Prior to the 2024 NFL Draft, many scouts saw Marvin Harrison Jr. as a can’t-miss NFL prospect. The son of Indianapolis Colts legend and Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, the younger Harrison went fourth overall to the Arizona Cardinals, the highest-drafted wide receiver since Amari Cooper went with the same pick in 2015. He somewhat underwhelmed the hype in his rookie season, recording 62 catches for 885 yards and eight scores. On the surface, those aren’t terrible numbers, but Brian Thomas Jr., Malik Nabers, and Ladd McConkey were much better. Harrison wasn’t even his team’s leading receiver, as tight end Trey McBride had 1,146 yards.
So far this season, Harrison hasn’t taken many strides: McBride continues to lead the team in targets, and Harrison has hauled in just 10 of his 17 in three games, scoring one touchdown, and he had an absolutely brutal drop early in the third quarter with several yards of empty space on all sides of him. So far, he ranks as just the 39th-best wide receiver by standard fantasy scoring, and he’s dragging Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray down with him, too; the 2019 first overall pick is averaging just 180.7 yards per game, the lowest mark of his career. Murray has been just QB14 in fantasy this season, and the Arizona offense suffered a huge blow on Sunday when running back James Conner sustained a season-ending ankle injury.
I back Harrison to improve more than I do Murray. He’s gaining an average of 2.9 yards of separation, which is better than his 2.0-yard mark last season, and he’s also gaining 0.7 yards per completion above expectation as a ball-carrier after losing 0.2 in 2024. The drops shouldn’t continue to be a consistent issue for him; Harrison displayed relatively sure hands at Ohio State and had a better-than-average drop rate as a rookie. Murray has posted a higher passer rating on throws to Harrison than he did last season. Though Drew Petzing has operated a run-centric offense so far, that could change slightly with Conner done for the season.
While increased passing volume would help Murray, much of his fantasy value lies in his potential as a runner, as he amassed 572 yards and five scores on the ground in 2024. This season, the Cardinals have had an awful run-blocking unit, posting the fifth-lowest PFF grades in that attribute, and read options and play-action passes are less likely to be effective without the threat of Conner. Plus, Arizona has faced two bottom-quartile defenses in its three games and still has to play five more games against the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers, all of whom rank in the top nine in defensive grades.
