New York Jets Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Jets have agreed to a one-year deal with WR Mecole Hardman, worth up to $6.5 million. Hardman missed the final nine regular-season games last year, as well as the playoff opener. He returned for limited use in the conference-title game but then missed the Super Bowl. He'll have a tough time climbing higher than fourth among Jets WRs, behind Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, and Elijah Moore. WR Corey Davis also remains on the roster, though he has been rumored to be a candidate for trade or cut. It seems telling that the Chiefs didn't bother keeping Hardman around at such low contract terms. Don't bother mixing him into your best ball draft plans as anything more than an end-of-draft flier.

Update: Right after the Hardman deal's announcement came the Jets trading WR Elijah Moore to Cleveland. That obviously creates more room for Hardman, though we'll see what other moves are coming. We'll also see about Hardman's recovery from Feb. 21 pelvic surgery.

QB Aaron Rodgers announced on the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday that he's agreed to a trade to the Jets. The enigmatic former NFL MVP immediately presents an upgrade over QB Zach Wilson and should make fantasy managers excited for what’s to come. Though Rodgers slipped in production last season, he finished 2020 and 2021 with a fantasy PPG average over 20. Much of his lack of success can be attributed to the departure of weapons like WR Davante Adams, but now Rodgers won’t have to worry about a lack of weapons in his supporting cast. WR Garrett Wilson is already considered a high-end dynasty asset, and his value is only further solidified by the presence of a stellar QB. The player this affects the most is WR Elijah Moore, who saw a great deal of controversy last season deriving from his frustrations with his role and poor play from Zach Wilson under center. We may see him look more like the WR3 overall in PPR scoring from Week 7 through Week 12 of his rookie season in 2021 if he can stave off new teammate WR Allen Lazard.

The Jets have agreed to a four-year, $44 million deal with WR Allen Lazard. The contract includes $22 million in guaranteed money. Lazard logged career-highs in receptions (60) and receiving yards (788) as the Packers' de facto WR1 in the absence of Davante Adams. This move carries a couple of pieces of impact. First, this signing is likely to effectively end WR Corey Davis' tenure with the Jets. Moving on from Davis would free up $10.5 million in cap space for the Jets. Second, Lazard being brought in signals that the franchise is continuing to appeal to the interests of QB Aaron Rodgers. Whether or not Rodgers ultimately becomes the Jets' next signal-caller, Lazard will have to battle with WR Garrett Wilson for targets and likely doesn't carry much appeal beyond being a WR3/WR4 for fantasy managers. Either way, this deal likely means more for real-life football than fantasy football.

The Jets and LB Quincy Williams have agreed to a three-year, $18 million deal, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Incentives could push the total value to $21 million. Either way, it signals continued starter duty for Williams. And it's particularly noteworthy because Williams' playing time fluctuated each of the past two years. He closed out 2022 playing more than 80% of snaps in five of the final six games, including more than 90% in each of the final two. This contract makes it look like we can expect more of the same, which boosts the IDP outlook for the 26-year-old (until Aug. 28). Check out where Williams sits in our dynasty LB rankings after this boost.

Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Chiefs are “bracing to lose” WR Mecole Hardman in free agency. Hardman, who underwent groin surgery in February, appeared in only 8 games this past season. 30% of his fantasy production came in one game (Week 7, at San Francisco). According to Fowler, the Chiefs will “attempt” to re-sign WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. Even if the 26-year-old returns, we expect Kansas City to add WR talent this offseason.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman underwent groin surgery on February 21, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Hardman suffered this injury in Week 9 in early November, finally returned for the AFC Championship in late January but played just 15 snaps and then missed the Super Bowl. Assuming this is a standard sports-hernia type surgery, Hardman should be ready in plenty of time for training camp. He's set to hit free agency in March for the first time.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (pelvis) has been placed on IR, officially knocking him out for the Super Bowl. He went down way back in Week 9 and aggravated the injury when he tried to return for the AFC Championship. We're still waiting to find out whether WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Kadarius Toney (ankle) will be available for Sunday's showdown vs. the Eagles.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid conceded Thursday that WR Mecole Hardman is unlikely to play in the Super Bowl after aggravating his pelvis injury in the win over the Bengals. “I think it’ll be tough for him," Reid said. "I doubt he’ll make the Super Bowl… He was not going to be denied the other day [in the AFC Championship Game], and that’s a tribute to the kid. He’s a tough, tough kid.” Hardman is scheduled to hit free agency in March.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (pelvis) is active for today's AFC Championship game vs. the Bengals. It'll be his first action since Week 9. WR Justin Watson (illness) is inactive.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (pelvis) logged limited practice participation all week and is officially listed as questionable for the AFC Championship game vs. the Bengals. The speedster didn't practice last week, eventually leading to him not playing vs. the Jaguars in the Divisional Round. Teammate WR Justin Watson (illness) popped up on the injury report last minute and is also questionable for Sunday's game. The lack of health in the WR room makes us feel even better about Kadarius Toney in this fairly neutral matchup vs. the Bengals. Toney totaled 50 yards on 6 touches last week and stands to possibly be in line for another good opportunity for involvement if Hardman doesn't suit up.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (pelvis) remained limited in Thursday's practice. We'll see what he does on Friday and how he's listed on the final injury report for this weekend's AFC Championship game vs. the Bengals. Hardman has been out since Week 9.

The Jets are hiring Nathaniel Hackett as their new OC, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Hackett was a disaster as Denver's HC this past season but had a successful stint as Green Bay's OC the previous 3 years. The Packers finished middle of the pack in total yards and points in Hackett's 1st season but climbed into the top 10 in both categories in 2020 and 2021. Those teams, of course, were quarterbacked by Aaron Rodgers, who's a big fan of Hackett. This move was presumably made by the Jets at least in part to help their chances of luring Rodgers to New York.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (pelvis) logged limited participation at Wednesday's practice in advance of Sunday's AFC Championship game vs. the Bengals. The speedy wideout didn't practice at all last week and missed the Divisional Round game vs. the Jaguars due to this injury. Limited practice early this week is a step in the right direction for Hardman. We'll keep an eye on his status as the week unfolds.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (hip) didn't practice all week and has been ruled out for Saturday's Divisional Round game vs. the Jaguars. Rookie WR Skyy Moore (hand) managed to practice fully all week and doesn't carry an injury designation. WR Kadarius Toney could see a small bump into DFS relevancy for this weekend's slate with this news, though neither Toney nor Moore carries a target share greater than 10% since Toney's arrival from the Giants in Week 9. We still feel best about WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling for fantasy purposes. The Jaguars' defense ranks as the 9th-best matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (pelvis) didn't practice again on Wednesday ahead of Saturday's Divisional Round game vs. the Jaguars. Fellow WR Skyy Moore (hand) practiced fully for the 2nd-consecutive day. It's tough to imagine we'll see Hardman play on Saturday if he doesn't ramp up to at least some practice participation on Thursday. Check back tomorrow once we have more information on this front.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) will not practice on Tuesday, HC Andy Reid said. “It’s not responding the way he wants it to,” Reid said of Hardman's injury. It doesn't sound like he's a good bet to be ready for Saturday's Divisional Round game vs. the Jaguars. That'd again leave Kansas City with a WR corps of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Justin Watson and potentially Skyy Moore, who missed Week 18 with a hand injury.

According to multiple reports, the Jets and OC Mike LaFleur are mutually parting ways. LaFleur jumped from the 49ers staff to the Jets when Robert Saleh took over as HC 2 seasons ago. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that other teams have inquired about LaFleur, so it sounds like this is more "parting" than firing. We'll see where LaFleur lands next and what he has to work with. It's tough to judge much from his 1st try at OC, with poor QB play limiting everything. We'll also see who the Jets pull in next ... and who starts at QB in 2023.

Jets TE C.J. Uzomah (ankle) is inactive for today's game vs. the Dolphins. His absence is a boost to TE Tyler Conklin's Week 18 fantasy value.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman is inactive for Saturday’s matchup with the Raiders. Out since Week 9, Hardman should return for the postseason.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) has been activated from IR, putting him in line to play in Saturday's regular-season finale vs. the Raiders. Hardman has been out since Week 9. He'd be a flier in Week 18 fantasy lineups but is certainly in play for NFL Playoffs fantasy contests.