It appears the Pittsburgh Steelers have suddenly found a running game, averaging nearly 185.5 rushing yards per game in their last two contests. Both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren have been solid of late, but which one is the right pick to start in your fantasy football lineup? Let’s take a look at each player heading into a key AFC North showdown with the Cleveland Browns.
Should You Start Najee Harris or Jaylen Warren This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, our Consensus Rankings say that Warren is the player to start. His projected 10.4 points include 35 rushing yards, four catches, and 27 receiving yards. That projected stat line narrowly outperforms the consensus projections of Harris (10.1 points).
My ranking for these two running backs aligns with the consensus. Along with his rushing, Warren is also a solid option to catch a pass out of the backfield.
Fantasy Outlook for Warren This Week
Over the last three weeks, Warren has seen his rushing yards increase from 19 to 88 to 101 — a career-high — in last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers. He is averaging over seven yards a carry (7.3) over his last two games.
Warren has also proven to be a big-play runner of late, with nine runs of at least 10 yards over the last two weeks. No other player in the NFL has more than six over that span.
And perhaps the Steelers are discovering the benefit of giving Warren more carries. He’s had 10 or more rush attempts in each of the last two games, and since joining Pittsburgh in 2022, the Steelers are 4-0 in games when Warren has 10 or more carries.
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Warren has hardly been the lone reason for the Steelers’ recent success on the ground. Both he and Harris have been excellent recently, each playing their best ball of the season.
But I feel as if Warren has been just a little bit better, making him the better choice of the two to start in a fantasy lineup.
Fantasy Outlook for Harris This Week
A case could certainly be made for starting Harris over Warren this week. Just like Warren, Harris has seen his rushing yards increase over the last three weeks, from a season-low 13 to 69 to a season-high 82 last week.
Harris also has three rushing touchdowns over his last four games after not scoring once in his first five games. And with 16 carries in each of the last two weeks, this marks the first time all season Harris has had back-to-back games with at least 15 rush attempts.
And although he was held in check by the Browns in their first meeting this season — 43 yards on 10 carries — over his first four meetings with Cleveland, Harris had a rushing touchdown in each game.
The Optimizer projects Harris to finish with 41 rush yards, two receptions, and 12 receiving yards.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!