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RB Najee Harris, PIT (2 Viewers)

Prepare for liftoff?

(Asks a hopeful Najee owner)

FWIW...
Mike DeFabo
@MikeDeFabo
·
1h
Najee Harris said he was playing with a steel plate in his shoe because of the training camp foot injury. Just took it out a few days ago.
Mike DeFabo
@MikeDeFabo
·
54m
More from Najee: "It kind of prohibits me from doing certain things. But I just took it out yesterday, two days ago. It’s gotten a lot better, obviously... I'm not going to blame all of it on that. Still accountability is one thing that I like to take seriously."
Mike DeFabo
@MikeDeFabo
·
55m
Asked if he is 100% now, Najee said he is.
 
He probably had the steel plate in his shoe to protect him from his own linemen stepping on him, as they're being pushed into the backfield on every run play..
 

Najee Harris rushed 14 times for 42 yards in the Steelers' Week 6 win over the Bucs, adding two receptions for seven additional yards and a touchdown.


Harris ceded a critical, red zone fourth down carry to Jaylen Warren on the Steelers' opening possession but ended up being the one to score the touchdown moments later. He ended up out-touching his rookie teammate 16-2. The Steelers have talked about getting Warren more involved as they haven't given a struggling Harris the same monstrous workloads he saw in 2022, but coach Mike Tomlin doesn't seem to have the stomach to really commit to that for the time being. Harris will remain an Ezekiel Elliott-style low-end, touch-based RB2 for Week 7 against the Dolphins.

- NBCSportsEDGE
 

Najee Harris rushed 17 times for 65 yards in the Steelers' Week 7 loss to the Dolphins, adding three receptions for 15 additional yards.​

Najee never seemed to get going against the Dolphins, averaging a measly 3.8 yards per carry which included a long of 16 yards. He continues to see a borderline elite share of the available running back touches for the Steelers, but fantasy managers will need to start considering the second-year back a touchdown-dependent asset until the per-touch efficiency picks up. Consider Najee a low-end RB2 heading into a difficult matchup with the undefeated Eagles in Week 8.
Oct 24, 2022, 12:18 AM ET
 
Believe it or not he showed a few flashes last night that I haven't seen from him yet this year. Yards are not easy to come by with that line and horrific QB play.
 
Finally benching this guy today. Sitting him behind Josh Jacobs, Khalil Herbert (liking the Detroit matchup) and whatever it was that Cordarelle Patterson was doing on Thursday night (so we're already one bad performance in the hole)

3 TD day coming.
 

Najee Harris had 20 rushes for 99 yards in the Steelers' Week 10 win against the Saints.​

After a week in which Pittsburgh coaches talked up Jaylen Warren as a backfield option who could get more run following the team's Week 9 bye, Harris had his best game of 2022, showing burst on a handful of carries against a beatable New Orleans front seven. Harris lost a goal line carry to George Pickens of all people while out-touching Warren 20 to 12. Game script was perfect for a high-volume Harris outing and he was far more efficient with his touches in Week 10. He'll continue operating as a touchdown-dependent RB2 with Warren taking away snaps and, importantly, receptions. Warren was targeted three times against the Saints while Harris saw one target.
RELATED:
Nov 13, 2022, 4:10 PM ET
 

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said that Najee Harris is dealing with "knee discomfort."​

It's supposedly a non-issue, per Tomlin, but Harris is expected to be limited in practice this week as the Steelers manage the injury. Even without this, Harris was trending down while Jaylen Warren was trending up. Warren remains an interesting pick-up in leagues (#NotMyLeague) where he remains on the waiver wire.
SOURCE: Brooke Pryor on Twitter
Nov 15, 2022, 1:18 PM ET
 

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said that Najee Harris is dealing with "knee discomfort."​

It's supposedly a non-issue, per Tomlin, but Harris is expected to be limited in practice this week as the Steelers manage the injury. Even without this, Harris was trending down while Jaylen Warren was trending up. Warren remains an interesting pick-up in leagues (#NotMyLeague) where he remains on the waiver wire.
SOURCE: Brooke Pryor on Twitter
Nov 15, 2022, 1:18 PM ET
As a Jaylen Warren owner, I hope PIT does the right thing and puts Harris on season-ending IR so he can heal up properly. I'm simply concerned for his health. :whistle:
 
