Marvin Harrison Jr. Disappears in NFL Regular-Season Debut with two others following their poor start
If you’re one of the many fantasy football managers who spent an early pick on Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in your draft this year, nobody would blame you if there’s some furniture damage in your living room after his regular-season debut. Widely regarded as the best receiver prospect in one of the most loaded draft classes in recent memory, Harrison was expected to immediately become Kyler Murray’s go-to receiver. Instead, his first real NFL game was an absolute snooze-fest in the stat sheet.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Harrison caught just one pass for four yards Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, while Greg Dortch led the Cards with six receptions for 47 yards. It’s not like this was a low-scoring slugfest, either. The Bills mounted a big comeback in a 34-28 home victory, while Murray and the Cardinals struggled to do much through the air, despite game script that should have lent itself to plenty of fantasy points for the passing game. There was plenty of blame to go around, as Harrison dropped a catchable ball from Murray:
Murray also missed a completely wide-open Harrison for what could have been the game-winning touchdown in the final moments
Murray and Harrison didn’t get a ton of reps together in the preseason, so it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the veteran quarterback found other targets throughout the game with whom he already has a rapport from last season and prior. It’s just one game, of course, but this is obviously not the start anyone envisioned for such a talented and highly anticipated prospect. It’s safe to assume we can expect a better outing from Harrison and the rest of the Cardinals’ passing game next week.
The Buffalo Bills pieced together a splendid Week 1 victory over the visiting Arizona Cardinals, overcoming a 17-3 deficit early in play. The 34-28 win was not without its collateral damage.
In addition to nickel cornerback Taron Johnson who left in the early going with a forearm injury, quarterback Josh Allen was injured midway through the fourth quarter on a red zone scramble for six points. Following the touchdown, Allen was observed getting his left hand/wrist heavily wrapped while backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky warmed up.
Thankfully, Allen was able to finish the game, but the injury to his non-throwing hand will be worth monitoring on a a short week ahead of a huge early season AFC East showdown with the Miami Dolphins. It’s never ideal for any quarterback to nurse a hand injury, but even less so when facing a four-day turnaround and game under the lights of Thursday Night Football.
During halftime of the Detroit Lions versus Los Angeles Rams Sunday Night Football game, Mike Florio of NBC Sports was heard saying the injury didn’t look good. However, Allen wasn’t seen with the hand wrapped following the game.
