A Lisfranc foot injury harpooned the first half of Harris' 2022 season, but a lack of explosiveness over his two-year career keeps his Fantasy value bottled up. It might be a little unfair to hold his first eight games of 2022 against him when he averaged 10.9 PPR points per game, averaged 16.9 touches per game and scored three times while playing hurt. The final nine outings of 2022 were more representative of what he's capable of, averaging 20.1 touches per game and scoring seven total touchdowns with improved (but not great) efficiency. That second half was close to what Harris was as a rookie, save for lower catch numbers (16.7 PPR points per game). But that simply reinforces that Harris is a volume-driven, touchdown-needy running back who has 10 career plays of 20-plus yards over 694 touches. That's sad. Without much competition for playing time, Harris is a very easy fade within the first 30 picks on Draft Day but is tougher to resist as startable RBs fly off the board. If you get him in Round 4, you're doing just fine.
Harris carried the ball 14 times for 71 yards and caught one of two targets for 32 yards in Sunday's 30-6 loss to the Texans.
The running back actually led the Steelers in receiving yards on a day when the passing game struggled even before Kenny Pickett (knee) got sidelined, and Harris also set season highs in rushing and scrimmage yards for himself. After scoring 10 TDs in each of his first two NFL campaigns, Harris is still looking for his first score of 2023, but that could be a tall task in Week 5 against a Ravens defense that has yet to allow a rushing touchdown.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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If you start Harris, you're hoping he scores in a favorable matchup. But the things that might doom him -- a slow start, a lack of goal-line chances, not getting targets, the Steelers playing from behind, the Texans defense able to wrap him up because he's not elusive nor fast -- are all pretty believable. He's at best a flex option who should be sat for Dameon Pierce, Alexander Mattison and Rachaad White.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Modest output in win
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Harris took 19 carries for 65 yards while failing to bring in his lone target in Sunday's 23-18 win over the Raiders.
Harris' 19 rushing attempts Sunday surpassed the total from his first two games combined. This was due in large part to the Steelers' more balanced offensive gameplan that featured 28 passes and 31 rushing attempts. Backup Jaylen Warren remained involved with 43 combined yards on 11 touches, but Harris ate up most of the early down work amid rumors of possibly losing touches following a slow start. Pittsburgh's starter struggled to find running room with the increased workload, but no player on either team averaged more than 3.7 yards per carry in what turned out to be a physical battle. Harris and his fantasy managers will be looking for carries closer to the end zone as he seeks his first touchdown of the season against the Texans next Sunday.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Could lose carries to Warren
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Harris is "still very much a big part" of the Steelers' plans, though Mike Garofolo of NFL Network relays that Jaylen Warren is expected to see more involvement in the running game in Sunday's matchup with the Raiders.
Even if Warren's role in Pittsburgh's ground attack expands as anticipated, Harris still appears likely to pace the Steelers in carries Week 3. However, Harris' standing as the Steelers' lead back hasn't translated to an abundance of touches through the first two weeks, as he's been limited to just 16 carries for 74 yards (4.6 average). Harris already appears to have lost out to Warren as the Steelers' primary pass-catching back, as the latter has drawn 12 targets to Harris' four between Weeks 1 and 2. A more favorable game script against the 1-1 Raiders could lead to more volume on the ground Sunday, but Harris' overall fantasy value still seems to be trending down at the moment.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Start Him (Lineup Decisions)
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The Steelers land in Vegas after an emotional and very physical home win on Monday, but the short turn-around figures to impact Pittsburgh's defense (which played 87 snaps!) more so than its offense. This is clearly Harris' easiest matchup to date and might be his easiest of the season. We'll know after this game whether or not he still has juice. With the hope he can score and rack up at least 60 total yards, I'd start him over Javonte Williams, Zack Moss, the Jets RBs and the Bears RBs.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Minimal output in win
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Harris rushed 10 times for 43 yards and caught his lone target for no gain in Monday's 26-22 win over Cleveland.
