Marvin Harrison must really like Lucas Oil Stadium. In four games, the veteran wideout has caught 19 passes for 249 yards and three TD on the Colts’ home field. That projects to a 76-catch, 996-yard, 12-TD season. That’s not exactly what we’re used to from the standout WR, but it’s a lot better than the 53-catch, 635-yard, 5-TD season that he’s currently posting.
The good news is that the Colts have more home games remaining than road games, but the bad news is that one of those home games comes in Week 17 against the Titans, which doesn’t really help fantasy owners. Harrison can definitely be started in Week 11 at home against the Texans, and in Week 15 at home against the Lions. The other home game (Week 14 against the Bengals) is also a pretty nice matchup, though the 2008 Bungles aren’t as bad as usual against the pass.
While all three road games – Week 12 @ SD, Week 13 @ CLE and Week 16 @ JAX – do seem appealing, Harrison has posted an average of 2.2 catches for 21.6 yards on the road, and has failed to score a TD. I wouldn’t recommend starting Harrison in any of those matchups unless you don’t have a better option available.
So what’s the reason for Harrison’s increased production at home? At the old RCA Dome, he was virtually uncoverable on the artificial turf due to his incredible quickness and sharp route running. But Lucas Oil Stadium has Field Turf, which looks and feels like grass, so those advantages should be negated somewhat.
Maybe Harrison is just getting some good ol’ home cookin’ on game days.
