As the dust begins to settle after pure chaos leading up to the draft, Marvin Harrison Jr. was the first wide receiver and non-quarterback off the draft board Thursday night. He beat out Malik Nabers, despite some teams reportedly having Nabers as WR1 on their board. This debate will rage on for the next decade! Harrison went to the Arizona Cardinals with the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft and will now support an offense led by Kyler Murray. What does this do for Marvin Harrison Jr. dynasty outlook?
Marvin Harrison Jr. Dynasty Outlook
The History
Marvin Harrison Jr., son of NFL legend and Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, spent his three-year collegiate career at Ohio State. In 2021, as a freshman he was buried behind future first-round NFL draftees, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He, however, gave a prelude to what was to come with a start in the Rose Bowl which led to a three-touchdown performance. Harrison then exploded in his sophomore and junior seasons, going for 65-plus receptions, 1200-plus yards, and 14-plus touchdowns in back-to-back seasons.
The bloodlines aren’t always something you lean into significantly when figuring out what a prospect will be in the NFL. However, Marvin Harrison Jr., like his father, is going to be special and you don’t need to watch long to realize. He has tools that will help make him elite at all three levels in the NFL. Including, and very important for fantasy football, a nose for the end zone.
The Situation
The landing spot and situation is a home run with the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are moving forward with Kyler Murray as their franchise quarterback and need to build around him to find success. The oft-injured Marquise Brown left for the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason. This left behind Michael Wilson and Trey McBride as the primary receiving weapons for Murray.
The volume upside will be massive for Harrison as Brown leaves behind seven targets per game alone. A shell of Harrison’s likely 150-plus target volume. The Cardinals invested top-five draft capital in the wide receiver for a significant reason. They targeted the position at the third lowest rate in the NFL at 51.3%. And their passing offense was 24th in pass attempts and 26th in yards per game. Both stats need major improvement to win in today’s pass-friendly NFL.
Harrison alone checks all the boxes for an elite fantasy option. The situation is gravy on the top, checking all other boxes a fantasy manager could ask for. He presents a high-end WR2 upside for season one. Plus, top-six dynasty wide receiver value in years two and three as he becomes an alpha wide receiver in the NFL.
Marvin Harrison Jr. Dynasty Outlook
In rookie drafts, this is simple, don’t overthink it. Draft him! He is the 1.01 if you’re in a standard scoring format. The only debate will come in super-flex leagues and if there are quarterbacks you should consider ahead of him. I personally would only be considering one quarterback ahead of him, Caleb Williams.
For Jayden Daniels, there can certainly be a discussion. There is a crowd firmly entrenched in buying the upside of a mobile quarterback. So, while KeepTradeCut seems to show a clear Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison 1-2 draft and tier, there will be leagues where you see Jayden Daniels picked ahead of Harrison.
If you are in a dynasty start-up, KeepTradeCut shows him coming off the board at the back end of round one as the 12th-ranked player. The WR5 behind only: Justin Jefferson, Ceedee Lamb, Ja’Marr Chase, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. The only other players going in the first round are seven quarterbacks. It seems a pretty nice start to a start-up draft to me if you are landing Harrison Jr. and then flipping into round two with your choice of Justin Herbert or Bijan Robinson.
Harrison Jr. deserves all the praise and fantasy value we are seeing despite not taking an NFL snap yet. He will be up there with the Jeffersons, Lambs, and Chases of the fantasy elite wide receivers for years to come.
Main Image: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
