Marvin Harrison Jr. and 6 NFL Players With the Most to Prove After 2 Weeks

Plenty of players have begun their 2026 NFL seasons on high notes, but there are quite a few who have stumbled through the first two weeks. With Week 3 on the horizon, these struggling players are running out of time to prove themselves.

Whether they've had difficulty adapting to a new system or teammates, have regressed after unexpectedly strong performances last year, haven't been able to take the type of leap expected of talented young players or just can't knock the rust off after a return from injury, these declining players need to get back on track before their best campaigns become little more than statistical outliers.

With that in mind, let's highlight the six players who have the most to prove after two weeks of disappointing play.

RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders

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Jacory Croskey-Merritt had a chance to build on his promising rookie campaign and cement his status as the Washington Commanders' feature back this year, but thus far has squandered a golden opportunity.

Croskey-Merritt flashed some real talent as a rookie in 2025, finishing the year with 805 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 175 carries. Through two games this season, JCM has recorded a pedestrian 106 yards and one touchdown on 28 totes. Most of that production came in the opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, with Croskey-Merritt getting phased out in favor of backup Rachaad White during a Week 2 meeting with the Dallas Cowboys.

NFL Network fantasy analyst Michael F. Florio broke down the most recent snap share between Washington's two backs:

Although White was expected to be more of a third-down back for Washington, he's been the more effective ball carrier through two games. White also has a stranglehold on the passing down snaps, offering far more value than his backfield counterpart in that area.

After tallying just 68 yards on nine catches last year, Croskey-Merritt unsurprisingly remains a non-factor in the passing game—reeling in just two catches that have gone for a combined negative-two yards. The addition of White, one of the league's better receiving backs, ensures that Croskey-Merritt won't see more than a token target or two per week.

With quarterback Jayden Daniels out after suffering another elbow injury, the Commanders will need to leverage their backfield platoon heavily to stay competitive. Croskey-Merritt will continue to get ample opportunity to prove himself, but he'll keep ceding snaps and carries to White if he doesn't improve his efficiency.

WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals

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When the Arizona Cardinals drafted Marvin Harrison Jr. with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 draft, the club expected to get a game-changing playmaker who could anchor its WR1 position for the foreseeable future. While Harrison showed flashes of greatness during his rookie season, he regressed significantly as a sophomore and is off to an even poorer start to the 2026 campaign.

While Arizona picked up a surprising win in its opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, Harrison personally underwhelmed by catching just one of his three targets for 33 yards. That was a concerning display, but his Week 2 performance—a zero-catch, one-target showing against the Seattle Seahawks—is truly alarming.

Harrison has struggled to establish chemistry with quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who took over for Kyler Murray early in the 2025 campaign. The wideout finished last season with a modest 608 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 41 catches—a noticeable dip from the 885 yards and eight scores he recorded on 62 receptions as a rookie—and is now on a far, far worse pace.

Injuries were part of Harrison's struggles last year, as he missed five games and didn't seem close to 100 percent in several others. He appears to be healthy in 2026, however, but is failing to produce at a level even close to Cardinals star Trey McBride (17/136/2 on 23 targets), let alone unheralded teammates such as Michael Wilson (7/74/0 on 14 targets) and Kendrick Bourne (10/86/0 on 11 targets). Even backup running back Tyler Allgeier has more targets (5) and catches (4) than Harrison through two games.

While the Cardinals were able to notch a Week 1 victory without Harrison playing a significant role, the team's blowout 31-7 defeat to the rival Seahawks showed that this rebuilding organization still has a long way to go. Harrison needs to buy in and figure things out for Arizona to have any chance at emerging as a respectable offense.

TE Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears

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The Chicago Bears have had a polarizing start to the 2026 NFL season, picking up a victory in a game that set a record for most points scored in a season-opener before suffering a humbling defeat in which they only scored a single field goal. One player who has been consistent during that span is Colston Loveland, the second-year tight end who has completely disappointed in both contests.

Although the Bears put up a whopping 59 points in Week 1, Loveland didn't record a single catch on either of his two targets. He remained a non-factor during Sunday's defeat to the Minnesota Vikings, catching just one of three targets for a lowly three yards on the day.

While Loveland also got off to a slow start and was streaky during his rookie season, this has been the least productive two-game stretch of his career and is troubling for his long-term outlook.

