Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman, Chiefs Fantasy Outlook After Tyreek Hill's Injury

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill is out for the remainder of Week 1 with a shoulder injury, leaving fantasy owners to wonder how his potential absence moving forward might affect the value of fellow wideouts Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman as well as quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Watkins benefited from Hill's absence in Kansas City's 40-26 win over the Jaguars. He caught nine passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns on 11 targets. Hardman was largely anonymous, getting one target and zero receptions.

Mahomes hardly missed a beat, finishing 25-of-33 for 378 yards and three touchdowns.

Let's start with Watkins.  

While he'll be Kansas City's top option on the outside, Watkins has never consistently been an elite fantasy option. Coming into the 2019 campaign, Watkins had just one season with over 1,000 receiving yards (2015), and his career high in touchdowns was nine (also in 2015). 

Watkins has talent, no doubt, and he'll be Kansas City's primary field-stretching threat in the absence of Hill. That's valuable. But the fact that he's never been a reliable source of receptions, with a career high of just 65, means consistency will likely be an issue. 

It would be easy to overreact to Watkins' start to the season, with five receptions for 173 yards and two touchdowns at the time of publication. In less than a half of work, Watkins balled out. 

If Watkins breaks off big plays at a high rate like he's done on Sunday—and akin to Hill the past two years—he'll have WR2 upside. But when a player's primary source of value comes from hitting home runs, he is usually a risky play. And Watkins isn't Hill. Nobody is, quite frankly. Hill's dynamic speed and playmaking ability are nearly unparalleled in the NFL and major reasons he holds so much fantasy value. 

Watkins can't match that, making it best to consider him a solid flex option. Watkins should be rostered and is a viable starting option, but don't overreact to one big half. Consider the totality of his career.

Hardman is interesting, however, because he has a similar skill set to Hill. Obviously, expecting a rookie to replicate the production of arguably the most dangerous playmaker in the NFL is folly. Guys like Hill generally aren't replaceable. 

But Hardman is more likely to fill the role Hill plays on offense than Watkins. That gives him value and makes him an intriguing flex option every week. If he isn't already rostered, prioritize him.

Mahomes, meanwhile, still holds elite value, with weapons in Watkins, Travis Kelce and Hardman. Losing a playmaker of Hill's talent takes some of the sting out of Kansas City's offense, but Mahomes shouldn't lose too much value going forward if Hill is sidelined for a significant period of time.

He's a QB1 and should never be benched. You simply don't bail on fantasy's best quarterback.