The Arizona Cardinals will face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
Is Marvin Harrison Jr. Playing in Week 17?
Harrison is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Cardinals’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Marvin Harrison Jr. in Week 17?
There are 119 players who have cleared 60 receiving yards in a game from Weeks 9-16, over 3.5 per team, and yet, Marvin Harrison Jr.’s name is not on that list.
Yikes.
We saw him targeted with three of Kyler Murray’s first four passes a week ago, and commitment like that this week should pay off against the seventh-worst yards-per-play defense in the league, if sustained.
Half of Harrison’s receptions for the entire game last week came in that first wave of passes, and that, too, was in a very favorable spot (at Panthers). The Rams allow deep touchdown passes at the seventh-highest rate, which is another flaw that Harrison has the potential to exploit. If we are being honest, this is the only reason I’m still ranking him as a viable Flex play.
If you have Harrison on your roster and are still playing impactful games, the odds are good that you’ve settled on a replacement. Whether it is a Jalen McMillan type that has come on lately or a high-floor option like Adam Thielen, you’ve probably moved on, and at large, I think that’s 100% the right play.
This season, Chris Godwin has more finishes inside the top 20 than Harrison — he dislocated his ankle in Week 7.
This season, Quentin Johnston has more finishes inside the top 40 than Harrison — we still think that he may have been lying on his NFL résumé with the “can catch” sentence.
There might be a post-hype price tag that sucks me in next season, but for the remainder of 2024, you’re willfully ignoring all of the data points we have if you’re playing him with confidence.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 17 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Marvin Harrison’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 17
As of Saturday, Harrison is projected to score 12.1 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 2.4 receptions for 71.8 yards and 0.4 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Rams' Defense
The Rams' defense will almost certainly finish the season as a bottom-10 unit. The slow start, coupled with the disastrous Week 14 showing against Buffalo, serves as a massive anchor on the overall season numbers.
However, the Rams had a solid 75.8 (C) grade and have now posted top-10 weekly finishes in consecutive weeks and three of the last four games. The run defense excelled against the Jets, averaging its second-highest EPA per play of the season (0.29). Since Week 9, the Rams rank 12th in EPA per rush allowed, a huge jump from their 26th-place ranking from Weeks 1-8.
The pass defense is still a question mark, as only the Bills rank lower in EPA per dropback or pass success rate among current playoff teams. That probably limits LA's playoff upside, particularly given the inconsistent game-to-game performance from the passing offense.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Marvin Harrison’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 3:45 PM ET on Saturday, December 28. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 WR PPR Rankings
1) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (vs. DEN)
2) Puka Nacua | LAR (vs. ARI)
3) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (at SF)
4) Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs. GB)
5) Mike Evans | TB (vs. CAR)
6) Nico Collins | HOU (vs. BAL)
7) Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs. ATL)
8) Davante Adams | NYJ (at BUF)
9) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at CLE)
10) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. DAL)
11) Tee Higgins | CIN (vs. DEN)
12) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
13) Courtland Sutton | DEN (at CIN)
14) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at NE)
15) Drake London | ATL (at WAS)
16) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at CHI)
17) Malik Nabers | NYG (vs. IND)
18) Cooper Kupp | LAR (vs. ARI)
19) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (at BUF)
20) Jauan Jennings | SF (vs. DET)
21) Zay Flowers | BAL (at HOU)
22) Keenan Allen | CHI (vs. SEA)
23) DJ Moore | CHI (vs. SEA)
24) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at NO)
25) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. GB)
26) DK Metcalf | SEA (at CHI)
27) George Pickens | PIT (vs. KC)
28) Calvin Ridley | TEN (at JAX)
29) Adam Thielen | CAR (at TB)
30) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs. NYJ)
31) Jameson Williams | DET (at SF)
32) Josh Downs | IND (at NYG)
33) Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF (vs. DET)
34) Jayden Reed | GB (at MIN)
35) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. DAL)
36) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (at PIT)
37) Xavier Worthy | KC (at PIT)
38) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (at LAR)
