Harris rushed the ball 17 times for 69 yards in Sunday's 13-6 win over the Broncos. He added one reception on two targets for five yards.
Harris dominated the workload out of the backfield in Week 1 and largely replicated that Sunday as he saw 18 total touches to Jaylen Warren's 11. The story for Harris was familiar in that he was effective in keeping the Steelers' offense on schedule but didn't turn in a strong fantasy performance. Notably, his longest gain of the day went for just 11 yards, and he now has a total of 139 rushing yards on 37 attempts through two games. Harris has also seen minimal involvement as a receiver with only three total targets.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: RBs to Start
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Harris dominated touches in Week 1 at Atlanta with 20 carries for 70 yards, and he caught one pass for 9 yards on two targets. We'll see if Jaylen Warren gets more work in Week 2 at Denver as he continues to recover from the hamstring injury that he suffered in training camp, but Harris should be considered a No. 2 running back in all leagues. The Broncos just allowed Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet to combine for 28 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown and four catches for 35 yards and a touchdown on six targets in Week 1, and hopefully Harris can find the end zone for the first time this week.
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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.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Four touches in preseason game
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Harris rushed three times for nine yards and caught his only target for 16 yards in Friday's 20-12 preseason loss to the Texans.
Harris and Jaylen Warren (three carries for 11 yards) both mixed in with the first-team offense, which played the entire first quarter and featured Justin Fields under center due to fellow offseason acquisition Russell Wilson sitting out. Harris and Warren will likely split playing time once again this season, though it was encouraging that Harris got the lone catch between the two Friday after Warren finished with 61 receptions compared to 29 for Harris during the 2023 regular season. Pittsburgh's next preseason game will be Saturday, Aug. 17 against the Bills.
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.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Back to full participation
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Harris (knee) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice.
Harris' absence from practice Tuesday was just precautionary, as he returned without limitations one day later. He'll once again be the favorite to lead the Pittsburgh backfield in carries Saturday against the Bengals as he usually does, though Harris still cedes a good amount of work to No. 2 option Jaylen Warren, who has logged no fewer than seven carries in any of the past seven games and appears to be Pittsburgh's preferred receiving back. Harris produced a season-high 99 rushing yards on 15 carries when these AFC North rivals faced off in Week 12, but he has just 125 rushing yards on 40 attempts over the subsequent three contests.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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Harris has been living on about 15 touches per game. That part's not bad -- the larger issue is that Harris has only topped 15 PPR points when he's scored a touchdown. He's only done that four times this season, and all four have come from 10 yards or closer. The matchup isn't that big of a deterrent -- Indy has allowed three rushing touchdowns to running backs in each of its past two games and 14 total on the season. Defensive tackle Grover Stewart's big return last week didn't help much. What matters is that the Steelers offense has been ugly all year long and doesn't seem likely to change this week with Mitchell Trubisky under center. In Week 14, Pittsburgh ran three plays from 10 yards or closer; on the season they've had 34 (tied for third-fewest). It's never easy to trust a running back who has to score in order to be solid for Fantasy teams, especially those who lose third-down work pretty routinely. I'd feel better starting Jerome Ford, Chuba Hubbard, Javonte Williams and Kenneth Walker.
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Steelers' Najee Harris: Accrues 48 total yards
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Harris rushed 12 times for 29 yards and secured all three targets for 19 yards in the Steelers' 21-18 loss to the Patriots on Thursday night.
Harris was unsurprisingly stymied on the ground by an elite Patriots run defense, and he wasn't able to do much to complement his production with his work through the air. The third-year back did outpace backfield mate Jaylen Warren by five carries, although the latter drew two more targets. It was a forgettable night for both backs, so Harris' role should remain robust in a more palatable Week 15 road matchup against the Colts on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 16.
