Marvin Harrison Jr. has long-term upside but his value may be capped this year. (Caitlyn Epes/Arizona Cardinals)
This week, Tyreek Hill (knee) underwent successful surgery and is expected to be ready to play again next season; Brock Purdy (toe) hoped to be good to go for Thursday’s matchup with the Rams, but he’s been ruled out; and Cam Smith, the 51st pick in 2023, has been waived by the Dolphins. Other Fantasy football stories we’re tracking include…
Sell High On Marvin Harrison Jr.?
While the Arizona Cardinals showed great progress last year, they still endured a third straight losing season, mostly thanks to a defense that did improve, but was still not good enough.
Obviously, this area was a key focus for Arizona in the draft, and the results are showing so far as this squad has surrendered the sixth fewest points in the NFL. The problem? An offense that was solid last year has cratered, ranking 28th in total yards per game.
While Zona jumped out to a sweet 2-0 start, it has lost two heartbreakers in a row (by a total of four points) to drop back to .500. That’s only good enough to slot the Cards 20th in this week’s Power Rankings.
In Week Four, the Cardinals lost yet again to Seattle (that’s eight straight for those keeping track), but the offense did show some signs in life in a spirited comeback attempt. Of particular note was that Marvin Harrison Jr. enjoyed a nice performance after a couple of down games.
The sophomore wide receiver – a serious Heisman Trophy candidate in 2023 – had a good season opener before the back-to-back duds, so it was great to see him pull in five catches on six targets for a season-best 71 yards and a leaping catch on corner route for a TD on Sunday. Most impressive was the fact that Harrison exploited a two time Pro Bowl cornerback in Devon Witherspoon for the touchdown catch…
Harrison had a strong rookie campaign (885 yards on 116 targets), but hasn’t put up big-time yardage numbers this season despite making 16 grabs through four games. The WR14 showing in Week Four was more than welcome, but you’ll completely discount his lackluster season start at your own peril. In fact, given Arizona’s pass attack struggles, Harrison could be a sell high candidate.
Thanks to his acceleration and speed, he’s a superb dynasty option, but his value is capped for 2025. As for Week Five, consider him a low-end WR2.
How Long Is Bryce Young’s Leash?
After showing some progress by winning five games last season, the Carolina Panthers are off to a tough start this year with just one win through four games. Their league worst defense in 2024 has improved, but the offense – expected to be better after they added some nice pieces in the draft — hasn’t improved much, if any.
Small wonder Carolina is currently tied for the highest odds (+40000) to win the Super Bowl as per FanDuel.
Not much went right in Week Four as they were completely shredded by the Patriots, 42-13. Carolina actually scored on the game’s first possession, but proceeded to miss the extra point. Things only went downhill from there: over their final five drives, the Panthers punted four times and missed a field goal on the other. Yuck.
Bryce Young showed modest progress as a sophomore last year, but has taken a step back so far in 2025. The fact that veteran Andy Dalton came in midway through the fourth quarter could be a sign of things to come as the Panthers may soon grow weary of watching Young struggle.
Almost a year ago to the day, we discussed how Dalton looked pretty sharp (for a while, anyway) when he replaced Young as the starter early last season. Yes, it was garbage time, but Dalton again played well in relief on Sunday, completing 5-of-6 passes with one touchdown.
Young only ranked as QB29 on Sunday, so would it really be a shock to see Dalton take over once again? Young is start worthy in Week Five against the woeful Dolphins, but should Dalton begin to see a larger share of the job (or even all of it), he could be even more useful for Fantasy purposes. This situation bears close scrutiny this weekend.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
English rock band Squeeze is one of our personal faves. They launched in 1974, took a break from 1982 to 1985, and then another from 1999 to 2007, but are still at it today. In 1979, Squeeze released its second album, Cool for Cats, and the first single was “Goodbye Girl,” which reached No. 63 on the U.K. Singles Chart.