Pittsburgh's offense struggled to move the ball for most of this physical battle between division rivals, needing its defense to score twice in order to secure victory. Part of the blame can be placed on Harris' inability to find running room outside of a 21-yard gain. Harris has now posted two duds to begin the season, but he retains value in his role as Pittsburgh's top backfield option. He will search for better results when the Steelers take on the Raiders in Week 3.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: RBs to Sit
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Harris struggled in Week 1 against San Francisco with six carries for 31 yards and two catches for 2 yards on two targets, and he split playing time with Jaylen Warren (33 snaps to 25). Warren didn't do much with his snaps with three carries for 6 yards and five catches for 12 yards on six targets, so Harris' role should remain the same. That said, Pittsburgh's offensive line is banged up with right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor (concussion) and right guard James Daniels (leg) dealing with injuries. And the Browns run defense just limited Joe Mixon to 13 carries for 56 yards and three catches for 17 yards on five targets in Week 1. Harris is just a flex option at best in Week 2.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Logs six carries in blowout loss
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Harris rushed six times for 31 yards while securing both of his targets for two yards during the Steelers' 30-7 loss to the 49ers on Sunday.
Harris was reportedly on track to share playing time with Jaylen Warren ahead of Sunday's matchup, but neither running back got much work during the regular-season opener since the Steelers fell behind early. Harris should see more work in closer games, but it's possible Warren also garners a role in the offense after logging three carries against San Francisco. The Steelers have a more favorable matchup against the Browns on tap in Week 2, although Cleveland's defense held the Bengals in check during the regular-season opener.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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A lot of Fantasy managers want the Steelers to replace Harris with Jaylen Warren because the latter is more explosive, but that's not likely to happen barring an injury, at least according to most people in Pittsburgh. We'll see what happens as the season goes on, but I would be cautious about starting Harris this week in the majority of leagues. I prefer him as more of a flex option given the matchup with the 49ers. San Francisco is brutal against the run, and last year the 49ers were No. 1 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. If Harris doesn't find the end zone this week then he could have a miserable stat line, especially if Warren is playing on most passing downs.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Gets more work than Warren
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Harris took four carries for 18 yards and a touchdown and caught one pass for 16 yards in Thursday's preseason game at Atlanta.
Harris and Jaylen Warren split snaps on the first-team offense over the first two drives Thursday night, with the latter taking two carries for 14 yards and a TD. Harris helped set up Warren's score with a 16-yard gain on a screen pass, after closing out the opening drive with a one-yard TD plunge. The usage in Thursday's game supports OC Matt Canada's recent statement that Warren's strong preseason hasn't changed anything in terms of Harris being the Steelers' top running back. They both get a challenging matchup Week 1 when the 49ers travel to Pittsburgh.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Not in danger of losing top spot
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Offensive coordinator Matt Canada said Monday that Harris is undoubtedly Pittsburgh's top running back, Chris Adamski of TribLive.com reports.
Jaylen Warren ripped off a 62-yard TD in Saturday's exhibition against Buffalo, while Harris has three touches for only five yards through two preseason appearances. Canada confirmed that the light workload is merely about preserving Harris for the regular season, at which point he'll remain the lead rusher but figures to lose some snaps to Warren, particularly on passing downs. The Steelers OC told reporters that he still expects "Najee to be Najee" once the regular season begins, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Another brief appearance
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Harris rushed the ball twice for six yards in Saturday's 27-15 preseason victory over Buffalo.
Harris took the first two carries of the game out of the Pittsburgh backfield, though he was bottled up on both attempts. He gave way to Jaylen Warren on the team's opening drive, and Warren proceeded to rip off a 62-yard touchdown run on his first attempt of the game. Harris projects to retain the lead-back role in Pittsburgh to begin the regular season, but it's possible he cedes some additional work to Warren.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Sees brief action with starters
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Harris joined the starters for the opening drive of Friday's exhibition win over Tampa Bay, but he did not record a carry and caught his lone target for minus-1 yard.
