Dan Quinn said that Hardy would see an increase in offensive involvement should either Mohamed Sanu (hip) or Calvin Ridley (ankle) be deemed inactive for Monday night's game against the Giants, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. "Marvin (Hall's) role will certainly increase and (Hardy's) role would increase, and the third would be Russell Gage," Quinn explained after Friday's practice session.

Analysis: Hardy collected a career-high seven targets during the Falcons' Week 6 win over Tampa Bay, hauling in three of those passes for 33 receiving yards. Over the past three seasons, Hardy has two appearances in games when Sanu was inactive, and in those contests has compiled five catches for 43 yards and a touchdown (averaging 1.4 receptions and 13.9 yards per game for his career). Even if Hardy does play on a greater percentage of offensive snaps, Week 7 brings a less than favorable matchup…read more

Participating in team drills

Hardy (shoulder) is participating in team drills during training camp, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Analysis: Hardy, who underwent minor shoulder surgery in January, has gradually worked his way back to full strength and is taking first-team reps on kickoffs alongside Marvin Hal in addition to seeing action with the first-team offense in team drills during training camp. He's probably the frontrunner in the mix to be the top backup behind Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Calvin Ridley, but Hardy is unlikely to see enough playing time to be of fantasy consideration.

Hardy (shoulder) was recognized by head coach Dan Quinn on Wednesday as a player who is expected to be fully rehabilitated from injury in the near future. "I anticipate (him) almost being ready now, and so we're going to try and do the individual work," Quinn reported when speaking to the media after OTAs, "I really see very few limitations heading into training camp".

Analysis: For the time being, Hardy continues to partake in individual drills as he works his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. Hardy's potential sleeper value as a receiver was diminished when Atlanta selected Calvin Ridley in the first round of the draft, but he is likely to be slotted in as the No. 4 receiver while being in contention to take over as the team's primary kick returner with Andre Roberts' departure to New York. The 5-foot-10 Hardy made the most of limited opportunity in 2017,…read more

Hardy (shoulder) appeared to be doing rehab work on a side field Tuesday, ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure reports.

Analysis: Hardy had a minor procedure on his right shoulder in late January after the Falcons were eliminated from the playoffs. He caught either 20 or 21 passes in each of his three professional seasons, but there is an opportunity for a larger role in 2018 after Taylor Gabriel signed with the Bears in March. Hardy figures to compete for the No. 3 receiver job, squaring off against Marvin Hall, Reggie Davis and, potentially, a rookie draft pick. Hardy may be limited at the offseason program but should…read more

Hardy could see an uptick in both targets and production now that Taylor Gabriel is likely headed to free agency.

Analysis: Barring the acquisition of another wide receiver to fill in for Taylor Gabriel's departure, Hardy becomes a viable candidate to garner amplified attention in the Falcons' passing attack. Having hauled in a healthy 69 percent of passes thrown his way in 2017, Hardy has proven to possess sufficiently reliable hands to at least earn an audition as Atlanta's slot receiver. Hardy will aim to break out in his fourth pro season after racking up a monstrous 235 combined receptions during his junior and…read more

Hardy recently underwent surgery on his right shoulder and is expected to face "a few weeks" of recovery, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Analysis: While the reason for Hardy's procedure isn't clear, it doesn't sound like he's dealing with any major injury. He should be back in action well before the start of OTAs in late April.

Hardy didn't have a ball thrown his way in Saturday's divisional-round loss to the Eagles.

Analysis: While he hasn't exactly made a huge impact, Hardy has been fairly consistent in his three years in the league. He's caught between 20 and 21 passes and finished with between 194 and 221 yards in each of his three seasons in the league. He had three touchdowns this season, one fewer than last year. Hardy is under contract for one more year, and he'll try to have a career year in 2018 before he can pursue the open waters of free agency.

Hardy's lone target went for a three-yard reception in the 26-13 wild-card victory over the Rams on Saturday.

Analysis: Matt Ryan threw 30 passes Saturday, and 18 of the targets went to either Julio Jones or Mohamed Sanu, leaving few opportunities for other receivers. Hardy may get a look or two in the divisional round against the Eagles, but it would likely take an injury to one of the aforementioned wideouts for him to make an impact against Philadelphia.

Hardy caught two balls for 33 yards and a touchdown to help lead the Falcons past the Buccaneers 24-21 on Monday.

Analysis: Hardy had been held without a catch in his three previous games, so it's nice to see him catch a couple balls, let alone a touchdown. He could see a couple targets down the stretch, but he shouldn't be relied upon for consistent production.

Hardy only caught two balls for seven yards against the Cowboys, but one of those receptions went for a 3-yard touchdown in the 27-7 win.

Analysis: Hardy has struggled to get targets in Atlanta's offense, as he's only seen more than three targets in a game once this season, but he was able to find the end zone in this one. He's an injury away from a much bigger role in the passing game, but for now he can expect about two targets a game, which severely limits his ceiling.