What’s Monday good for, if not for a heaping plate of crow set in front of you by the football gods. And you can’t leave the table until you’ve licked your plate clean.
Here’s what I said about Marvin Harrison, Jr. last week in my NFL Rookie of the Year Odds Tracker for Week 2 on DraftKings Sportsbook:
Who?
Absolute aberration of a performance. We’re all too familiar with the video of a wide-open Harrison open along the right sideline while Kyler Murray scrambled for his dear life in the pocket for what seemed like fifteen seconds.
Call it like it is: Harrison, Jr.’s NFL career began with a total stinker in which he registered one reception for four yards.
This is just an example of Week 1 rust and lack of familiarity playing with each other. Who knows how much Harrison’s apparel-related litigation over the summer distracted him from meaningful practice/preseason reps.
Do I think Harrison will still have a great rookie season? I do. Am I taking a wide receiver to win Rookie of the Year after being reminded that he can disappear for an entire game? Not at this price.
Really, what we should be asking: who am I to doubt this ultra-talented world class athlete, and his ability to cook a great roast crow?
He entered the week at +800 odds to win OROY on DraftKings Sportsbook. He’s now tied for the odds favorite with Commanders QB Jayden Daniels at +250.
Let’s evaluate MHJ’s Week 2 performance and see if he’s worth a sprinkle at this price.
Marvin Harrison OROY analysis after Week 2
It was fairly certain he’d be considered among the favorites to take home this award after all rookie quarterbacks (Daniels, Bo Nix, and Caleb Williams). His official arrival party even saw the NFL’s twitter handle changing their account banner:
His first touchdown shot off like the report of gunfire. It silenced rooms. And maybe not necessarily because his catch was so spectacular, but there was something indeed elite about the grace with which Harrison gathered the ball at a high point, and let his knees fall to the ground so as to remain no-questions-asked inbounds.
His second touchdown was where we saw the most athleticism and body control. It was a catch-and-run, so we got to see his much-ballyhooed Jedi glide at full speed. Nothing, however, gives you a sense of how rangy Harrison is than his full-body extension to cross the plane at the end of his second touchdown catch.
It’s precisely that sort of body control that has fans so excited. It’s freaky and outlandish in the same way I remember a young A.J. Green being. The man could just stretch and twist and bend himself in such unnatural positions to both catch passes and finish plays. Harrison showed us this, yesterday.
His final line on the day clocked at: four catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns, with almost triple the targets as he had last week.
So, sure, I like him at +250. The Cardinals offense is on the rise. James Conner (who I still believe is a league-winner, as per this column I wrote in the offseason) is keeping front sevens honest, and Harrison Jr. is stretching the defenses over the top. Folks often criticize Kyler Murray’s deep ball, but maybe it won’t be as bad now that he has such a talented receiver to attack contested catches.
However, there’s plenty of football left. I still like Caleb Williams’s chances to win at +350. I keep telling myself that it didn’t seem to all come totally together for C.J. Stroud in his rookie year until about Week 4. There’s been sloppy football all across the league in the first two weeks. Blitzes seem to be working at a much higher rate. Especially on younger quarterbacks and not-just-yet gelled offensive lines.
Quick note: Rookie wideout Malik Nabers had a breakout week as well. You can see he’s at +750 to win. New York is the bigger-market team, so if Nabers manages to stride apace MHJ, we might be looking at a legit OROY receiver race. If you think attention is going to shift back to Nabers and allow him to transcend Harrison as the favorite wide receiver to take home this trophy, go for it.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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