Marvin Harrison Jr. After the Trade to Houston

Updated October 16, 2026, with stats through Week 5.

Marvin Harrison Jr. has caught five passes in four games this season, ranks 89th among receivers in half-PPR points, and was traded last week to Houston, where his college quarterback is throwing to a receiver room that has needed a second option. I'd hold him if you own him, and I'd only buy below his price on our board.

The trade

Arizona sent Harrison and a 2027 sixth-round pick to Houston for 2027 second- and seventh-round picks. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed it after Houston's 26-3 win over Tennessee on October 11, and the Cardinals announced it the next day. Harrison was inactive Sunday against Detroit while the deal was finalized.

He's 24 and in his third season, and Arizona took him fourth overall in 2024. He's the first receiver since Ahmad Rashad in 1974 to be traded within three seasons of a top-five pick, according to CBS Sports. He joins C.J. Stroud, his quarterback at Ohio State.

What his score did

Marvin Harrison Jr. opened the year at 7,015 on our dynasty board. He sat between 6,997 and 7,084 through Week 4, then fell 341 points to 6,665 in Week 5. That print has him 14th among receivers.

That drop didn't come from his play. ESPN listed him out for Week 5, and the board moves a player listed out toward the bottom of his range. He sat because the trade was pending, and he wasn't hurt. That move should reverse once he plays. His Week 6 projection is now 10.1 half-PPR against Jacksonville.

Four games, four tough defenses

That's five catches on 13 targets, 8.8% of Arizona's targets in those four games, for 85 yards and 4.3 half-PPR points a game. The four defenses he faced all allow fewer passing yards per game than the league average through Week 5: Seattle by 29%, Los Angeles by 13%, New York by 11% and San Francisco by 10%. That's part of the story.

It isn't all of it. Michael Wilson drew 51 targets and Trey McBride 56 in five games for the same offense, and Harrison's per-game points have fallen each year, from 9.7 in 2024 to 8.9 in 2025 and 4.3 now. He finished WR29 as a rookie and WR49 last year, when he missed five games.

What the numbers say about how he plays

His Next Gen Stats are the part I'd worry about. Through four games his separation is 1.51 yards, last among 81 receivers, and his air yards share of 21.8% ranks 52nd. His yards after the catch over expected is +1.07, 19th, which is the one bright spot. Last year his drop rate was 5.5% and his average target came 12.9 yards downfield.

Four games is a small sample, and it's still the worst separation number on the board.

Why Houston helps

Houston's receiver room has been missing a second option. Nico Collins has drawn 26.0% of the targets in the three games he has played, and Xavier Hutchinson has 18.1% across all five, on a score of 533. Jayden Higgins has been on injured reserve since Week 1 with an ACL injury. Houston has also thrown on 54%, 76%, 56% and 62% of its plays in its first four games, so the volume is there.

This morning's depth chart already lists Harrison second, behind Collins and ahead of Kayshon Boutte, Hutchinson, and Jaylin Noel. That's a listing, not the targets. He'd still have to take the work from those three.

That's a better setup than Arizona's, with a quarterback he knows. It doesn't change that he has to win the snaps. Houston plays Jacksonville in London at 9:30 AM ET this Sunday, and whether he's active that soon isn't confirmed.

What I'd do

I'd hold him, and I'd buy only if the price is below his 6,665 board number. I'd change my mind on his first two Houston games. Fewer than six targets in either one means the problem was never Arizona, and eight or more means the role is real. Model the offer on the Dynasty Trade Calculator before you pay up.