Marvin

Harrison Jr.

Harrison did all of his damage in the first half. The Cardinals pulled away after halftime and took the air out of the football resulting in one second-half target for the No. 4 overall pick. Marv last topped 60 yards in Week 8. The Cardinals use Harrison to clear out space for Trey McBride more than they scheme up looks Harrison himself, resulting in a rollercoaster experience for his fantasy backers. He gets a great matchup with a weak Carolina secondary next week, giving fantasy managers a reason to treat him as a WR3 for one more week.

Harrison was quiet until the second half, and looked to be interfered with on an end zone target in the fourth quarter. The rookie was well behind Trey McBride in targets (14) and again saw no easy looks from Kyler Murray. Harrison’s disappointing rookie campaign includes games with less than 60 receiving yards in eight of his past nine. He’ll look to take advantage of a solid matchup against the Patriots in Week 15, and should be considered a top-30 fantasy option.

It’s a new career high in targets for Harrison. Sunday marked only his third game of the season with more than seven looks from Kyler Murray. Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said before the game that the team would make a concerted effort to get Harrison the ball, and though it was a slow start — MHJ had just four targets at the end of the third quarter — the Arizona passing offense revolved around him and Trey McBride, who also had a dozen targets. Murray found Harrison for a 15-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter before the Cardinals lost the lead to Minnesota. Harrison will be a top-30 fantasy play next week against the Seahawks. Harrison had 47 yards in Week 12 against Seattle.

Harrison was second on the Cardinals in targets, with six on the day. He is the top wideout on the team, though that did not convert to much on a day where the Cardinals only totaled a pair of field goals. Harrison nearly made a highlight-reel toe-tap touchdown catch in the first half, but failed to get both feet down. Outside of that, Kyler Murray found him for first down conversions on occasion and not much else. Harrison is a touchdown-dependent fantasy receiver, putting him in the WR3/4 mix for Week 13.

Harrison looked great in this one, winning with physicality and showing up when Kyler Murray needed him. The two connected on a beautiful end zone pass targeted over Harrison’s right shoulder. The talented rookie secured the target despite intermittently hand-fighting with Jets CB D.J. Reed in the process. Harrison is on bye in Week 11.

Harrison’s biggest impact on the game occurred in the second quarter when UDFA CB Reddy Steward punched the ball out of Harrison’s hands. Game script then rendered Harrison obsolete, pushing the volatile rookie wide receiver out of OC Drew Petzing’s mind. Harrison is a WR4 against the Jets in Week 10.

Harrison Jr. was bottled up in the first half, catching two passes for 33 yards on three targets. The Cardinals’ offense as a whole got going after the break and much of their improvement came through MHJ. Three of his four catches in the final two quarters gained at least 16 yards including multiple diving grabs, one of which came in the back of the end zone for a 22-yard score. Harrison’s usage was still that of a high-volume deep threat, but his connection with Kyler Murray was as good as ever and Murray trusted him to make plays in game-changing spots. MHJ will still be a volatile fantasy option going forward, but his explosion versus Miami will keep him in the WR2 ranks when he faces Chicago next week.

Harrison Jr. has all the talent in the world but continues to be restricted by his offensive coordinator, with a pass game design that fails in providing an environment conducive to upside-generating routes for the primary pass-catchers. Considering his lone eruption game this season came with quarterback Kyler Murray making plays happen out of structure, we could be continuing to share in Harrison Jr.'s visible frustration for as long as Drew Petzing is calling plays in the desert. Up next for Harrison Jr. and the Cardinals is a Dolphins team expecting to get quarterback Tua Tagovailoa back from his most recent concussion in Week 8.

That means rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will officially return after leaving the team’s Week 6 contest with a concussion after just eight offensive snaps. Rookie wide receiver Xavier Weaver, who was active last week and played 41 offensive snaps after Harrison Jr. departed, is inactive.

Harrison Jr. was upgraded to full practice on Friday. Now with him clearing the protocol, he’s set to play against the Chargers. Harrison Jr. left Week 6’s game against the Packers after he hit his head on the knee of a defender in the second quarter. He’s a WR2 against the Chargers in Week 7.