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One of the biggest disappointments from Week 1 of the fantasy football season was the play of rookie first-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr.
More news: Biggest Overreactions From Week 1 of 2024 NFL Season
In his NFL debut with the Arizona Cardinals, Harrison Jr. had one catch for four yards and was targeted just three times.
It would be one thing if the Cardinals’ offense struggled as a whole, but Arizona put up 28 points and had eight different players with at least one reception. Quarterback Kyler Murray attempted 31 passes.
This week, members of the Cardinals were asked about the lack of involvement of Harrison Jr. in the offense. The responses won’t exactly instill confidence in Harrison Jr. fantasy football owners.
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 08: Marvin Harrison Jr. #18 of the Arizona Cardinals looks on prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Orchard Park,…
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 08: Marvin Harrison Jr. #18 of the Arizona Cardinals looks on prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. Harrison Jr. was quiet in Week 1.
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“When I looked, I saw a lot of cloud to him, so they obviously were trying to take him away,” head coach Jonathan Gannon said of the Bills defense, via Craig Morgan of PHNX. “But I think we had a bunch of guys catch balls. That’s how our offense is going to be built, guys. The ball should go where it should go, depending on the coverage, but we’ll get him involved.”
Murray made it clear his job is to do what’s best for the team.
“As a quarterback, obviously, you’re going through your reads,” Murray said. “Sometimes the ball goes to him, but that’s not my job. I have a sense and a feel for guys when they don’t get the ball and when they are getting the ball, but I leave that up to (offensive coordinator) Drew (Petzing). He tells me, ‘Don’t worry about that type of stuff. Just keep playing your game and get the ball to where the ball is supposed to go.'”
Harrison Jr. had one drop on Sunday, and there was a play on the final drive of the game where he appeared wide-open for a game-tying touchdown, but didn’t get the ball. However, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky did a great job of breaking down the film, and showing that it wasn’t as simple a touchdown as it looked in the freeze frame:
For what it’s worth, offensive coordinator Petzing did take responsibility for not getting the ball to his best players more.
“I was a little bit surprised with how much respect they gave him early in the game, and I think it opened up some things, especially in the red zone in the run game,” Petzing said. “But he’s one of our top players — certainly he’s on the forefront of our mind in terms of getting him the ball. I think they did some good things to take him away, and certainly I could have called some plays differently to try to get him a little bit more involved early.”
The Cardinals used the No. 4 overall pick on Harrison Jr. in this year’s draft. The Ohio State product and son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison Sr. is coming off back-to-back collegiate seasons with more than 1,200 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. He was a second-round pick in many fantasy football drafts this season.
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