Mecole Hardman Fantasy Stats

The Buffalo Bills will be without both wide receivers Mecole Hardman (calf) and Curtis Samuel (elbow, neck) when they face off against the Houston Texans on Thursday night. The Bills will once again lean on wide receivers Keon Coleman and possibly Josh Palmer in the passing game with the sudden plague of injuries hitting the team. Tight end Dalton Kincaid (hamstring) also remains out, and leading receiver Khalil Shakir (personal) has yet to practice this week. The Bills face an uphill battle against a stingy Texans defense on the road with short rest, meaning it will largely be up to quarterback Josh Allen and running back James Cook to carry the load this week.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Mecole Hardman (calf) exited during the third quarter of Sunday's Week 11 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He finishes the game with just one target and zero catches on offense, plus a 61-yard kick return on special teams. However, he also had a zero-yard punt return that resulted in a lost fumble; this is the play where Hardman suffered his injury. Ray Davis and Curtis Samuel will likely handle return duties in his absence.

The Buffalo Bills activated wide receivers Mecole Hardman and Gabriel Davis to the active roster this week. Hardman, who was recently signed, brings game-breaking speed as a receiving and return specialist, while Davis offers size and experience in the offense. Khalil Shakir remains the team's No. 1 receiver but currently ranks 41st in the NFL in receiving yards. With no injury designations in the Bills' wide receiver room, the latest roster moves suggest that at least one receiver is likely to be a healthy scratch against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While neither Hardman nor Davis carries much fantasy value this week, both should have opportunities to add a spark to an underwhelming receiving room.

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said on Wednesday that he's excited about new practice-squad wide receiver Mecole Hardman, according to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic. McDermott talked about Hardman's speed element and his positional versatility. The 27-year-old pass-catcher joined Buffalo's practice squad on Monday and could immediately join the team's 53-man active roster for a Week 11 meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday if top wideout Khalil Shakir (rib) is unable to play. Hardman was cut from the Green Bay Packers' practice squad in late September and hasn't played in a game this season. Last year, in 12 games with the Kansas City Chiefs, he caught 12 of 14 targets for 90 yards, adding five rushing attempts for 62 yards and a touchdown. Even if Shakir and Joshua Palmer (ankle, knee) are inactive in Week 11, Hardman will be a long shot for any kind of fantasy production if he makes his Bills debut.

The Green Bay Packers are releasing wide receiver Mecole Hardman on Tuesday, sources told Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. Despite the Packers dealing with multiple injuries to their receiving corps in training camp, the Packers will move on from Hardman, who was looking to secure a depth role with the Packers after spending the first six years of his NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs. In his six NFL seasons, the 27-year-old pass-catcher has caught 178 of hi 258 targets for 2,302 yards and 16 touchdowns in 80 regular-season games (28 starts). Hardman also has plenty of special-teams experience and should be able to find work with another team for his versatility and speed during the 2025 season. Last year in 12 regular-season games (no starts) with KC, Hardman caught just 12 passe for 90 yards and no scores.

Free-agent wide receiver/return specialist Mecole Hardman (knee) is signing an undisclosed one-year deal with the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday, a source tells ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Hardman will take his speed to the Packers while contributing both on offense and special teams as a kick returner. The 27-year-old former second-rounder (56th overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 out of the University of Georgia caught only 12 of 14 targets for 90 yards and no touchdowns while carrying the ball five times for 62 yards and a touchdown in 12 regular-season games before suffering a knee injury in December that landed him on Injured Reserve. The Packers could use the receiver depth with Christian Watson (knee) likely to miss around half of the 2025 season, but Hardman could struggle for consistent involvement in Green Bay's offense, much like he did in KC, behind Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs.

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.

When asked about wide receiver Mecole Hardman's (knee) status for their meeting with the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid remarked, "We'll see how that goes," per Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com. "I haven't made any decisions on that yet," said Reid -- "He's worked hard to try and get himself back." Hardman has been shelved since early December after sustaining a knee injury at practice that required cleanup surgery. The Georgia native appeared in 12 games, recording only 12 catches and 90 yards -- sans a touchdown. However, he was a valuable kick returner for the team, averaging 13.4 yards per touch on special teams. Hardman returned to practice last week in a limited capacity, but it appears like he's not yet ready for in-game action. With Kansas City squaring off against Buffalo on Sunday night, we'll see if he can elevate his practice status ahead of the Chiefs' first injury report on Wednesday.

The Kansas City Chiefs officially ruled out wide receiver Mecole Hardman (knee) on Friday for the Divisional Round contest on Saturday against the Houston Texans. Hardman remains on Injured Reserve but will not be activated for the team's first game of the playoffs as they seek an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title. The 26-year-old was designated to return from IR back on Jan. 1 but did not play in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Denver Broncos. The Chiefs were on bye last week during the wild-card round of the playoffs. If the Chiefs advance to the AFC Championship next weekend, it remains to be seen if Hardman will be available to return after he was limited in practice this week. He has been out since Week 13, so even if he were to return if KC advances, it's unlikely Hardman would have a very big role on offense.

The Kansas City Chiefs have listed wide receiver Mecole Hardman (knee) as doubtful to play in the Divisional Round contest on Saturday at home against the visiting Houston Texans. Despite being designated to return from Injured Reserve back on Jan. 1, Hardman has yet to be officially activated and is unlikely to return this weekend for the team's first playoff game of the year. Even if the 26-year-old were activated from IR on Friday, he'd be in line for a very limited role on offense after having not played since Week 13. However, if the Chiefs advance past Houston this weekend and to the AFC Championship next weekend, perhaps Hardman will have made enough progress to return to the field. Before injuring his knee, Hardman was targeted only 14 times and caught 12 passes for 90 yards and no touchdowns in 14 games played.