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The Falcons have a pretty healthy roster heading into this weekend's tilt with the Giants, but three players will be held out. The good news? One of them is not Julio Jones!
Goodman, Hester and Reed will miss Sundays game
— Andrew Hirsh (@andrewhirsh) September 18, 2015
DQ said Julio looked right back to normal at full speed today.
— Jeanna (@jeannathomas) September 18, 2015
Goodman's absence is a minor surprise, and after he had a productive first week against the Eagles, a shame. Expect Kroy Biermann to play some end in place of Goodman and for Jonathan Babineaux to potentially kick out to end in obvious run situations. Goodman is just a reserve, but he did play a significant number of snaps against the Eagles, so he'll need to be replaced by a rotation of players.
Hester will miss his second straight game. Without the ace returner, the Falcons will likely turn to Eric Weems, who is a stellar special team and a thoroughly uninspiring returner at this stage of his career. The Falcons will survive on special teams without Hester—they were fantastic against the Eagles, minus those returns—but it doesn't help the Falcons in the field position battle.
Reed's injury once again opens up an opportunity for O'Brien Schofield and Kroy Biermann. Schofield was all over the field and harassed Sam Bradford on Monday night, while Biermann had a couple of ugly bad angles and missed tackles, though he was an asset on special teams. Both will need to play well Sunday against the Giants, since they'll be contending with speedy receiving back Shane Vereen. Reed is expected to return sometime after Week 6.
Everyone else practiced fully and is expected to suit up on Sunday, so that's good news. With any luck, the Falcons will stomp the Giants and get Hester and Goodman back in time for the Cowboys game.