The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of two teams (Detroit Lions) that have two players with at least 800 scrimmage yards — RBs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris, but which player should you start this week? We’ll give you the fantasy football outlook for each player heading into an important matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.
Should You Start Jaylen Warren or Najee Harris This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, our Consensus Rankings say that Warren is the player to start. His projected 10.2 points include 34 rushing yards and four receptions for 27 receiving yards. That projected stat line narrowly outperforms the consensus projection of Harris’ 9.8 points.
My rankings for these Pittsburgh running backs align with the consensus. Although he continues to split time with Harris, Warren’s potential for making a big play exceeds the former this season.
Fantasy Outlook for Warren This Week
Warren did not exactly play like a Pro Bowler last week, finishing with just 11 yards on seven carries. Still, he caught four passes for 29 yards out of the backfield, to keep things safe for backup QB Mitch Trubisky.
Warren has 539 scrimmage yards since Week 9, which ranks third among running backs, behind only San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey and Tampa Bay’s Rachaad White.
Before last week’s debacle of a game, Warren was averaging 7.5 yards per carry and 95.0 scrimmage yards per game. So, it isn’t as if Warren hasn’t been productive when he’s been on the field.
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On top of that, the Steelers will be facing the Indianapolis Colts, one of the league’s worst rush defenses. The Colts are ranked 26th in rush defense, allowing 131.5 YPG on the ground, but since Week 7, they are allowing the third-most rush yards in the league at 147.0 YPG.
I feel as if Warren’s performance last week was not a trend but a minor bump in the road. That, along with Harris’ uncertain health status, makes Warren the right pick to start this week.
Fantasy Outlook for Harris This Week
Whether it was a knee injury that bothered him all last week leading up to last Sunday or the New England Patriots’ defense, Harris finished up with just 29 rushing yards on 12 carries despite playing in a season-high 40 offensive snaps.
With the Steelers on a short week, it’s fair to question the health of Harris. He was a non-participant in Tuesday’s practice this week, but he was a full participant on Wednesday and should be good to go on Saturday.
Things had been looking up for Harris after his season-high 99-yard rushing effort in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals, but over his last two games, Harris has only rushed for 92 total yards.
If he is healthy, he should get at least a dozen carries — something he has had in six straight games, but it’s still uncertain what to expect out of those carries.
The PFN Start/Sit Optimizer projects Harris to finish with 40 yards and two receptions for 12 yards.
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