Mecole Hardman

Week 3 at Baltimore Ravens

Mecole Hardman has just three receptions for 36 yards through two games this season. There really isn't a receiver in this offense aside from Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce who's been proven reliable. Hardman may see an increase in use this week with Sammy Watkins in the concussion protocol, but he's still a risky play. He should be viewed as a low-end WR4 in a tough matchup against the Ravens.

Fantasy Upside
Mecole Hardman showed promise in 2019, finishing with 538 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged an insane 20.7 yards per catch, proving he’s a valuable deep threat for Kansas City and the strong-armed Patrick Mahomes. Receivers typically break out in their second or third year, so there’s optimism we could see Hardman improve in 2020.

Fantasy Downside
There was hope the Chiefs would let Sammy Watkins walk, which would have freed up playing time for Hardman. Instead, Watkins is back and the Chiefs also signed Demarcus Robinson. Playing time was tough for Hardman last season as he only played above 40% of the offensive snaps once from Week 8 to Week 17. Hardman was also incredibly unreliant last season, finishing four games with no receptions at all.

2020 Bottom Line
Unless there’s an injury to a Chiefs receiver, it’s difficult to see Hardman getting enough playing time to be a reliable option. Kansas City might use him sparingly on deep throws, but those are impossible to predict. In fact, in four of the six games where Hardman caught a touchdown last season, he had two or fewer receptions. He’s a boom-or-bust player on a week-to-week basis unless there’s a change in the roster.

Week 14 at New England Patriots

Mecole Hardman wasn't even targeted last week. He has three total catches in his last four games, with two of those games resulting in full zeroes. You can forget about Hardman as a fantasy option at this point.