Mecole Hardman

Week 4 at Philadelphia Eagles

Mecole Hardman finished 3-33-1 on four targets last week, catching his first touchdown of the season. It hasn't been a super strong season for Hardman, who has 107 receiving yards through the first three games (35.7 avg). Like in recent years, it's hard for other receivers to shine in this Kansas City offense outside of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. Hardman will make some plays here and there, but he isn't going to be a reliable every-week player. This week he draws a tough matchup against the Eagles, who have allowed the fewest receiving yards to WRs so far this season. Hardman isn't much more than a WR4 this week.

Week 2 @ Baltimore Ravens

Mecole Hardman had a pretty rough Week 1, finishing 3-19 on three targets. He continues to show that outside of the Big 3 in Kansas City (Mahomes/Hill/Kelce), there aren't many other reliable options in this offense. Hardman played a nice 69% of the offensive snaps in Week 1, which tied his season-high in 2020. But 19 yards just isn't going to cut it. We're expecting a better performance from Hardman in Week 2 against the Ravens, but he's only in WR4 to WR5 territory. After all, this is a receiver who has finished below 30 receiving yards in eight straight games dating back to last year.

Fantasy Upside
Goodbye Sammy Watkins, hello Mecole Hardman. Even though Hardman out-targeted Watkins last season (62 to 55), he didn’t play nearly as much. Hardman didn’t top 70% of offensive snaps played in any game last year, but Watkins reached that mark in every game (aside from two when he left early due to injury). Watkins leaving frees up a big role for Hardman who should be on the field a lot more in 2021. Hardman’s speed is nearly as elite as Tyreek Hill’s, which obviously pairs nicely with Patrick Mahomes’ arm.

Fantasy Downside
While we’re expecting Hardman to step into a bigger role, there’s a chance he isn’t used as much as we think. The Chiefs may keep Hardman in a similar role as last year while utilizing Demarcus Robinson or Byron Pringle in Watkins’ old role. And even if Hardman does step up, we haven’t seen much production from players in this Chiefs offense aside from Hill and Travis Kelce.

2021 Bottom Line
Hardman is a late-round flier candidate in fantasy drafts this year. If he’s able to play more snaps, and get more targets, he could end up being a valuable asset, especially with his game-breaking speed. But he’s also someone who hasn’t reached 600 receiving yards in his two seasons, so he’s not someone you want to take too early. We have him ranked around WR50, and we’re projecting around 800 yards for him this year.