39) Jalen McMillan | TB (vs. CAR)
40) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at CLE)
41) Darnell Mooney | ATL (at WAS)
42) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (vs. MIA)
43) Hollywood Brown | KC (at PIT)
44) Rome Odunze | CHI (vs. SEA)
45) Romeo Doubs | GB (at MIN)
46) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at NYG)
47) Amari Cooper | BUF (vs. NYJ)
48) Rashod Bateman | BAL (at HOU)
49) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at NE)
50) Jalen Coker | CAR (at TB)
51) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. LAC)
52) Xavier Legette | CAR (at TB)
53) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (vs. IND)
54) Christian Watson | GB (at MIN)
55) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (at JAX)
56) Elijah Moore | CLE (vs. MIA)
57) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (vs. NYJ)
58) Calvin Austin III | PIT (vs. KC)
59) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at NE)
60) Robert Woods | HOU (vs. BAL)
61) Parker Washington | JAX (vs. TEN)
62) Tim Patrick | DET (at SF)
63) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (at WAS)
64) John Metchie III | HOU (vs. BAL)
65) Keon Coleman | BUF (vs. NYJ)
66) David Moore | CAR (at TB)
67) Devaughn Vele | DEN (at CIN)
68) Michael Wilson | ARI (at LAR)
69) Tre Tucker | LV (at NO)
70) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. LAC)
71) Mike Williams | PIT (vs. KC)
72) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (at CIN)
73) Andrei Iosivas | CIN (vs. DEN)
74) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (vs. ATL)
75) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. LAC)
76) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (at PHI)
77) Malik Washington | MIA (at CLE)
78) Brandin Cooks | DAL (at PHI)
79) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at CHI)
80) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (vs. ARI)
81) Adonai Mitchell | IND (at NYG)
82) Alec Pierce | IND (at NYG)
83) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (at MIN)
84) Allen Lazard | NYJ (at BUF)
85) Van Jefferson | PIT (vs. KC)
86) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (at PHI)
87) Darius Slayton | NYG (vs. IND)
88) Ricky Pearsall | SF (vs. DET)
89) Jamison Crowder | WAS (vs. ATL)
90) Tyler Boyd | TEN (at JAX)
91) Troy Franklin | DEN (at CIN)
92) Kevin Austin Jr. | NO (vs. LV)
93) Mack Hollins | BUF (vs. NYJ)
94) Tutu Atwell | LAR (vs. ARI)
95) Jalen Nailor | MIN (vs. GB)
96) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (at PIT)
97) Michael Woods II | CLE (vs. MIA)
98) Justin Watson | KC (at PIT)
99) Devin Duvernay | JAX (vs. TEN)
100) Greg Dortch | ARI (at LAR)
101) Dante Pettis | CHI (vs. SEA)
102) Lil'Jordan Humphrey | DEN (at CIN)
103) Curtis Samuel | BUF (vs. NYJ)
104) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. DAL)
105) Cedrick Wilson Jr. | NO (vs. LV)
106) Tylan Wallace | BAL (at HOU)
107) DJ Chark | LAC (at NE)
108) River Cracraft | MIA (at CLE)
109) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (vs. ATL)
110) Jalin Hyatt | NYG (vs. IND)
111) Ja'Lynn Polk | NE (vs. LAC)
Cardinals at Rams Trends and Insights
Arizona Cardinals
Team: Arizona is 4-15 and has been outscored by 152 points (492-340) in their past 19 road games.
QB: Kyler Murray doesn’t have more touchdown passes than interceptions in a game since doing so against the Jets in Week 10 (Arizona has lost four of five games over that stretch).
Offense: James Conner has consecutive games with a 40+ yard carry – he had one such run in his career with the Cardinals prior (794 rush attempts).
Defense: The Cardinals allowed the Panthers to average 3.0 points per drive on Sunday – Arizona falls to 1-6 this season when allowing at least 2.0 points per drive.
Fantasy: Conner is the first RB aged 29 or older with 100 rush yards, a rush TD, and 25 receiving yards in consecutive games since Latavius Murray (2019) – he joined this list in the first half last week against the Panthers.
Betting: Since the start of 2022, overs are 4-0 when the Cardinals play on extended rest (1-0 this season: 28-27 win over the Dolphins with a game that closed with a 46.5-point total).
Los Angeles Rams
Team: The Rams have won eight of 10 games after a 1-4 start, but they’ve only outscored their opponents by 27 points during that run (235-20)
QB: Matthew Stafford has thrown one touchdown pass on 46 attempts over his past two games (one TD toss every 11.7 attempts over his four games prior).
Offense: Los Angeles has won four straight games, but they’ve been walking on thin ice over their past two by converting just two of their eight red zone trips into TDs.
Defense: Opponents have converted just eight-of-18 red zone trips into touchdowns against the Rams over their past six games.
Fantasy: Kyren Williams has a league-high 15 games with 20+ carries since the beginning of last season.
Betting: The Rams have covered seven consecutive short rest games (average cover margin: 11.4 PPG).