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NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Najee Harris is expected to get "the bulk of the carries" in Week 11 against the Bengals.​

Rapoport noted the Steelers "believe they have found something" after seeing Harris run for 99 yards in Week 10. The former first-round pick earned his season-high in rushing yards on 20 carries while facing a stingy New Orleans defense. He did not catch his lone target. Harris hasn't been a big-play threat this year and is giving up receiving work to Jaylen Warren, who looks more explosive on every touch. Unless he finds the end zone, Harris will struggle to be more than a low-end RB2 for fantasy purposes.
SOURCE: Ian Rapoport on Twitter
Nov 20, 2022, 9:38 AM ET
 

Najee Harris left for the locker room in the second quarter of his Week 12 game against the Colts.​

Harris had a noticeable limp early in the game but attempted to play through it for a bit. He ultimately left the sidelines for the locker room shortly before halftime. He was splitting reps with Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland during the first half. If his night is over, he will have slightly saved his fantasy day with a six-yard touchdown.
Nov 28, 2022, 9:35 PM ET

Najee Harris (abdomen) won't return in Week 12 against the Colts.​

Harris appeared to be laboring through the injury for a few minutes in the first half before heading to the locker room. He left the game just before the rest of his team went to the locker room for halftime. Harris was ruled out to start the third quarter. His night ends with 10 carries for 35 yards and a touchdown. He added one catch on four yards. Anthony McFarland and Benny Snell will split the Steelers' backfield for the remainder of this game. Harris's status for Pittsburgh's enticing matchup with the Falcons in Week 13 is obviously up in the air for now.
Nov 28, 2022, 10:06 PM ET
 
Where does this guy sit? He was a top 10 dynasty asset coming into the season and his rock has fallen dramatically. Guy in my league trying to move him and he can’t get much of any value for him. He’s not particularly young, he seems to be the beneficiary of volume last season and that volume isn’t there this season with his backups often looking better than him.
 
Where does this guy sit? He was a top 10 dynasty asset coming into the season and his rock has fallen dramatically. Guy in my league trying to move him and he can’t get much of any value for him. He’s not particularly young, he seems to be the beneficiary of volume last season and that volume isn’t there this season with his backups often looking better than him.
He's got 1st round draft capital working for him for at least next year, which is a meaningful thing in the Steelers world that values continuity. How that translates into fantasy value though remains to be seen - his stats last year indeed were inflated by massive volume.
 
Good buy low IMO and I mean for next season and beyond. Been playing with some injuries but has been been looking healthier and better the last few weeks, obviously until last night. No getting around the loss of dumpoffs from Big Ben hurts his value but should still be a solid bet for 20+ touches most weeks with a few receptions and majority of the goal line work. When healthy.

The offense can only likely improve next season. They don't lose anyone of note, Pickett will be in year two, the OL is starting to gel a little and play better already but good chance more improvements are coming. They'll likely also have a new OC which I view as a positive but it's still Tomlin's team and while he does not want to use Najee as much as last year he's still not a full on RBBC guy. Due to that, his draft capital, depending on if they decide to pick up his 5th year option he's a good bet IMO for a productive 2-3 more seasons at least. Who knows after that.

I know some people are labeling him as the next Trent Richardson. I think he's more likely to be similar to being the next Josh Jacobs.
 
Good buy low IMO and I mean for next season and beyond. Been playing with some injuries but has been been looking healthier and better the last few weeks, obviously until last night. No getting around the loss of dumpoffs from Big Ben hurts his value but should still be a solid bet for 20+ touches most weeks with a few receptions and majority of the goal line work. When healthy.

The offense can only likely improve next season. They don't lose anyone of note, Pickett will be in year two, the OL is starting to gel a little and play better already but good chance more improvements are coming. They'll likely also have a new OC which I view as a positive but it's still Tomlin's team and while he does not want to use Najee as much as last year he's still not a full on RBBC guy. Due to that, his draft capital, depending on if they decide to pick up his 5th year option he's a good bet IMO for a productive 2-3 more seasons at least. Who knows after that.

