Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman Fantasy Outlooks Improve Following Strong Week 3 Performances

While Tyreek Hill may have the recognition of being the Chiefs' top wide receiver in fantasy football, but Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman have shown that more than one player can shine in this stacked offense. Both players' fantasy outlooks continue to improve as they become more trustworthy targets for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Sammy Watkins Fantasy Outlook

Sammy Watkins showed fantasy managers he wasn't messing around this season when he put up 82 yards on 7 receptions to go along with a touchdown in Week 1. Watkins posted disappointing result in Week 2 only having one catch, but he was injured midway through that game. This past week, Watkins rebounded by catching 7 of 8 targets on Monday Night and racking up 62 yards.

He played the most snaps of any Chiefs wide receiver, also leading the team in targets. He caught a couple of key third-down conversions that cemented the team's win in a game he was questionable to even play in due to concussion concerns.

Moving forward, if Watkins continues to see enough playing time as the clear No. 2 wide receiver on a top NFL offense, he should be considered a FLEX option week in and week out. If he can start to turn his targets into longer plays and average more than the 7.75 yards per target he is now, he can boost his numbers substantially.

Mecole Hardman Fantasy Outlook

Highly touted as a possible breakout player coming into the season, Hardman put together his first solid outing in Week 3 by catching 4 of 6 targets for 81 yards to go along with a touchdown. Hardman only saw four targets through the first two weeks, so it's a nice change for the second-year player out of Georgia.

Hardman made the most of his opportunity as he only played in 29 of the team's 75 offensive snaps. He currently ranks below wide receiver Demarcus Robinson despite outperforming him in two of the three games so far. Robinson only saw one target last week and it's possible the momentum shifts in Hardman's favor from this point forward.

Hardman is a solid player to stash on any fantasy bench right now, but you have to be patient and see if he can keep performing like he did this past week. His scoring output relies a lot on big plays and touchdowns, which makes him a risky FLEX play for the rest of the season until we see more consistency.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.