Steelers' Najee Harris: Gets 16 touches in Week 5 loss
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Harris rushed 14 times for 42 yards and caught both of his targets for 35 yards in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Cowboys.
Harris handled 16 touches while Aaron Shampklin and Jonathan Ward combined for six touches in a Pittsburgh backfield operating without Jaylen Warren (knee) and Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle). Warren and Patterson are both more fluid pass catchers than Harris, but Harris stepped up in that regard Sunday, leading Pittsburgh's unimpressive passing attack in receiving yards. The power back plodded to just 3.0 yards per carry but picked up a key fourth-and-1 with a one-yard run in the fourth quarter, extending a drive that ended with a go-ahead Pat Freiermuth touchdown catch. Harris should continue to get the majority of touches in Pittsburgh's backfield against the Raiders in Week 6, even if Warren and Patterson are ready to return.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: RBs to Start
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Jaylen Warren (knee) and Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle) are out this week, so Harris should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues. He's been disappointing this season with no touchdowns, and he's averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. But in the past two games with injuries to Warren and Patterson, Harris has come alive as a receiver with eight catches for 70 yards on 11 targets. The Cowboys have allowed three running backs to score at least 18.9 PPR points this season, and hopefully, this can be Harris' best game of the year.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Salvages day as pass catcher
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Harris carried the ball 13 times for 19 yards in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Colts. He added three receptions on six targets for 54 yards.
Harris led the Pittsburgh backfield, though it wasn't the volume projected due to Jaylen Warren (knee) being sidelined. Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle) was more effective before exiting the game and stole six carries, while Justin Fields also used his legs more. Even with the ball in his hands, Harris was largely stymied, as his longest run went for just five yards. However, Harris did produce as a receiver, highlighted by a 32-yard catch and run early in the fourth quarter as the Steelers attempted to rally. Overall, his disappointing start to the season continued, as Harris has yet to top 100 yards from scrimmage or find the end zone through four games.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Ready for Week 4 contest
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Harris, who was rested Wednesday, returned to a full practice Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Harris was spotted wearing a sling around his right arm/elbow in the Steelers' locker room Monday, but after getting a maintenance day Wednesday and then practicing fully Thursday, the running back evidently doesn't carry any injury concerns ahead of Sunday's game against the Colts. The same can't been said for Jaylen Warren (knee), who missed his second straight session, and thus looks iffy for Week 4 at this stage. If Warren is unavailable this weekend, Cordarrelle Patterson would be in line to pick up added complementary snaps behind Harris, with Jonathan Ward and Aaron Shampklin candidates to be elevated from Pittsburgh's practice squad.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: RBs to Start
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Harris should be fine for Week 4 after having his right arm in a sling following the Week 3 win against the Chargers. "Naj will be ready to rock and roll," Mike Tomlin said, which is great news. And Harris could be headed for a big role with Jaylen Warren (knee) banged up. Against the Chargers, Harris had 18 carries for 70 yards and five catches for 16 yards on five targets for a season-high 13.6 PPR points. He has yet to score a touchdown, but the Colts have allowed two running backs (Joe Mixon in Week 1 and Josh Jacobs in Week 2) to each score at least 15.1 PPR points. If Warren is out as expected then Harris should be considered a No. 2 running back in all leagues.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: RBs to Sit
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Harris has been the lead running back for the Steelers through two games, but he's had modest stat lines to show for it. He had 20 carries for 70 yards and one catch for 9 yards on two targets in Week 1 at Atlanta and 17 carries for 69 yards and one catch for 5 yards on two targets in Week 2 at Denver. He's yet to score more than 8.9 PPR points in either game, and Jaylen Warren actually played more snaps than Harris in Week 2 (32-30). The Chargers have yet to allow a rushing touchdown, but they've struggled in the passing game against Alexander Mattison (four catches for 43 yards and a touchdown on six targets) and Chuba Hubbard (four catches for 12 yards on five targets). It's doubtful Harris gets many catches this week, and if he doesn't score then his production will be minimal. Consider him a flex option at best in most leagues.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: One drive in preseason finale
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Harris rushed the ball once for five yards in Saturday's 24-17 preseason loss to the Lions.
