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Matt Bowen, ESPN Staff Writer
After three days of the NFL draft, let’s focus in on the rookies who landed in the best spots to create Year 1 fantasy football production. I’m looking at player traits here, scheme fits, plus a path to early playing time and consistent volume.
I picked 12 players to highlight, starting with Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. But there are also quarterbacks to discuss in here, more pass-catchers and a couple of running backs with the skill sets to produce. And toward the bottom, we’ll wrap it up my quick notes on the players you need to keep on the fantasy radar this summer.
Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Cardinals: Harrison’s tape reminds me of DeAndre Hopkins. It’s the defined route running, the coverage awareness to find open voids and the ball skills/body control to finish. Pro-ready skills. Harrison had 144 receptions on 745 routes in his final two seasons at Ohio State, giving him the nation’s second-best yards per route run mark over that time (3.3).
In Arizona with quarterback Kyler Murray, Harrison will see No. 1 volume as three-level target with the ability to isolate in the low red zone. Take the traits and the anticipated usage here, and lock Harrison in as a fringe WR1.