The Cardinals needed a WR and had the ideal spot for locking up the best one in the 2024 class. It was a perfect marriage that came together when Arizona chose Harrison Jr. fourth overall on Thursday. Let’s break down what this means from a fantasy perspective.
MARVIN HARRISON JR.
Projection: 79.6 catches on 126.4 targets for 1,074.6 yards and 5.7 TDs
- Harrison is the crown jewel of the 2024 WR class. He’s one of the best WR prospects of the past decade, right there with Ja’Marr Chase. Harrison broke out as a sophomore at Ohio State with a 33% Dominator Rating before posting a gaudy 45% number as a junior. The son of NFL legend Marvin Harrison, the younger MHJ is the complete package with exceptional production, elite athleticism, and fantastic draft capital. Scouts have raved about him for years, and he’ll be an immediate fantasy starter in the pros.
- We’ve seen what players like Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase have done in their first pro seasons. MHJ is a Chase-level prospect and figures to step in as Arizona’s WR1 right away. He will be drafted in the first ~3 rounds of fantasy drafts everywhere and should walk to an enormous target share. The Cardinals have Trey McBride to soak up a >20% target share, but the next-best player the Cardinals had before tonight was Michael Wilson (or Greg Dortch). Harrison is a once-every-five-years (at least) prospect and has a solid chance to be a fantasy WR1 from the get-go.
OTHER CARDINALS PASS-CATCHERS
- Not much will change for us projections-wise; we looked at the Cardinals’ depth chart and knew they had the fourth pick, so we had a sizable target share carved out for Harrison Jr. or another rookie wideout. McBride now has actual target competition instead of waltzing to one of the league’s elite target shares, but adding a significant receiver always seemed likely, so that won’t affect his stock too much. If MHJ is as anticipated, he likely asserts himself as Kyler Murray‘s top target, but there’s plenty of volume for McBride to soak up too.
- Wilson, Dortch, and Chris Moore need an injury to be fantasy-relevant, barring an enormous step forward from Wilson or Dortch. Those two are alright late-round darts, but this passing attack should be concentrated heavily around the top-two guys.
KYLER MURRAY
- This is great, albeit expected, news for Murray, who is now more than a year removed from his gruesome knee injury. Murray was an effective runner last year despite coming off an injury, and he’s a fantasy QB1 because of his dual-threat ability and the MHJ-McBride combo.