I know some people are labeling him as the next Trent Richardson. I think he's more likely to be similar to being the next Josh Jacobs.
The problem for Harris is his best fantasy attribute has been his volume of touches. He's not really great at anything, and those are the types of players that struggle to keep getting a full slate of touches. Harris has seen his carries dip from 18.1 to 14.4 per game this season and his receptions fall from 4.4 to 2.6. On top of that, his ypc has slipped from 3.9 to 3.7 and his ypr has slid from 6.3 to 4.9. Of RBs that have had 200+ carries combined between 2021 and 2022, Harris ranks 35th (out of 39) with a 3.84 ypc. Warren has been more productive (in a lot fewer attempts) at 5.0 ypc. On top of that, Harris averaged 98 YFS/gm last year (8th among RB) but 66 YFS/gm this season (30th among RB). That should not be instilling a lot of confidence in Harris owners (of which I am one). He's probably been playing through nagging injuries, but he doesn't strike me as the most dynamic and productive of backs when healthy. I can see the Steelers recognizing that and splitting the workload and / or bringing in another back. Bottom line, I am not expecting PIT to funnel 22.5 touches consistently moving forward.
 
The problem for Harris is his best fantasy attribute has been his volume of touches
I think that's true for most RB's, not all but most. And he'll get a lot of volume, just not the passing down volume he got last year.

As for the other stuff you brought up about his dip in production I think that's a large by product of his health. Again I have no concerns about his workload when he's healthy. Truly a zero on the worry meter, they are fully committed to him.
 
The problem for Harris is his best fantasy attribute has been his volume of touches
I think that's true for most RB's, not all but most. And he'll get a lot of volume, just not the passing down volume he got last year.

As for the other stuff you brought up about his dip in production I think that's a large by product of his health. Again I have no concerns about his workload when he's healthy. Truly a zero on the worry meter, they are fully committed to him.
We'll see how things go next year, but I would suggest that the Steelers are more concerned than you are. Of backs with 50+ carries this year, Harris ranks 48th out of 52 in ypc. Last year, he was 53rd (of 77) for guys with 50+ carries. Having a first-round pedigree only goes so far. RBs are generally cheap and easy to find. Most teams won't keep feeding the ball to a guy ranked in the bottom 10% of the league in ypc before they start exploring other options. If Harris misses some time and Warren looks like Tony Pollard, expect Harris to see a reduced workload down the stretch. They may reset to start the season next year with Harris as a projected bell cow, but we are a long way from then.
 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Najee Harris did not suffer a serious abdomen injury in Week 12, but his Week 13 status is "up in the air."​

Harris' injury is not considered "major," per Rapoport. Harris left Monday night's game in the first half after appearing to be in discomfort and working in a rotation with Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland. If Harris can log limited practices late in the week, he should be a go for Week 13 against a beatable Falcons rush defense. Snell would figure to lead the Steelers backfield if Harris is sidelined, assuming Jaylen Warren remains out with a hamstring injury. If he can return, Warren would be the favorite for RB1 duties against Atlanta. Rotoworld's Denny Carter broke down the Steelers backfield in his Week 13 waiver wire column.
RELATED:
SOURCE: Ian Rapoport on Twitter
Nov 30, 2022, 11:10 AM ET
 

NAJEE HARRIS
RB, PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Najee%20Harris.jpg

Najee Harris said he is "good" and will play in Week 13's game against Atlanta.​

Harris was surprisingly removed from Pittsburgh's final injury report. Harris didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday but off a limited practice will try to gut this one out against the lowly Falcons defense. With Jaylen Warren back, both backs will probably be in the FLEX range on Sunday.
 

Najee Harris rushed 17 times for 86 yards in the Steelers' Week 13 win over Atlanta.​

Harris missed practice time with an oblique injury this week, but it didn't affect his role, with Harris seeing 18 touches and averaging over 5.0 yards per carry. The Steelers ran clock behind Harris in the second half, allowing them to outlast Atlanta. Harris has been getting larger workloads with at least 18 touches in three of the last four weeks. He'll match up with the Ravens in Week 14.
Dec 4, 2022, 4:26 PM ET
 
How are we feeling this week?

