ESPN’s Mike Clay: Marvin Harrison Jr. a fringe WR2 for fantasy football in 2025

As Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. enters his second season in the NFL, one fantasy football writer notes that he is a candidate to take a leap in 2025.

In his wide receiver rankings, ESPN’s Mike Clay ranks Harrison No. 22 for 2025. Clay listed Harrison as fringe WR2, noting his end zone targets and air yards were impressive, but he was limited in other areas as a receiver, such as designed screens and as a deep-threat target.

Harrison is a candidate for a Year 2 leap after he didn’t quite live up to the “fourth overall pick” hype as a rookie. In some ways, Harrison was afforded plenty of opportunity — he ranked third in the league in end zone targets (17) and ninth in air yards (1,518) — but he was limited in other way (zero designed screens and a deep-threat role that led to an ugly 54% catch rate and 22% off-target rate). Harrison scored eight TDs, but finished 37th in catches and 30th in both yards and fantasy points (41st in PPG).

How can Marvin Harrison Jr. move up Clay’s list?

Clay noted that Harrison is still expected to be an elite player and the “sky is the limit” for his fantasy production.

There’s some obvious risk here, but Harrison was drafted with the expectation he’d be an elite player and it’s only logical that he’ll be treated that way in terms of usage in his second season. If that happens, the sky is the limit in terms of fantasy production. There’s some projection here, but Harrison should be valued as a fringe WR2.

In his rookie season, Harrison caught 62 passes on 114 targets for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. He led the team in touchdowns and was second on the team in receptions and receiving yards, behind Pro Bowl tight end Trey McBride.

While he impressed as a red-zone threat and was 12th in receiving touchdowns, his 114 targets were 19th in the league while he ranked 39th in receiving yards, according to Pro Football Focus.

Harrison appeared to be Murray’s second favorite target on the field last season behind McBride, who caught 111 receptions for 1146 yards on 139 targets. Another season with Murray could improve these numbers and his fantasy football ranking as well as his on-field impact in general.

Harrison marked the latest Cardinals player to to appear on Clay’s fantasy football rankings along with McBride, quarterback Kyler Murray and running back James Conner.

Which players were in the top 10 of Clay’s fantasy football list?

The wide receivers that topped Clay’s ranking of wide receivers included:

1. Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
2. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
3. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
4. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
5. Malik Nabers, New York Giants
6. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
7. Nico Collins, Houston Texans
8. Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
9. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
10. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons

Related

Clay: James Conner among top 20 RBs in fantasy football for 2025Is Kyler Murray a top 10 quarterback in fantasy football this season?Trey McBride on Kyler Murray's growth at QB: 'He's done a full 180'Big bucks and birdies: It was a banner day for Cardinals' Trey McBrideCardinals QB Jacoby Brissett is worth investing in for this seasonDarius Robinson, Michael Wilson among early training camp standouts for Cardinals