Harris played on the opening drive with Russell Wilson under center and received his carry on the opening play of the game. He'll likely head into Week 1 as the top choice in Pittsburgh's backfield for early down work, though the team has continuously played down the significance of Jaylen Warren's hamstring injury. If Warren is able to suit up, he would likely cost Harris significant work as a pass catcher as well as some rushing attempts.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Could dominate early-season work
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Harris rushed the ball four times for 17 yards in Saturday's 9-3 preseason loss to the Bills.
The Pittsburgh offense was stymied for nearly the entire game, though Harris did manage a tough nine-yard run late in the first quarter to pick up a first down. The far bigger development Saturday was that Jaylen Warren was forced to exit the game with a hamstring issue. It's unclear how serious the injury is, but it could leave Harris as the clear lead back early in the regular season.
The Steelers declined their 2025 option on Harris' contract, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
This comes as somewhat of a surprise after Harris has posted three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons since being selected 24th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Most impressively, Harris has never missed a game at a position that sees so many injuries. He's been a model of toughness and durability, even if the stats haven't particularly jumped off the page with a career 3.9 yards-per-carry average. Harris, however, did rush for a career-best eight touchdowns last season, averaging a three year-best 4.1 yards per carry. Harris is now tentatively schedule to hit free agency next March, though Adam Schefter of ESPN notes that the Steelers aren't ruling out reaching a deal with the 26-year-old running back before then.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Set to face Bills on Sunday
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Harris (knee) returned to a full practice Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Harris, who has been managing a knee issue of late, didn't practice Wednesday, but the running back's return to an uncapped session a day later indicates that his initial absence was maintenance related and paves the way for him to lead the Steelers backfield Sunday on the road against Buffalo in potentially inclement conditions. In that context, Harris could be busy in his team's playoff opener on the heels of carrying 26 times for 112 yards and a touchdown while adding five catches on as many targets for 21 yards in Pittsburgh's Week 18 win over the Ravens.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Sits out practice Wednesday
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Harris (knee) didn't practice Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Harris has been managing a knee issue since Week 14 and has been a regular on Steelers injury reports ever since. However, the running back didn't miss any games during the regular season, and his listed absence Wednesday is presumably a continuation of the Steelers' recent trend of managing his practice workload. In the Steelers' Week 18 win over the Ravens, Harris paced the team's backfield by carrying 26 times for 112 yards and a touchdown, while adding five catches on as many targets for 21 yards. At this stage, there's nothing to suggest that his availability for Sunday's playoff opener against the Bills is in any danger.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Sleeper RBs
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As I said last week about Harris, he'll be tough to trust, but this is a good matchup against the Seahawks in Week 17. Seattle has allowed four running backs to score at least 14.3 PPR points in four of the past five games, with five rushing touchdowns over that span. Harris had 19 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown last week against the Bengals, and he will hopefully score against Seattle in Week 17. Without a touchdown, Harris could be awful since he doesn't have a catch in his past two games. But I like his potential to score in this matchup. Jaylen Warren is also worth using as a flex in Week 17, and he has at least 10.4 PPR points in each of his past two games against Indianapolis and Cincinnati.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Ready to go for Saturday's game
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Harris (knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Saturday's game against the Ravens, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Harris has been a regular on Pittsburgh's injury reports since the beginning of December due to a knee issue, but he hasn't missed a game and will continue his streak of appearances Saturday in the team's regular-season finale. After practicing fully Thursday, Harris looks poised to enter the weekend without any restrictions. He's coming off his best rushing performance of the season in the Steelers' Week 17 win over the Seahawks this past Sunday, when he carried 27 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns. He appears to have fully ceded passing-down work to backup Jaylen Warren, however, as Harris has gone three consecutive games without a target.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: RBs to Start
