Marvin Harrison Jr.'s Status for Texans-Jaguars Revealed, WR's Fantasy Outlook After Cardinals Trade

Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is expected to make his Houston Texans debut Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters Wednesday.

The Texans sent a package including a 2027 second-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals in order to acquire Harrison from the Cardinals on Monday.

Ryans said he expects Harrison to play Sunday but see somewhat limited usage during the Week 6 matchup.

"When you get a player come in late, like Marvin has, it's just, again, what is he able to pick up on?" Ryans said Wednesday. "We'll go through the entire playbook. We'll have set plays, and we'll make sure it's as easy as possible for him to get lined up so he can play fast.

"Don't expect him to come out and play all 60 snaps in a game, but we'll make sure he gets what he needs, and make sure he's confident in what we're asking him to do."

Harrison has experience playing with Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud from their overlapping time at Ohio State.

That could potentially help Harrison eventually make his case for an increase over his workload in Arizona, where Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett targeted him just 13 times for five catches in four games this season.

Harrison was listed as inactive for the Cardinals' Week 5 matchup before he was traded Monday. He joined Stroud and the Texans for his first team practice Wednesday.

Ryans expressed hope Harrison would be able to quickly adjust to the Texans system after beginning work on the playbook the night he arrived in Houston.

"Getting a player caught up, it isn't hard when the player is attentive and he's locked in on getting the details down... I'm excited to see how his week continues to progress, and see how much he can handle," Ryans said.

Stroud has been leaning this season on Nico Collins, who despite missing two games leads the Texans with 249 receiving yards.

Ryans said he is "excited" to see Harrison and Collins play together in part because he feels both receivers for contested catches.

Harrison is listed as backup to Collins on the Texans' unofficial depth chart. Should Harrison establish himself as a WR2, he could potentially take snaps away from Xavier Hutchinson and Kayshon Boutte, while Jaylin Noel could continue serving as the Texans' slot receiver going forward.

It could take some time for Harrison to establish himself as the Texans' second option behind Collins.

Even in the short term, however, the limited usage Harrison saw as a Cardinal and the Texans' pass-first offense could mean the third-year wide receiver will see a boost in usage as soon as Sunday's game in London.