Loveland's fall-off looks even worse in wake of the hype he built up during the final two regular season games of 2025 when he racked up 185 yards and two touchdowns on 16 catches. The tight end followed that up with a strong playoff display that included exploding for 137 receiving yards on eight receptions to help guide Chicago to a win over the rival Green Bay Packers.

With star quarterback Caleb Williams now week-to-week with a troubling hamstring injury, it won't get any easier for Loveland to return to form. He'll need to quickly establish chemistry with backup Tyson Bagent if he's going to make any sort of impact when the Bears take on the Philadelphia Eagles in a pivotal Week 3 matchup.

QB Drake Maye, New England Patriots

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Drake Maye led the New England Patriots to a 14-3 record and Super Bowl berth in his second NFL season, but the first two weeks of the 2026 campaign have seen the young star regress heavily from that MVP-caliber performance.

Maye floundered through a disappointing Super Bowl rematch against the Seattle Seahawks, throwing three interceptions (including one that sealed up the loss) and taking three sacks in a 13-10 defeat. While the Pats bounced back to get a much-needed win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, the signal-caller went just 14 of 22 on his passing attempts for 208 yards and an interception.

Considering Maye was the second-highest scoring quarterback in fantasy football last year—averaging 21.1 points per game—and is currently the QB29 with a pitiful 10.9-point average, it's clear that the 24-year-old isn't playing at the level fans in New England have become accustomed to.

Maye needs to right the ship quickly, as the Patriots face a much tougher schedule than the one they waltzed through on their way to the AFC's No. 2 seed last year. His next opportunity to get back on track will be in Week 3 when New England goes head-to-head with the Jacksonville Jaguars and their tenacious defense.

TE Kyle Pitts Sr., Atlanta Falcons

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There were sizable expectations for Kyle Pitts Sr. in wake of the 88-catch, 928-receiving yard, five-touchdown season he had in 2025 and the coinciding blockbuster contract extension he received, but so far the veteran tight end hasn't come close to achieving them.

Pitts put absolutely nothing on the stat sheet in Week 1 outside of a single target during a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he finally got involved as a pass-catcher during Sunday's humiliating 34-3 defeat to the Carolina Panthers, he still only tallied 15 receiving yards after securing just one of three targets.

Although Pitts isn't completely at fault for this lack of production, he wasn't doing enough to make life any easier for quarterback Cooper Rush, Atlanta's third-stringer turned unexpected starter for the last two weeks.

There is hope for Pitts—who was the No. 2-scoring tight end in fantasy football last year—to get back on track. Michael Penix Jr., the starting QB for nine of Pitts' games last year, will finally be making his anticipated return to the field in Week 3.

While Penix's play over his first two seasons doesn't indicate he'll play the role of franchise savior—especially after sustaining another major knee injury—he could at least give Pitts and the rest of Atlanta's flailing passing attack a much-needed shot in the arm. If Pitts can't get it going with Penix under center, he'll be well on his way to a career-worst season.

Edge Jared Verse, Cleveland Browns

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The Cleveland Browns were willing to part ways with Myles Garrett shortly after he earned Defensive Player of the Year honors and set the single season sack record largely because they were able to return Jared Verse in addition to draft capital. While the up-and-coming edge rusher wasn't expected to seamlessly fill the enormous void left by Garrett's departure, Verse's performances over the first two weeks have looked nothing close to those of his predecessor.

Verse struggled to get going in a disheartening 34-10 Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, finishing the game with four tackles (one for a loss) and little else. Despite playing the same 64.9 percentage of defensive snaps in Week 2, Verse made even less of an impact against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Browns managed to secure a 23-19 victory, but their top edge rusher recorded one meager tackle and QB hit in the contest.

With Verse failing to record a single sack over his first two games in a Browns uniform, it's fair to start wondering if his Pro Bowl production was mostly a product of the Los Angeles Rams' creative scheming and superior talent in the defensive trenches. The edge defender had earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after tallying 4.5 sacks and 66 tackles in 2024 and went on to improve his sack count to 7.5 while earning a second consecutive Pro Bowl nod last season.

Verse admitted that he couldn't get into a "flow state" in his Cleveland debut, revealing that he was "trying to force too much" and played outside his comfort zone. Unfortunately for the Browns, the 25-year-old was stonewalled by Tristan Wirfs in Week 2 and is now in a full-blown tailspin going into a critical Week 3 clash with the Carolina Panthers.

If Verse can't pick up his first sack of 2026 against a mediocre offensive line that has allowed QB Bryce Young to be brought down four times over the first two weeks, he may never reach the level of play the Browns expected when they traded for him.