Deciding where to draft talented rookie prospects in your fantasy football draft can always be a tricky proposition. There’s no exception when it comes to Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr., who instantly projects as the leading receiver in a Kyler Murray-led passing attack in 2024.
Can Harrison live up to his lofty fantasy expectations in his rookie season?
Marvin Harrison Jr.’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
The praise for Harrison’s game entering the NFL was almost unanimous. His size (6’3”, 209 pounds), speed, great hands, and wide catch radius were already enough to make scouts drool over his potential as an impact player in the league.
When you pair Harrison’s prototypical physical profile with advanced route-running nuance and a versatile release package, you have the chance for something truly special at the position.
Harrison’s college production as an Ohio State Buckeye was outstanding. He went over 1,200 receiving yards and scored 14 touchdowns in both his true sophomore and junior years while competing with players like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cade Stover, and future NFL prospect Emeka Egbuka.
He even managed to see the field during his true freshman campaign, recording 11 receptions for 139 yards and three scores while sharing the field with Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave.
Harrison checks all of the boxes as a potentially elite fantasy WR producer at the NFL level, which is why it’s very exciting that he landed with the Cardinals to start his career.
Not only will he be catching passes from a productive quarterback from the moment he steps on an NFL field, but his competition for targets is virtually non-existent at the WR position. Once you get past TE Trey McBride, names like Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch are the only things that stand in Harrison’s way to seeing north of a 25% target share in 2024.
This isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison, but I could see Harrison’s role be similar to that which DeAndre Hopkins filled in his first year with the Cardinals. Both are players who can dominate in isolation and contested-catch situations as X-receivers, allowing the shorter Murray to push the ball outside the numbers — which is where the data suggests he prefers to go with the football.
D-Hop saw a 29.4% target share in 2020 with 160 total targets, which helped him produce 115 receptions for 1,407 yards and six TDs on his way to a WR4 overall finish in full-PPR formats. Given his lack of elite target competition in this offense, it’s not outside of the range of outcomes for Harrison to see north of a 30% target share in 2024.
Obviously, Harrison will still have to acclimate to the NFL game and isn’t guaranteed to see the same amount of volume as a prime version of Hopkins in a completely different offensive scheme in his rookie year. Yet, the similarities in situation, quarterback, and skill set do exist enough to make me believe Harrison will make a big fantasy impact in 2024.
Is Harrison a Good Fantasy Pick?
Harrison’s ADP at No. 16 overall in the second round as the WR9 overall off the board suggests fantasy managers are buying into the hype surrounding the talented rookie receiver prospect entering the 2024 NFL season.
For some additional context, Harrison is currently coming off the board behind wide receivers A.J. Brown, Wilson, and Puka Nacua.
The case can certainly be made that going with other veteran options in the same range, such as Davante Adams, Olave, and Drake London, would likely be the safer course of action. However, we saw Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson finish as the WR5 and WR6, respectively, in their rookie seasons.
I believe Harrison is that type of talent, which means I would feel comfortable selecting him in the second round of fantasy drafts this season.