Mecole Hardman Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Chiefs placed WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) on IR. We still don't have any details on his injury, but he's out at least the next 4 games. Hardman is droppable in most fantasy leagues. His absence opens up opportunity for WR Kadarius Toney -- although it's worth noting that WR Justin Watson ran more routes than Toney last week. Toney should be owned in all fantasy leagues at this point, but Watson is also worth stashing in deeper setups.

Chiefs WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (illness) and Mecole Hardman (abdomen, illness) missed Wednesday's practice. Valdes-Scantling should be fine for Sunday night's game vs. the Chargers, but Smith-Schuster and Hardman are iffy. Their absences would likely mean a significant role for WR Kadarius Toney.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars. He's operated as Kansas City's #3 WR all year, averaging 4.3 targets per game (10% share). Hardman's absence leaves WRs Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson behind JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. We're expecting a committee to replace Hardman, leaving Toney, Moore and Watson as low-floor fantasy plays. But Toney is our preference if choosing between them. Hardman has played 49% of his snaps in the slot this season. Toney was in the slot for 4 of his 9 snaps last week. Moore has played 39% of his snaps in the slot this season; Watson 40%.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) remained sidelined for Thursday's practice. HC Andy Reid described Hardman's issue as "soreness," but it certainly seems like he's in danger of missing this weekend's game vs. the Jaguars. His absence would leave #3 WR duties to some combination of Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) did not practice on Wednesday. HC Andy Reid said Hardman is dealing with "abdominal soreness" and is still being evaluated. We'll see if he's able to get on the practice field tomorrow.

The Chiefs acquired WR Kadarius Toney from the Giants in exchange for a 2023 3rd-round compensatory pick and a 2023 6th-round pick. Injuries have limited Toney to just 12 games over his first 1-and-a-half NFL seasons, including only 2 this year. But he's flashed exciting route-running and after-the-catch ability when on the field. This is about the best-case scenario for his fantasy value, which seemed almost non-existent in New York. We'll see when Toney is able to get on the field after missing the past 5 weeks with hamstring trouble -- and then how he fits in alongside WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman. But if he can find playing time with QB Patrick Mahomes, Toney could quickly emerge as a fantasy factor. He's worth grabbing now in leagues where he was dropped.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman scored 3 times among just 6 touches in Sunday's win over the 49ers. He found the end zone on both of his carries, from 25 and 13 yards out. Hardman also took a "pop" pass in from 8 yards out. That was 1 of 4 catches for 32 yards on 4 targets. Hardman did lead all Chiefs wideouts in playing time, seeing his 2nd most snaps and 2nd-largest snap share of the season. He still trailed JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in routes, though. The playing-time boost -- to 62% vs. 40-46% over the previous 3 games -- was likely matchup-driven to some degree. Hardman has seen 4-5 targets in 3 straight games, though, and 4-6 in 5 of 7 games for the season. We'll see whether there's any word from the Chiefs on offensive alterations coming out of the Week 8 bye.

Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster delivered 113 yards and a TD on 5 catches in Sunday's loss to the Bills. He caught all 5 targets, with the biggest strike a 42-yard catch-and-run TD. TE Travis Kelce doubled Smith-Schuster's targets (10) and finished with 8 catches for 108 yards. WR Mecole Hardman checked in 3rd on the team with 4 targets, catching 3 for 42 yards and the Chiefs' other TD. WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling went catch-less on 3 targets. He did nearly score on a reception that got wiped out by an ineligible-man-downfield penalty. Valdes-Scantling also had an end-zone target intercepted later on the same drive. Rookie WR Skyy Moore matched MVS' 3 targets, catching 1 for 24 yards.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (heel) is not listed on the final Week 4 injury report. He only got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday but is evidently good to go for Sunday night’s game vs. the Bucs.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (heel) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. That should put him on track to play vs. the Bucs on Sunday night. We'll see what Kansas City's final injury report says tomorrow.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (heel) did not practice on Wednesday. His status for Sunday night's game vs. the Bucs is uncertain. Hardman's absence would free up snaps for WR Skyy Moore and/or WR Justin Watson.

Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster tied Travis Kelce for the target lead (8) in Sunday's loss to the Colts, tied Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the reception lead (5) and paced the team with 89 receiving yards. He remained close to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman in routes: 35 for MVS, 33 for Smith-Schuster and 28 for Hardman. Valdes-Scantling drew 7 targets for the 2nd straight game, while Hardman garnered just 1. QB Patrick Mahomes spread his attempts around less than in the Week 2 win over the Chargers. With Hardman back healthy -- he was in and out of the Week 2 contest -- WR Justin Watson played just 10 snaps; Skyy Moore 8.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce edged WR JuJu Smith-Schuster for the Week 1 target lead, 9-8, with WR Mecole Hardman checking in 3rd (with 6). It was WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, though, playing more snaps than any offensive skill player besides Patrick Mahomes. MVS edged Smith-Schuster by 1 route and Kielce by 2, according to Pro Football Focus. Hardman checked in 4th in that category, with the rest of the team far behind. Valdes-Scantling might well remain behind Kelce and Smith-Schuster in target distribution. But his 5.5-yard Week 1 average depth of target suggests he won't merely be the downfield player he was in Green Bay. (MVS' ADOTs with the Packers went 13.8, 16.6, 18.2, 18.2.) Keep MVS in mind more than you would most WRs who open the year with 4 targets and 2 other significant receiving threats in the lineup.

The Athletic's Nate Taylor believes Mecole Hardman will open the season as the Chiefs' #2 WR -- behind JuJu Smith-Schuster but ahead of Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore. "Because he’s the fastest in the group and has been in the Chiefs’ system the longest," Taylor writes. We'll be keeping a close eye on the route and target counts in this group early in the season. But Smith-Schuster will be the only reliable Week 1 fantasy starter.