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I've recommended Harris as a sleeper over the past two weeks, and he delivered in each outing against Cincinnati and Seattle with at least 13.8 PPR points in both contests. Over that span, Harris has combined for 46 carries for 200 yards and three touchdowns, although he doesn't have a target. The lack of work in the passing game is a concern (he hasn't caught a pass since Week 14), but he should run well again in Week 18 at Baltimore. The Ravens are expected to rest several starters on defense with the No. 1 seed in the AFC locked up, and Harris is worth trusting as a No. 2 running back in all leagues. Jaylen Warren is also worth using as a No. 2 running back, and he's scored at least 10.4 PPR points in three games in a row. Over that span, Warren has 14 catches on 16 targets, and it's been fun to watch the Steelers running backs work well in tandem down the stretch.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Sits out practice
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Harris (knee) didn't practice Wednesday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Harris was listed as a limited participant at Tuesday's walkthrough, but Wednesday's absence is most likely a case of load management for the running back ahead of Saturday's pivotal game against the Ravens. He's frequently sat out practice in recent weeks but has yet to miss a game this season and is coming off his best rushing performance of the campaign -- a 122-yard, two-touchdown effort in a Week 17 win over the Seahawks.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Runs through Seahawks
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Harris rushed the ball 27 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 30-23 win over the Seahawks.
Pittsburgh's offense was focused on the ground game, as the team attempted 46 rushes as opposed to only 24 passes. As a result, Harris saw a season-high 27 carries, and he also surpassed 100 yards for the first time in the campaign. Harris added to his big day by finding the end zone twice -- first on a nine-yard carry and then from four yards out -- and he now has three touchdowns across the last two games with Mason Rudolph under center. In that same two-game span, he's managed a total of 200 rushing yards, with the only downside to his performances being a total lack of involvement as a pass catcher.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Sits out practice Wednesday
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Harris (knee) didn't practice Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Harris also sat out last Wednesday's practice with a knee issue before returning to full practices Thursday and Friday. With no reported setbacks in this past Saturday's win over the Bengals -- a game in which the running back logged a season-high-tying 19 carries -- Harris' lack of participation to begin Week 17 prep could well be maintenance-related. The expectation is that Harris will be ready to go for Sunday's game in Seattle.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Success against Bengals continues
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Harris rushed 19 times for 78 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 34-11 win over the Bengals. He wasn't targeted in the passing game.
Harris powered in a three-yard touchdown in the second quarter, raising his season rushing touchdown total to five. He had a season-high 99 rushing yards and scored against the Bengals back in Week 12, so two of Harris' three highest yardage totals on the ground this season have come against the Bengals. Harris is averaging only 3.7 yards per carry against opponents other than Cincinnati, but he continues to handle the majority of rushing opportunities in Pittsburgh's backfield over Jaylen Warren (eight carries Saturday) heading into a Week 17 trip to Seattle.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Sleeper RBs
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It will take some guts to trust Harris in Week 16 given how bad he's been lately with 9.7 PPR points or less in three games in a row against Arizona, New England and Indianapolis, but this is a bounce-back spot for him and potentially Jaylen Warren. The Bengals just lost key run stuffer D.J. Reader (quad) for the season, and Harris should have the chance for another quality outing against Cincinnati. In Week 12, Harris had 15 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals, and he has either a touchdown or 100 total yards in four of his past five games against Cincinnati. Harris is worth using as a borderline No. 2 running back in all leagues. And Warren makes sense as a flex option in this matchup as well.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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It will take some guts to trust Harris in Week 16 given how bad he's been lately with 9.7 PPR points or less in three games in a row against Arizona, New England and Indianapolis, but this is a bounce-back spot for him and potentially Jaylen Warren. The Bengals just lost key run stuffer D.J. Reader (quad) for the season, and Harris should have the chance for another quality outing against Cincinnati. In Week 12, Harris had 15 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals, and he has either a touchdown or 100 total yards in four of his past five games against Cincinnati. Harris is worth using as a borderline No. 2 running back in all leagues.
