Rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. didn't get off the ground in his Arizona Cardinals debut, with his Week 1 performance against the Buffalo Bills looking more like a penguin than a cardinal. However, after Harrison's soaring to the top of FanDuel's Offensive Rookie of the Year odds (OROY) leaderboard on the back of a two-touchdown, 130-yard explosion in the first quarter of Arizona's 41-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
While Harrison's standout performance reinforced what most people knew about his explosiveness, is it enough to win OROY? Well, after putting up a second straight stinker to start his NFL career, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is no longer the betting favorite to win. Williams is now +300 to win the award at FanDuel Sportsbook after opening the year as the favorite with +140 odds. Meanwhile, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is also +300 to win, but Harrison and New York Giants wideout Malik Nabers are gaining steam on this year's top rookie quarterbacks.
Harrison is now +320 to win OROY, and Nabers is +850. Harrison was +800 heading into Week 2 before his offensive explosion against the Rams. Nabers, meanwhile, was +1500 before he exploded for ten catches, 127 yards, and a touchdown in a narrow loss to the Commanders.
Can Cardinals wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year?
Heading into Week 3, here are where NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds currently stand according to FanDuel Sportsbook:
- Jayden Daniels +300
- Caleb Williams+300
- Marvin Harrison Jr. +320
- Malik Nabers +850
- Xavier Worthy +1700
- Brian Thomas Jr. +2600
- Brock Bowers +3000
- Drake Maye +3000
Unsurprisingly, the quarterbacks give up ground to the wide receivers in this race. Neither Williams nor Daniels have thrown for a touchdown this season, and Williams has two interceptions. Daniels has two rushing touchdowns and is completing over 75% of his passes. Williams completes just 56.1% of his passes and has 267 yards in two games. It'll take 30 touchdowns and 3733 yards in 15 games for Williams to become the first Bears quarterback to throw for 30+ passing touchdowns and 4000+ passing yards since the forward pass was invented.
So, if the quarterbacks continue to be underwhelmed, there's a real shot for Harrison to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. However, quarterbacks won three of the last five OROY awards – C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert, and Kyler Murray – with the other two won by wide receivers (Garrett Wilson and Ja'Marr Chase). Looking back at the last ten winners, only one additional wide receiver (Odell Beckham Jr.) joins the list. So, with how volatile the competition can be, Harrison's Week 2 performance is only the first step in a long journey to win the award.
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