The Steelers have high expectations for Najee Harris and expect him to be a three-down back early.
Fantasy Impact: Harris being viewed as a three-down back shouldn’t come as a surprise for fantasy managers, not with the depth chart at running back in Pittsburgh. The former Crimson Tide RB was drafted to be “the” guy and fantasy managers should trust a lot of volume is going to follow. When we look at Le’Veon Bell’s rookie season he averaged over 22 touches per game and Mike Tomlin has a history of using one primary running back. There are concerns regarding the offensive line in Pittsburgh, but we’ve seen plenty of running backs overcome bad offensive lines with sheer volume. James Robinson and David Montgomery did it just last season. Fantasy managers can count on Harris doing the same. A 300-touch season looks like a very real possibility. Since 2012, there have been 58 running backs who have had 300 touches in a season. 35 of them finished as a top-5 running back or higher and only nine failed to finish in the top-10. The lowest finish by any running back with 300 touches since 2012 was RB17. His expected volume gives fantasy managers a very safe weekly floor with top-10 upside. While the offensive line may be a concern, the Steelers’ offense scored the 12th most points last year. Harris should have plenty of scoring opportunities this season. Fantasy managers shouldn’t be afraid to draft Harris as their RB1 this season and if able to draft Harris as their RB2, they should be absolutely thrilled.
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