Fantasy Football: What To Do with Steelers RBs Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren?

The Pittsburgh Steelers backfield was supposed to belong to Najee Harris. However, through the first five games, it has been anything but that. Harris has struggled to maintain his foothold on the starting running back position, and even when he has, the productivity has not been there. Enter Jaylen Warren, an undrafted free agent who has apparently beat out Harris for the Steelers third-down running back duties.

Now, for fantasy owners who took Harris in the first or early second round, a bell-cow running back has slipped back to only 65 percent of the snap share compared to over 80 percent a year ago. Not only that, but Harris is just not producing, and has not for most of the year. In the past two games, Harris has scored 7.40 and 6.60 fantasy points respectively. For someone who was thought to be a top running back, those are not even startable figures.

Harris only averages about two redzone carries a game. That is not to say he does get the majority of those opportunities, but moreover that the Steelers’ offense does not produce many of those opportunities. Harris ranks last in the NFL in rushing yards over expectation with a pitiful -72 mark.

Then, there is the entire question of an injury. Harris dealt with a foot injury throughout the summer and reportedly tweaked it against the Cincinnati Bengals. His lateral agility which is his patented elite move is no longer there. It leaves Harris as an inefficient back behind a bad run-blocking offensive line. His patient style of rushing is simply not working at this stage.

Here are the cold hard facts about Harris. His opportunity share is down, though the volume is still there to be productive. He has a previous foot injury this year that could still be plaguing his game. And moreover, his productivity with the touches he gets is simply not there. It has caused Harris to only average 10.3 fantasy points per game, 35th in the NFL among running backs.

The volume points are not there anymore like last year because Harris is just not productive enough to warrant touches from the offense. Now that Warren will reportedly play more, Harris needs to be flagged as a tough start and a flex option at best in the coming weeks.

As for Warren, he still will be unlikely to play much more than 50 percent of the snaps on a given week for the Steelers. But he is an efficient back, averaging nearly five yards per carry. In limited opportunities, Warren has racked up seven receptions, too. But the redzone workload is still not there for Warren only has four total touches in the redzone through five games.

What is the bottom line with this backfield? Harris might be playing injured and is grossly counterproductive. Warren looks legitimate at this point, but he is unlikely to ever have the true opportunity to grab the backfield solely for himself unless Harris misses time.

Couple that with a stagnant passing game and a bad run-blocking offensive line, and the Steelers backfield is not a very fantasy-viable backfield as it stands. It would be best to avoid Harris in starting lineups moving forward and try to trade him if possible. As for Warren, in deep leagues, he is worth a waiver wire pickup at the very least. If Harris ever misses time for the Steelers, Warren becomes a viable play right away.