Who Should I Start? Mecole Hardman or Trenton Irwin

Saturday, December 7, 2:00 PM

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman (knee) was placed on Injured Reserve. The 26-year-old sustained this knee injury during Friday's practice and will now miss at least the next four contests. Hardman has been deployed as a depth receiver this year, as he has seen most of his work on special teams while operating as the top return man. After not catching a single pass during the first four games of the season, Hardman has caught 12 of his 14 targets since Week 5 for 90 total yards. He has also added 62 yards and a score on the ground. In fantasy formats that score return yards, managers should expect rookie Xavier Worthy to potentially return kicks (he already returns punts) or rookie Carson Steele, who is currently listed as the No. 2 return man.

Tuesday, December 10, 2:38 PM

The Carolina Panthers signed veteran wide receiver Trenton Irwin on Tuesday, according to NFL.com. The former Cincinnati Bengal will start on the practice squad, but the belief is he will join the active roster in short order. The 29-year-old has hauled in 46 receptions for 601 yards and five touchdowns in 40 career games and was recently let go by the Bengals. The Panthers have a thin wide receiver group behind Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette, so don't rule Irwin out of making an impact over the next four games. That said, it would be surprising if he entered the fantasy football radar.