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While Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan said that the team thinks "very highly" of running back Najee Harris, he was also non-committal on whether the team will pick up his fifth-year option. Harris' future is thus uncertain despite the fact that he's recorded three straight 1,000-yard seasons while making team history. Harris' fifth-year option, which was set at $6.79 million, must be decided on by May 2. If they pick it up, it would become fully guaranteed for the 2025 season. It would be a surprise if Pittsburgh didn't pick it up, considering they have invested heavily in a ground-and-pound offensive rushing attack and just hired Arthur Smith as their new offensive coordinator. The 25-year-old would figure to have a solid fantasy floor if he sticks with the Steelers, although Jaylen Warren will continue to be a thorn in his upside.
Feb 29, 2024 6:09 PM EST
With the Pittsburgh Steelers hiring former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as their new offensive coordinator on Tuesday, it signals that they are committed to being a run-first team, which is good news for the fantasy stock of both running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Smith underwhelmed in three years in Atlanta, but his body of work in the NFL shows he's well-positioned to utilize a roster that has a potentially dominant RB tandem, especially if paired with an above-average offensive line and serviceable quarterback. Smith's offenses in Atlanta and Tennessee consistently had some of the NFL's best rushing attacks. "I think we have two high-performing running backs in Najee and Jaylen and they, along with an improving offensive line, can be the foundation of success going forward," owner Art Rooney II said.
Jan 31, 2024 12:30 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris handled 12 carries for 37 yards and hauled in two of his three targets for 15 yards in a playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. Harris, who ended the regular season averaging 104 rushing yards over his last three games, was largely shut down by Buffalo's defensive front on Monday. His longest run of the contest went for 10 yards as Pittsburgh was forced to lean on Mason Rudolph and the passing game. Nonetheless, Harris' third professional campaign was his most efficient on the ground. Pittsburgh will need to decide this offseason whether or not to pick up Harris' fifth-year option ahead of the 2024-2025 campaign.
Jan 15, 2024 11:36 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris closed out the regular season on a high note and will look to carry some positive momentum into a wild-card showdown with the Buffalo Bills. The 25-year-old missed practice earlier this week with a knee injury but has since logged multiple full sessions and does not carry a game status heading into the weekend. Although the Bills have been a middle-of-the-pack run defense this season, Harris could be in line for a big day. With weather conditions in Buffalo expected to significantly limit explosive plays for both teams, Pittsburgh will likely lean on its running game with Harris and backfield mate Jaylen Warren. The third-year pro is the preferred fantasy option in this contest and should be viewed as a volume-based RB1.
Jan 12, 2024 11:47 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (knee) was upgraded to a full practice participant on Thursday after not practicing with the team on Wednesday. The Steelers have been holding Harris out early in the week while he manages a knee injury, but the 25-year-old will be active for Sunday's big playoff tilt in Buffalo against the Bills. Bad weather is expected in Buffalo this weekend, which shouldn't come as a big surprise, meaning the Steelers could lean even more heavily on the ground game with Harris and Jaylen Warren. The Bills defense was a middle-of-the-pack matchup for running backs mostly all year, but they've been much tougher in the last five weeks, yielding the fourth-fewest half-PPR fantasy points per game to the position. Regardless, Harris could be a solid DFS value play at his $5,400 price tag in snowy conditions with a heavy workload.
Jan 11, 2024 8:41 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (knee) was listed as a non-participant in practice on Wednesday. Harris has been rested early in the week since Week 14 due to a knee injury, but he hasn't missed any time and has looked the best he has all year heading into the postseason. In the last three games, Harris has 72 rushing attempts for 312 yards (4.33 yards per carry) and four touchdowns, adding five catches for an additional 21 yards. He'll be facing a Buffalo Bills defense on the road that has allowed the fourth-fewest half-PPR points to opposing RBs in the last five weeks, though, and backfield mate Jaylen Warren will continue to take valuable touches away from Harris. It's why he's listed at only $5,400 at DraftKings, which ranks 14th at his position.
