Fantasy Football 2024: Marvin Harrison Jr. gets selected No. 4 overall, will immediately bolster Arizona Cardinals passing offense

2K5P6K4 East Lansing, Michigan, USA. 8th Oct, 2022. Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) after his touchdown catch in the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan. (Credit Image: © Scott Stuart/ZUMA Press Wire)

• The best rookie wide receiver prospect: Marvin Harrison Jr. finished second on our big board, and is the only wide receiver to ever rank in the top three on our final big board.

• The Arizona Cardinals make the obvious pick: With no clear need at quarterback, the Cardinals were able to add the best non-quarterback available.

• Check in on the PFF Fantasy live draft blog: Reactions and conversations around each pick as they happen.

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The Arizona Cardinals picked Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick as most mock drafts expected. The only other option for Arizona would have been to trade back, but it’s not surprising the Cardinals viewed Harrison as too good of a prospect to pass up. Harrison lands in a little bit better of an offense than most top-five wide receivers.

A new WR1 on the Arizona Cardinals

Harrison is arguably the safest pick in the 2024 draft with very few weaknesses in his game. He has the best release of the class and is the best route runner. Our draft guide compares him to Davante Adams, but Harrison is bigger. Harrison will instantly be the top wide receiver on his new team, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s considered among the best wide receivers in the league before the end of his rookie season.

Marvin Harrison Jr.’s career college metrics and ranks:
Metric Value Rank among WR prospects since 2019
Yards per route run 2.98 93rd percentile
Receiving grade 91.3 94th percentile
Receiving grade lined up wide 89.5 97th percentile
Receiving grade lined up in the slot 89.9 94th percentile
Explosive play rate 45.8% 94th percentile
Receiving grade versus single coverage 94.5 98th percentile

What being drafted by the Arizona Cardinals means for Marvin Harrison Jr.

Harrison joins Kyler Murray, James Conner and Trey McBride in what could be an exciting offense in 2024. Murray has typically supported one fantasy star, including Larry Fitzgerald, DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk and McBride, but has rarely supported two. It will be interesting to see if both Harrison and McBride can get their necessary targets.

Arizona Cardinals 2023 stats and ranks (Weeks 1-17):
Metric Value Rank
Pass play percentage 61.5% T-14th
Run play percentage 38.5% T-18th
FF PPG (QB) 16.4 20th
FF PPG (RB) 15.2 T-17th
FF PPG (WR) 16.1 28th
FF PPG (TE) 9.3 7th
Arizona Cardinals expected receiving depth chart
WR1 Marvin Harrison Jr.
WR2 Michael Wilson
WR3 Greg Dortch
TE1 Trey McBride
TE2 Elijah Higgins

Fantasy football outlook

Six of the last seven wide receivers picked in the top five posted top-30 fantasy performances as a rookie, including Ja’Marr Chase finishing WR5 in 2021. The top 30 should be his floor in redraft leagues, and he should be the top dynasty pick even in superflex leagues.

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