The Arizona Cardinals won’t have their top wide receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr., in Week 11. The second-year pro had surgery for appendicitis, which will keep him out of a home game against the San Francisco 49ers this week.
Harrison Jr. is second on the Cardinals in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns, behind tight end Trey McBride. There’s a significant drop-off in production after McBridge and Harrison Jr. for Arizona. Only one player has more than 20 receptions and 200 receiving yards. That player is Michael Wilson, who didn’t have more than 20 yards receiving in a game until Week 6.
Needless to say, Harrison Jr. is a large chunk of the Cardinals’ passing game. The last time the 49ers and Cardinals played, Harrison Jr. was targeted six times. But since Jacoby Brissett has taken over, and specifically in these past two games, he’s been the primary, and seemingly the only target for that offense. He’s been targeted 22 times in the previous two games.
That takes pressure off Renardo Green to hold up 1-on-1 against a premier athlete. It should also allow Robert Saleh to be more aggressive and trust that his secondary can hold up against Wilson and Greg Dortch. Neither is overly explosive, playing right into the hands of the secondary.
I mention Dortch instead of Zay Jones, as Jones went down with an injury against the Seahawks. It was recently reported that Jones tore his Achilles. Meaning the Cardinals will be without their fourth-leading receiver now.
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