Jan 10, 2024 4:41 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris handled 26 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown in the team's Week 18 win over the Baltimore Ravens. He also secured all five of his targets for 21 receiving yards. Harris was dominant on Saturday, frequently running with power and appearing increasingly difficult to bring down as the contest continued. His six-yard score in the first quarter marked his fourth trip to the end zone over the past three weeks and his five receptions were his most since Week 8. Given the weather conditions in Baltimore, the Steelers leaned heavily on the run, and the former first-round pick delivered. Harris will hope to make an impact in the AFC playoffs, but Pittsburgh's postseason fate is yet to be determined.
Jan 6, 2024 9:54 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (knee) practiced in full on Thursday and is off the injury report ahead of a Week 18 divisional clash with the Baltimore Ravens. Harris has excelled over the past two weeks, finding the end zone three times and averaging exactly 100 rushing yards per contest. Although Baltimore's defense has been solid against the run this season, the Ravens are expected to rest many of their starters after clinching the top seed in the AFC last week. The Steelers, on the other hand, will be fighting for their playoff lives on Saturday, so Harris should remain plenty involved. Fantasy managers can consider the third-year pro a solid RB3 or flex option in starting lineups.
Jan 5, 2024 9:05 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (knee) was downgraded to a non-participant in practice on Wednesday a day after he was listed as limited in a walkthrough. Harris followed a similar routine for practice last week but ended up playing in the Week 17 win over the Seattle Seahawks, rushing for 122 yards and two touchdowns. As long as Harris returns to practice on Thursday, he should be good to play in Saturday's must-win divisional clash against the Baltimore Ravens. The 25-year-old is still losing valuable touches to backfield mate Jaylen Warren, but Harris has looked better of late and will at least be an upside RB3/flex play for fantasy managers against a Ravens defense that could be resting several key starters in a meaningless game for them as they rest up for the playoffs.
Jan 3, 2024 6:02 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (knee) was listed as limited for the team's estimated walkthrough practice on Tuesday. Harris has been managing a knee issue for the last five weeks but he hasn't missed any time and will be ready to go for Saturday's must-win game against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens. The matchup isn't a great one for Harris, but Baltimore could be resting a lot of their best players in this one. The 25-year-old RB continues to lose valuable touches to fellow backfield mate Jaylen Warren, but it hasn't stopped him from being very productive in the last two weeks for fantasy managers, carrying the ball 46 times for 200 yards and three touchdowns in wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks. Harris will have RB2 upside in the Week 18 regular season finale.
Jan 2, 2024 7:25 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris handled 27 carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 17 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Fantasy managers who chose to trust Harris and the Steelers' offense after a solid Week 16 showing were greatly rewarded with the third-year pro's best performance of the campaign. Harris was not utilized at all in the passing game yet again, but it ultimately did not matter on Sunday as Seattle's defense had no answers for him or Jaylen Warren on the ground. Although Harris is showing signs of life in an offense that has been heating up, he will face a much more difficult test in Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Dec 31, 2023 7:30 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (knee) practiced in full on Friday and was removed from the team's injury report ahead of a road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. The Steelers' offense played well with Mason Rudolph under center last week and Harris contributed to the victory with 78 rushing yards and a touchdown. He'll now face a vulnerable Seattle defense that has surrendered the seventh-most fantasy points to running backs this season. Although Harris has not been involved as a pass-catcher in recent weeks, he is seeing plenty of work on the ground and could get opportunities near the goal line with Rudolph drawing another start. Fantasy managers should feel confident deploying Harris as a flex option this week.
Dec 29, 2023 6:45 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (knee) was able to suit up for Thursday's practice session. This is good news after Harris was unable to practice on Wednesday due to a lingering knee issue. Harris was limited on Thursday, but that is likely just the Steelers limiting his reps to keep him healthy. Harris should be fine to play against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17, barring any setbacks. Fantasy managers should consider Harris as a possible low-ed flex play for this game.