The Steelers handed in their first injury report of the week on Wednesday and it showed that running back Najee Harris wasn’t on the field.

Harris has been dealing with an oblique injury that he suffered in Week 12, but he played in last Sunday’s win over the Falcons and ran 17 times for 86 yards. Head coach Mike Tomlin said that Harris and other players who carried injuries into the Falcons game would likely work on a limited basis this week.
 
How are we feeling this week?

The Steelers handed in their first injury report of the week on Wednesday and it showed that running back Najee Harris wasn’t on the field.

Harris has been dealing with an oblique injury that he suffered in Week 12, but he played in last Sunday’s win over the Falcons and ran 17 times for 86 yards. Head coach Mike Tomlin said that Harris and other players who carried injuries into the Falcons game would likely work on a limited basis this week.

Not starting. With confidence.
 

Najee Harris (oblique) is not on Pittsburgh's final Week 14 injury report against the Ravens.​

He also told reporters that he'd play. Harris has been managed the last few weeks while dealing with an injury suffered against the Colts in Week 12. He'll remain a low-end RB2 against the Ravens this week while playing through this. As long as he escapes Week 14 unscathed, there's probably little to worry about from this oblique listing going forward.
Dec 9, 2022, 1:31 PM ET
 
How are we feeling this week?

The Steelers handed in their first injury report of the week on Wednesday and it showed that running back Najee Harris wasn’t on the field.

Harris has been dealing with an oblique injury that he suffered in Week 12, but he played in last Sunday’s win over the Falcons and ran 17 times for 86 yards. Head coach Mike Tomlin said that Harris and other players who carried injuries into the Falcons game would likely work on a limited basis this week.
A rb who doesn’t catch passes going against the Ravens run D. It doesn’t look good. He is in my lineup for now. If I get good news injury wise I may start Homer (Seattle) over him.
 

Najee Harris (hip) practiced in full on Thursday.​

He continues to tank through these minor injuries. Harris has been listed with injuries ever since the Colts MNF game and has continued to reliably be off the injury report at the end of the week. He's a low-end RB2 against the Panthers this week.
Dec 15, 2022, 2:44 PM ET
 

Najee Harris had 24 rushes for 86 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' Week 15 win against the Panthers.​

Najee did Najee things: Turn a massive workload into a passable fantasy line in a game that saw the Steelers throw a mere 22 passes. Harris bullied a Carolina defender into the end zone on a first quarter touchdown run before splitting the rushing workload with Jaylen Warren in the second half. Warren had 11 rushes for 38 yards and a touchdown against Carolina. Harris remains game script sensitive; he didn't catch a pass in Week 15 and has just seven targets over his past four outings. He'll be a mid-range RB2 option in Week 16 against a poor Vegas defense.
RELATED:
Dec 18, 2022, 3:57 PM ET
 

Najee Harris (hip) did not practice on Wednesday.​

Harris was listed as limited on the team's estimated practice report on Tuesday but sat on Wednesday's practice. Head coach Mike Tomlin downplayed the severity of the injuries of the various players absent from Wednesday's practice, leading us to believe Harris' Week 16 status isn't in danger. There could be some cause for concern if Harris is unable to log a limited session on Thursday. We'll check back in with an update then.
Dec 21, 2022, 5:52 PM ET
 
Najee was drafted in 2021 so he's not due for a year.
Steelers haven't extended a first-round pick since TJ Watt so...
Not sure they pick up his 5th year option next year.

Steelers Depot
@Steelersdepot
With No Fifth-Year Option Decision Due This Offseason, Steelers’ RB Najee Harris Is Next Up In 2024
 
Najee was drafted in 2021 so he's not due for a year.
Steelers haven't extended a first-round pick since TJ Watt so...
Not sure they pick up his 5th year option next year.

Steelers Depot
@Steelersdepot
With No Fifth-Year Option Decision Due This Offseason, Steelers’ RB Najee Harris Is Next Up In 2024
Thete is no way they should pay him half a 5th round option salary.
 
Circumstances are looking up for Harris. No plate in his foot. Line started performing well after shifting from zone to power rushing. FINALLY got some more athleticism on the line this offseason. I like his chances.
 

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