PlayerProfiler is home to the award winning redraft rankings and tools. Our Player Rankings are second to none, and the World Famous Draft Kit contains detailed player write ups and cheat sheets to help You dominate fantasy drafts! Check it out.n Below, Joel Ybarra breaks down rookie performances from Week 2, including Marvin Harrison Jr.’s big breakout performance.
Rookies continued to be difference-makers in Week 2 of the 2024 season, but overall, rookie production was diminished compared with Week 1. There were some monster performances by highly drafted rookies in Week 2, however, and some interesting usage patterns for others.
Rookie Performance of the Week
Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR, Arizona Cardinals
Marvin Harrison Jr. has arrived. He put up a dud in Week 1, with just three targets, one reception and four yards receiving. But he made up for it all in one quarter in Week 2, when he caught four passes for 130 yards and two TDs. By the end of the first quarter, the game was in hand for the Cardinals and the team controlled the pace of the game with the run. Still, Harrison had two more end zone targets in the second half. Harrison and Kyler Murray could not connect on those or the rookie’s breakout would have been even more seismic.
Other Notable Rookie Performances
Malik Nabers | WR, New York Giants
Malik Nabers is another rookie who broke out in Week 2. It wasn’t a bad Week 1 performance for Nabers. He caught five passes for 66 yards, but Week 2 was more of an indicator of what Nabers, the No. 6 overall pick in the NFL Draft, can do.
The LSU product earned a ridiculous 18 targets (64-percent Target Share) in the Giants’ matchup with the Commanders, catching 10 balls for 127 yards and one TD. If not for Harrison’s elite flurry of scoring in one quarter, Nabers would have easily earned the performance of the week honors.
Brock Bowers | TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Brock Bowers was the centerpiece of the Georgia offense during his tenure in Athens, and he has quickly become a dependable target for Gardner Minshew in Vegas. He caught all nine of his targets for 98 yards in Week 2, including some big catches down the stretch as the Raiders came back to stun the Ravens. Bowers has earned a target on 32.1-percent of his routes this season.
Braelon Allen | RB, New York Jets
Braelon Allen logged some meaningful work in the Jets backfield in Week 2, after earning just one carry and one reception in his Week 1 debut. In Week 2, he turned seven carries into 33 yards rushing and four targets into two catches and 23 yards receiving.
He also scored two touchdowns – one on the ground and one through the air. The production may have just earned him a bigger piece of the work in the Jets backfield.
Jayden Daniels | QB, Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels was not responsible for any touchdowns Sunday, but he did complete 23 of 29 passes and rushed 10 times for 44 yards for 13.4 fantasy points. Daniels appears comfortable leading Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, but the team need to finish in the red zone.
As the offense becomes more productive, Daniels’ fantasy production will follow.
Ja’Lynn Polk | WR, New England Patriots
Ja’Lynn Polk did not have a huge Week 2, but he did catch his first NFL touchdown, and also got a designed rush attempt. The rush attempt did not go anywhere, but that means the Patriots want to get the second round rookie involved in the offense.
Other Key Usage Notes
Erick All TE, CIN –16 routes, four targets, four catches, 32 yards
Jermaine Burton WR, CIN– seven routes, two deep targets, one catch, 47 yards
Blake Corum RB, LAR – eight garbage time carries for 28 yards
See all the rookies to watch early in the NFL season: The Rookie Report | Rookies to Watch in Early Season Games
