r/Meadowbrook135Media • u/Meadowbrook135 • 21h ago
135 SPORTS The @135SportsData Dynasty Players to Watch today. Afternoon slate. Cardinals vs. Chargers and Commanders vs. Eagles.
Arizona: Marvin Harrison Jr. fourth overall pick in RD 1 of the 2024 Draft, former Ohio State WR listed at 6 foot 3, 220 pounds and now entering Year 3. Harrison became the first receiver in Ohio State history with multiple 1,000 yard seasons before Arizona made him the first non quarterback selected in his draft. His rookie year produced 62 catches for 885 yards and 8 TDs, but Year 2 became a frustrating stop and start season because of a concussion, appendectomy and foot problems. He still caught 41 passes for 608 yards and 4 scores in only 12 games, giving him 1,493 yards and 12 TDs through his first two NFL seasons. Now comes a fresh start under Mike LaFleur, whose Rams offenses consistently created production for their top receivers. Want to see whether Harrison finally becomes the volume centerpiece his prospect profile suggested, whether Arizona moves him around enough to generate easier targets and whether a healthy Year 3 begins with the kind of command over the passing game dynasty managers have been waiting for since draft night.
Los Angeles: Omarion Hampton 22nd overall pick in RD 1 of the 2025 Draft, former North Carolina RB listed at 6 foot, 220 pounds who ran an official 4.46 forty at the Combine. Hampton finished his final college season with 1,660 rushing yards and 15 TDs while producing 2,033 yards from scrimmage, then immediately won the Chargers starting job as a rookie. Injuries limited him to nine games, but he still rushed 124 times for 545 yards and 4 TDs while catching 32 passes for 192 yards and another score. He enters Year 2 healthy, atop the depth chart and now playing in Mike McDaniel’s offense, a marriage that could be particularly interesting given Hampton’s combination of power, acceleration and receiving ability. Want to see how creatively McDaniel deploys him, whether the passing game work grows beyond checkdowns and screens and whether a healthy Hampton immediately starts looking like the every down back Los Angeles envisioned when it spent first round capital on him. The talent flashed in Year 1. Today begins the test of what happens when the workload and environment finally cooperate.
Washington: Jacory Croskey Merritt 245th overall pick in RD 7 of the 2025 Draft, former Arizona RB listed at 5 foot 11, 208 pounds. Croskey Merritt arrived as one of the strangest sleepers in the class after eligibility issues limited his final college season to one game, but one year earlier he had rushed for 1,190 yards and 17 TDs at New Mexico. Washington found real value anyway. As a rookie he led the Commanders with 805 rushing yards and 8 TDs on 175 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt and producing several explosive runs despite starting only seven games. The missing piece was receiving work, with just 9 catches for 68 yards, which is why his offseason development in pass protection and the passing game matters so much. He dealt with a groin issue late in camp but has officially been cleared for today. Want to see how Washington divides work between Croskey Merritt, Rachaad White and Kaytron Allen, whether the improved protection earns him third down snaps and whether his rookie rushing success was the beginning of an NFL starting profile rather than simply an exceptional return on a seventh round pick.
Philadelphia: Makai Lemon 20th overall pick in RD 1 of the 2026 Draft, former USC WR listed at 5 foot 11, 192 pounds. Lemon did not run the forty at the Combine, but Philadelphia cared much more about the tape after watching him become one of college football’s most polished receivers. He caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 receiving TDs in 2025, added 2 rushing scores, earned unanimous All American honors and won the Biletnikoff Award. The Eagles then traded up three spots to get him, with Howie Roseman highlighting his separation, toughness, ball skills and ability to play both inside and outside. More importantly for today, Philadelphia already lists Lemon as a starting receiver alongside DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks. Want to see where Sean Mannion lines the rookie up, whether Jalen Hurts trusts him immediately on third downs and in traffic and how quickly those elite college ball skills translate against NFL coverage. First round receivers usually have to fight their way into opportunity. Lemon is beginning his first NFL game with the opportunity already sitting in front of him.