Malik Nabers vs Marvin Harrison Jr. fantasy outlook: Which rookie WR should you draft?

Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison Jr. are arguably the two best rookie wide receivers ahead of the 2024 fantasy football season. They are each viewed as potentially elite talents in the NFL and are expected to serve as No. 1 options on their team's passing offense. While they both make for exciting picks in fantasy drafts, here's who is the better option this year.

Is Malik Nabers a good fantasy pick in 2024?

Malik Nabers

Malik Nabers profiles as an elite wide receiver prospect with all of the potential to be among the top overall players in his position. This heavily contributed to the New York Giants selecting him with the sixth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The franchise has been in desperate need of a game-changing weapon in its passing game and may have found it in Nabers.

The coveted prospect increased his receptions and yardage in all three of his seasons with the LSU Tigers during his college football career. It concluded with a massive output in his final year, including 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns. His production earned him an All-American selection and made him extremely desirable in the draft.

LSU has been known to produce elite NFL wide receivers, including Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase and Odell Beckham Jr. With the Giants lacking a true WR1 on their roster, targeting him with their sixth pick made a ton of sense. He will theoretically give Daniel Jones the weapon that he has been missing.

The Giants also moved on from Saquon Barkley during the offseason, which could be another boost to Malik Nabers' fantasy football value. Barkley has been their featured offensive player, so with him gone, plenty of touches are available. Given Nabers' elite upside and ideal situation, he makes for an attractive target in all fantasy formats.

Is Marvin Harrison Jr. a good fantasy pick in 2024?

Marvin Harrison Jr.

Marvin Harrison Jr. spent all three seasons of his college football career with the Ohio State Buckeyes. After receiving little playing time in his first year, he broke out for two consecutive elite seasons that both resulted in All-American selections. Across those two seasons, he combined to record a massive 144 receptions for 2,474 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Harrison's final season with the Buckeyes also included him being chosen as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and finishing in fourth place in the Heisman Trophy voting. All of this resulted in him being one of the most coveted overall players in the 2024 NFL Draft. It didn't take long for him to come off of the board when the Arizona Cardinals selected him with the fourth overall pick.

The Cardinals' offense has been in need of weapons so it makes sense why they targeted Harrison with their first pick. Their offense has struggled in recent seasons and they became even weaker when Hollywood Brown departed the team during the offseason. This makes Harrison's fantasy football outlook even brighter as he is expected to serve as their featured wide receiver.

The prized prospect will enter a relatively favorable situation with his strong expected workload and a solid quarterback in Kyler Murray. Add in his elite talent and the fact that Ohio State has a strong recent history of producing valuable NFL wide receivers, including Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, and Harrison makes for an intriguing target in all fantasy football formats.

Malik Nabers vs Marvin Harrison Jr.: Who Should I Draft?

Nabers vs Harrison

According to Sportskeeda's Who Should I Draft tool, Marvin Harrison Jr. is a better pick than Malik Nabers for the 2024 fantasy football season. Both of them profile as elite prospects with a massive upside, making them attractive options in all formats. They are among the best overall wide receivers to target in Dynasty leagues, while carrying similar values into traditional season-long formats.

The tool expects Marvin Harrison Jr. to outperform Malik Nabers in all receiving categories during the upcoming 2024 NFL season. His projections are superior by a fairly significant margin of 19 receptions for 285 yards and nearly two touchdowns. This equates to nearly 60 additional season-long fantasy points in PPR leagues.

While both wide receivers are extremely talented prospects, their situations with their NFL teams may be the biggest reason for the difference in their fantasy projections. Both of them are expected to serve as their team's WR1 this season, but Harrison will have a couple factors working in his favor a bit more than Nabers.

Kyler Murray has been a more productive quarterback than Daniel Jones during their careers so far. The Cardinals are also weaker than the Giants at wide receiver, which could mean a bit more target competition for Malik Nabers this year. Regardless of Harrison being given the edge, both rookies make for valuable picks ahead of the 2024 fantasy football season.