Marvin Harrison Jr. Start or Sit Advice for Week 6
The Houston Texans made one of the biggest trades of the season so far last week, landing former top-five NFL Draft pick Marvin Harrison Jr. from the Arizona Cardinals. Harrison is set to make his debut for Houston in Week 6, when the Texans take on the Jaguars in London. Harrison has shown a lot of promise in the past, but has put up very low numbers so far this season. Should you put him in your fantasy lineup this week or wait until he’s more settled in the Texans’ offense?
Harrison has had a rough start to this season, and has caught just five passes for 85 yards through four games with Arizona, scoring his lone touchdown against the Giants in Week 4.
Harrison did not play last week, as Arizona kept him inactive to facilitate his trade to Houston. He joined the team early in the week but is still going to take some time to adjust to his new playbook. Coach DeMeco Ryans said that Harrison is already learning the new lingo quickly and that he will play this week. Ryans said the coaching staff will put together a specific package to help him play right away without overwhelming him. Ryans said, “Don’t expect him to come out and play all 60 snaps in the game, but we’ll make sure he gets what he needs.”
In the Houston offense, Harrison does have long-term upside. He should slot in as the team’s second receiver behind Nico Collins and get plenty of targets his way once he’s up to speed. C.J. Stroud has averaged 37.0 pass attempts per game so far this season for 280.4 passing yards per game. Stroud and Harrison played together at Ohio State and will hope to rekindle that chemistry once again in the pros.
As a rookie, Harrison played 17 games and had 62 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns, but his production tailed off last season, partly due to appendicitis surgery and heel/foot injuries that caused him to miss five games and allowed Michael Wilson to emerge as Jacoby Brissett’s top receiver target.
Can a change of scenery jump-start MHJ’s production? It definitely could, but even if it does, it may take some time for him to get enough looks to make an impact. The Texans are sure to prioritize getting him the ball after spending so much draft capital on him, but he’ll still be a high-risk start this week in a tough divisional matchup against the Jaguars.
Next week, the Texans host the Giants, which will be Harrison’s second game against that secondary this season. Week 8 is the Texans’ bye week, which could also give Harrison more of a chance to get up to full speed. After the bye week, the Texans face the Chargers, Browns, and Colts in more favorable matchups as they try to climb back into the playoff hunt after their 1-4 start.
With fewer snaps, Harrison is high-risk in Week 6, so it’s best to leave him on your bench if possible for another week to let him adjust. If you’re in a deep league or a desperate situation, though, the team will probably get him at least a few catches to show off how he fits in their offense.
With the early start in London, Harrison isn’t on the main DraftKings slate, but he will be available in single-game Showdown contests like the NFL Showdown $400K Showdown Special [$100K to 1st] (HOU vs JAX). In those contests, Harrison has a salary of $6,600 in a FLEX spot and $9,900 in a Captain’s Pick spot. He is a very high-risk Captain’s Pick but can be a solid value FLEX consideration.
