Najee Harris Fantasy Football Value Drops After Week 1 Struggles

As an early pick in the NFL and most fantasy football drafts across the board, Najee Harris carries the hopes of many football fans on his shoulders. 

Though Najee Harris did not blow anybody out of the water during NFL Week 1, he showed signs of being a competent running back who the Pittsburgh Steelers will likely look to give the ball to 20+ times every week. In fact, he played every single offensive snap for his team in the Steelers vs Bills matchup.

Harris posted 5.9 fantasy football points in PPR scoring via 45 yards across 16 attempts on the ground and just one single reception for four yards.

Najee Harris Fantasy Football Value Drops

It is no secret that there are plenty of mouths to feed on this Steelers offense. A newly-rejuvenated Ben Roethlisberger certainly means good things for their talented trio of WRs, but what should you expect from Najee Harris on a week-to-week basis for fantasy football?

As previously mentioned, the workload is going to be there for Harris as the featured back. His potential fantasy struggles will not come from lack of touches, but instead from lack of touchdowns. 

It took until the fourth quarter for the Steelers to capitalize on one of their red zone drives, with the TD coming off a five-yard pass to Diontae Johnson. Given the fact the Steelers have three incredible options on the outside, it is not a guarantee Harris will get as many red zone/goal line looks as some other RBs. The lack of offensive line talent also leads to the Steelers passing more often than Harris owners would like.

Instead, he may often be used as a distraction, while his pass-catching teammates poach his chance at six points. Harris was the low man on the offensive totem pole on Sunday, scoring 5.9 fantasy points, opposed to the 9.2, 10 and 14.6 posted by JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool and Johnson, respectively. 

As a Najee Harris fantasy football owner, all you can do is continue to view him as a plug-and-play RB2. You’ll also need to be hoping and praying the Steelers average more than one touchdown per week moving forward. A few more receptions here and there might be nice, too.