Marvin Harrison Jr. More Production Coming Off Texans Bye?

Marvin Harrison Jr. Fantasy Value

Houston Texans wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. returns from the team’s Week 8 bye still searching for a bigger role. The Texans acquired Harrison from the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 11, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Arizona sent Harrison and a 2027 sixth-round pick to Houston in exchange for Houston’s 2027 second-round and seventh-round picks, per NFL.com. Harrison was the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.

The production since the trade has been light. Harrison has four catches on eight targets for 40 yards in two games with Houston. He made his debut in Week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, a 34-31 Texans win. He caught three of four targets for 34 yards. Head coach DeMeco Ryans had said before the game that fans should not expect Harrison to play all 60 snaps. Arizona Sports reported that Harrison played four snaps in the first half. Quarterback C.J. Stroud said afterward that Harrison “looked great” and that the Texans would “get him more touches going forward.”

Harrison’s Week 7 box score was a quieter one. He caught one of four targets for six yards and a touchdown in an overtime loss to the New York Giants, according to NBC Sports. The score came on a back-shoulder throw from Stroud in the end zone. He also had a costly drop. Harrison played 13 offensive snaps, which was 21 percent of Houston’s total, Yahoo Sports reported. Tank Dell played 14 snaps in his return from injury. Nico Collins led the receivers with 41 snaps, and Xavier Hutchinson played 34. Jaylin Noel played 19 snaps before he suffered a toe injury, and NBC Sports later reported that Noel is expected to miss the rest of the season. His absence thins the receiver group.

Houston was 2-5 entering the bye. It plays the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday in Week 9 at SoFi Stadium. The Chargers are 0-7, the only winless team in the NFL. The team’s site said Los Angeles ranks ninth in the league in defensive EPA per play. Texans running back David Montgomery is out with a groin injury, according to Fox Sports.

Harrison finished his time in Arizona with five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown in four games this season. In 29 games over his first two years with the Cardinals he had 103 catches for 1,493 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Marvin Harrison Jr. fantasy managers should keep him on the bench in most PPR leagues. Four catches in two games and a snap count in the low teens do not support a starting role, even if the bye gave him extra time to learn the playbook. He is a deep-league flex option at best, and the Chargers matchup does not change that. Collins remains the clear first option for Stroud. If Harrison’s snaps climb above Dell’s in Week 9 or his targets rise to five or more, he becomes a more reasonable waiver add heading into Week 10. A repeat of the Week 7 snap count means he stays on the wire.