Who Should I Start? Justin Watson or Mecole Hardman

Saturday, January 4, 6:55 PM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson is coming off arguably his best performance of the season. The 28-year-old hauled in both his targets for 60 yards and a touchdown during last week's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Before that, Watson has been held to 43 receiving yards or less in every game this season. Watson is normally depth, but might see a bigger role if the Chiefs decide to rest or pull their starters out early in Week 18. It's also worth noting that Carson Wentz will be under center for the Chiefs during their Week 18 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Watson doesn't offer much value on a weekly basis and playing with a backup quarterback against a tough secondary isn't going to help. Fantasy managers should be able to find a better option for Week 18.

Wednesday, January 22, 1:12 PM

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said on Wednesday that wide receiver Mecole Hardman (knee) will remain on Injured Reserve, which means he won't play again this season, even if the Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship this Sunday to advance to a third straight Super Bowl appearance. The Chiefs opened Hardman's 21-day practice window to return from IR before the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos, but the team never felt comfortable putting him out there on game day. The 26-year-old will now begin his offseason early and make sure that his knee is fully ready for the start of the 2025 regular season this fall. Hardman was mostly valuable to the Chiefs this year before his knee injury as a return man on special teams, as he caught only 12 of 14 targets for 90 yards and no touchdowns in 12 games played in 2024.