Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. endured an iffy first two NFL seasons, relative to his entry as the No. 4 overall pick in 2024. But he has maintained a target lead over Michael Wilson. The eight games last season in which Harrison played at least 70% of the snaps found him drawing 21.9% of targets vs. just 12.0% for Wilson. Of course, Harrison's second-half injury issues gave way to Wilson's fantasy explosion. Then came a coaching change, and it's fair to wonder whether HC Mike LaFleur's scheme will alter the target distribution.
What They're Saying: Reason to Like Player and Role
Tyler Drake of Arizona Sports: "LaFleur wasn't kidding when he said he envisioned Wilson in the Puka Nacua role in Arizona's offense. The wide receiver was used across the formation, including in the backfield, and brought a WR1 consistency throughout all of it."
LaFleur on Wilson, July 29: "He's tough as nails. He's super competitive. ... There are some similarities between a guy like Puka, Robert Woods, and Mike Wilson. They're strong guys. They're sturdy. They can play in between the tackles ... get on safeties, and they like mucking it up in there. But they're different, too. ... he's been a pleasure to work with."
Drake on Harrison: "I can't help but think of the wide-open spaces Marvin Harrison Jr. had throughout camp. Sure, he had the case of the drops. But his ability to separate plus LaFleur's scheme made getting open look easy."
GM Monti Ossenfort, asked whether he "expects" to work out a long-term extension with Wilson: "He's a guy that we want around here a long time. ... 'Expect,' that's a tough word. Our interest is in keeping him here. Michael's been a good player for us; he's going to continue to be a good player for us. I know Coach LaFleur feels the same way. And we want Michael here for a long time.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: Don't Underrate the Role ... or Overrate the Situation
LaFleur spent 2023-25 as Rams OC, after two years coordinating the Jets offense under Robert Saleh and four years as passing-game coordinator under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco.
Wilson has separately referred to the target histories of Nacua and Cooper Kupp in discussing his own outlook, and other reports have discussed Harrison playing the "Davante Adams role."
Such player-to-player comparisons across teams and years can often make it difficult to make realistic fantasy projections. So what's all this mean? Wilson looks like the WR who will move around the formation more for these Cardinals, whereas Harrison appears likely to work almost exclusively outside and operate further downfield.
For example, Adams posted a 13.6-yard average depth of target for last year's Rams, according to Pro Football Focus. Nacua's checked in at 9.2 yards. And he ran from the slot on 33.7% of pass snaps vs. Adams' 14.4%.
Does that mean we should project Wilson for Nacua's monster target share? Probably not. But it wouldn't be shocking if he out-targets Harrison. And it wouldn't be a surprise if he leads Harrison in catch rate.
So there's at least room for Wilson to lead this year's Cardinals WRs in fantasy scoring. Of course, both guys must contend with TE Trey McBride, who remains the best bet to lead the team in targets. And they'll have Jacoby Brissett likely doing a lackluster Matthew Stafford impression.
You'll find both Cardinals WRs in the range of low WR3 to high WR5 in our wide receiver rankings. That's similar to their best ball ADP ranks: Harrison at WR34, Wilson at WR44.
Neither guy looks like a "must" draft for 2026, but each is worth considering.
