As we inch toward the new season, the ever-changing NFL landscape has player fantasy values constantly on the move. Whether you’re used to the dynasty platform or are still learning the rules, let’s dive into the latest dynasty fantasy football value of Mecole Hardman.
Mecole Hardman’s Dynasty Outlook and Value
A big reason I’m fully out on JuJu Smith-Schuster is he couldn’t even beat out Hardman in fantasy points per game. It was a difference of just 0.1 ppg, but Hardman should not be better than Smith-Schuster. Yet, he was.
Injuries limited Hardman to eight games, but before he got hurt, he was really starting to heat up. After being completely irrelevant for the first month of the season, Hardman posted games of 12.0, 13.2, 28.0, and 19.9 before getting hurt and missing the remainder of the regular season. His snap shares in those games were 40%, 45%, 63%, and 54%.
MORE: Dynasty Rankings 2023 — Top Fantasy Options at Wide Receiver
With that said, I do think his value is tied almost entirely to Patrick Mahomes. If the Chiefs do not re-sign Hardman, it’s difficult to envision him being a fantasy factor in many other places. The Chiefs have the ideal situation of the best quarterback in the league and no truly dominant wide receiver.
Fantasy managers can certainly do worse than someone with Hardman’s speed and athleticism as the final wide receiver on their roster. But I wouldn’t consider him a player who absolutely must be rostered.
Mecole Hardman’s Fantasy Ranking
Hardman is still just 25 years old. Someone is going to sign him. For his sake, hopefully, it’s the Chiefs. I’m not sure if he will get a long-term deal, but he should be able to get 2-3 years from someone. It’s possible he is able to carve out a fantasy-relevant role somewhere else, but it’s not likely.
3/22 Update: Hardman is now a member of the New York Jets. I do not like this move for him. Even assuming the Jets get Aaron Rodgers, Hardman goes from a wide-open depth chart and Patrick Mahomes to a past-his-prime Rodgers while competing for targets with a true alpha in Garrett Wilson, as well as Allen Lazard and Elijah Moore.
Prior to this update, I said fantasy managers with Hardman should either sell now in anticipation of him leaving or hang onto him and hope he stays.
We currently have him at WR89 (No. 236 overall) in our dynasty Superflex rankings. At that ranking, he’s not even being taken in dynasty startup drafts outside of deep leagues. With this new landing spot, I’m even less interested.