While Harris wasn't used as a runner during the starters' brief appearance Friday, he did record the first touch out of Pittsburgh's backfield via a reception. Backup Jaylen Warren spelled Harris on the opening drive and finished with three carries for 13 yards. Harris is still the unquestioned starter in Pittsburgh, but injuries and a lack of improvement on a solid rookie season has likely shortened his leash should he get off to a slow start in 2023. Expect the Steelers to get their lead back involved offensively at some point this preseason, with that next opportunity coming on Aug. 19 against the Bills.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Overcomes early fumble
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Harris carried the ball 23 times for 84 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 28-14 win over the Browns. He added one catch for 10 yards.
Harris topped 20 rushing attempts for the third time in his last four games, and he topped 80 rushing yards in six of Pittsburgh's final nine games to close the season. His effort Sunday was highlighted by a run of 11 yards and a trip to the end zone from four yards away. He narrowly missed a bigger performance, as he was denied at the goal line and was stripped of the ball early in the first quarter. Nevertheless, Harris has topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first two seasons in the NFL, and he also tallied 10 total touchdowns in both campaigns. He'll head into 2023 as the Steelers' lead back once again.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: RBs to Start
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Harris was a bust to start the season, but he's closing the year on a high note with at least 14 PPR points in three games in a row, including 20 PPR points at Baltimore in Week 17. I love that he has eight catches in his past two games against the Raiders and Ravens on 12 targets, and hopefully he stays involved in the passing game again in Week 18 against the Browns. Cleveland has allowed a running back to score at least 12 PPR points in 11 of the past 12 games, with 14 running backs hitting that mark over that span. Harris had 12 PPR points against the Browns in Week 3 and has 69 carries for 335 yards and three touchdowns and nine catches for 52 yards in three career games against Cleveland.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Top DFS Play
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Harris has at least 22 touches in each of Pittsburgh's last three games and faces a Browns defense that has consistently been one of thew worst in football against running backs.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Catches game-winning TD
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Harris rushed 22 times for 111 yards and caught two of three targets for 12 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 16-13 win over Baltimore.
Harris finally reached the century mark in rushing yards for the first time this season after coming close on several occasions. The physical back was able to gash one of the better run defenses for five yards per carry -- albeit sans star defensive tackle Calais Campbell (knee) -- after being limited to 33 yards on 12 carries when these same teams met in Week 14. The 24-year-old did most of his damage on the ground, but his primary highlight will be from the impressive catch he made in the corner of the end zone to seal the win late for Pittsburgh. Harris will remain a focal part of the offense as the Steelers attempt to keep their playoff hopes alive against the Browns on Sunday.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Harris scored a touchdown against Baltimore in Week 14, but he only had 12 carries for 33 yards and two catches for 17 yards on three targets in that first meeting. I love that Harris was back to being involved in the passing game in Week 16 against Las Vegas with six catches for 42 yards on nine targets, but prior to that he had four catches on five targets in his previous four games. It's hard to know what to expect for him in the passing game this week. And Harris' touchdown in Week 14 was the lone touchdown Baltimore has allowed on the ground since Week 8. I'm still starting Harris as at least a flex option this week in all leagues, but I don't have high expectations for him given the matchup.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: RBs to Start
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Steelers legendary running back Franco Harris passed away Wednesday, and it would be great for Najee Harris to honor him with a big game Saturday at home. I expect it to happen against the Raiders, who are No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to running backs this year. A running back has scored or gained 100 total yards against Las Vegas in nine games in a row, with 12 total touchdowns scored over that span. And since Week 5, eight running backs have scored at least 15 PPR points against the Raiders. Najee Harris has scored a touchdown in four of his past five games, and he has at least 12 PPR points in consecutive outings prior to Week 16.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Held out of practice
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Harris (hip) didn't practice Wednesday, Chris Halicke of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
It's a downgrade from Tuesday, when Harris was listed as a limited participant, though the Steelers didn't actually hold a practice just two days after Sunday's win over the Panthers. The Steelers face the Raiders this Saturday, with Jaylen Warren ready to pick up slack in the backfield if things go south with Harris' health. Harris miss practice last Wednesday with the same hip injury, then returned to full participation the next day and took 24 carries for 86 yards and a TD in the 24-16 win over Carolina. Warren, meanwhile, added 12 touches for 49 yards and a touchdown while playing 34 percent of the snaps on offense.
