Marvin Harrison Jr.
Harrison is a part-time third or fourth option in Houston after an in-season trade from Arizona. His role has stayed small through two games, and how fast it grows is the open question.
Role
Houston acquired him from Arizona about two weeks before this note. He played 12 snaps (19%) in his Week 6 debut, a 34-31 win over the Jaguars. In the Week 7 loss to the Giants he played 13 snaps (21%), one fewer than Tank Dell's 14 (Yardbarker snap counts). Nico Collins played 41 snaps in that game and is the clear lead receiver. FantasyPros had Harrison at a 25.7% route share, 11.8% target share and 17.4% first-read share against the Giants. Dell is also back in the rotation, and Yahoo's trade analysis named Xavier Hutchinson and Kayshon Boutte as the players whose snaps he could take. I did not read a current depth chart, so I am not stating his depth chart position.
The Texans say they plan to add to his workload as he learns the playbook, and general manager Nick Caserio said they won't force a set snap count. C.J. Stroud, his college quarterback, said after the debut that they will get him more touches. Yahoo's trade analysis argued he fits better as Houston's Z receiver than as Arizona's downfield X. It also called him a possible red-zone first-read asset because of his size. His touchdown against the Giants came on a back-shoulder throw from Stroud.
The workload has not grown yet. His snap share went from 19% to 21% and he caught 1 of 4 targets in Week 7, with a six-yard touchdown his only catch. Dell's return adds another body to what FantasyPros called an already messy receiver room, and Collins keeps the premium routes. Coach DeMeco Ryans said Harrison is "just one piece" of the offense and doesn't change what Houston does. FantasyPros still put him in the WR4/WR5 range after Week 7, with a Week 7 consensus rank of WR47.
Where analysts split
The question is how quickly his snaps and first-read targets rise above the 19% to 21% range. The team and Stroud say more is coming. Week 7's snap counts, with Dell ahead of him, and the FantasyPros WR4/WR5 tag say it has not happened yet. Analysts also differ on whether his size makes him a red-zone priority, since Collins is also described as the top red-zone threat.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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