Dec 28, 2023 9:47 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (knee) did not practice on Wednesday ahead of his team's Week 17 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Harris has been managing a knee issue for some time now, but it didn't prevent him from playing in Week 16. It is likely that the Steelers are just managing his practice reps to keep him fresh for Week 17's matchup against Seattle. If Harris ends up not playing, it would be Jaylen Warren leading the Pittsburgh backfield in Week 17.
Dec 27, 2023 9:57 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris handled 19 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown in a Week 16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Although Harris was not targeted in the passing game for a second consecutive week, he was efficient on the ground and turned in a worthwhile fantasy showing. Pittsburgh's offense showed signs of life with Mason Rudolph under center, scoring over 30 points for the first time this season. While a starting quarterback for Week 17 has not yet been named, an extremely favorable matchup against the Seattle Seahawks awaits Harris. Fantasy managers should continue to view the 25-year-old as a low-end RB2 or flex option.
Dec 23, 2023 8:49 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (knee) is coming off his worst performance of the campaign but will hope to bounce back against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16. Harris, who missed practice earlier in the week, logged full sessions on Wednesday and Thursday and does not carry an injury designation heading into the weekend. Although Harris has struggled in recent showings, he tallied 99 yards and found the end zone against this same Bengals defense in Week 12, and Vikings running back Ty Chandler exploded for 157 yards in Cincinnati last week. Pittsburgh's offense doesn't inspire much confidence, especially with Mason Rudolph making his first start since 2021, but fantasy managers can still consider Harris as a flex option on Saturday.
Dec 22, 2023 6:32 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (knee) was back to a full practice on Wednesday after being listed as a non-participant on Tuesday's report. Harris also missed the first practice of the week before returning and playing in Saturday's loss to the Indianapolis Colts. It would be a surprise if the 25-year-old was unable to play this Saturday versus the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals. It's a great matchup and one that Harris took advantage of the first time around in Week 12, when he had a season-high 99 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. However, with Jaylen Warren practically splitting the backfield workload in half with Harris these days, he's morphed into more of a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex in fantasy lineups with limited volume. Still, Harris should have slightly more upside in Week 16.
Dec 20, 2023 5:18 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (knee) was listed as a non-participant in the team's first practice of the week on Tuesday. It's most likely that the Steelers are just giving Harris a maintenance day on Tuesday after he played through his knee injury the last two weeks. As long as he returns to the practice field on Wednesday, fantasy managers should feel pretty comfortable that he'll be active on Saturday to face the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals. The 25-year-old should be active this weekend and has an excellent matchup against a soft Bengals run D, but he's become a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex in fantasy with Jaylen Warren continuing to steal valuable touches out of Pittsburgh's backfield. The Steelers also have one of the lowest-scoring offenses in the league, so the volume just isn't there for Harris.
Dec 19, 2023 6:26 PM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris gained just 33 yards on 12 carries in a Week 15 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He also lost a fumble and was completely uninvolved in the passing game as he failed to earn a target. Although Saturday's showing was his worst of the season, Harris has now been held to fewer than 10 fantasy points in three consecutive games. He'll get another favorable matchup in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Still, with Pittsburgh's offense playing as poorly as it has been, fantasy managers would be wise to leave the 25-year-old out of starting lineups.
Dec 17, 2023 12:34 AM EST
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris has been quiet over the past two weeks but will look to bounce back against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15. Harris missed practice earlier this week with a knee injury but was eventually removed from the injury report and will be a full-go on Saturday. The Colts' defense has been porous against the run this season, surrendering the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing backs. Since moving on from former offensive coordinator Matt Canada, the Steelers have leaned on Harris a bit more than backfield mate Jaylen Warren, especially on the ground. Because he has a guaranteed workload, fantasy managers can plug Harris in as a low-end RB2 in this soft matchup.
Dec 15, 2023 8:25 PM EST
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