There isn’t much to smile about if you’re a Pittsburgh Steelers fan these days. Three straight losses, a revolving door at quarterback, and an uncertain future with their head coach. However, a running game facing a division rival that struggles on defense should pick up some spirits. We’ll tell you if it’s worth starting Najee Harris or Jaylen Warren this weekend in your fantasy football lineups.
Should You Start Najee Harris in Fantasy This Week?
For Harris, who has struggled for most of the season, Week 16 represents an opportunity to revisit probably his best outing of the season. Playing in their first game since letting go of Matt Canada as the offensive coordinator, the Steelers got a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12, and Harris played a big role in the outcome.
Harris finished with season-highs in rushing yards (99) and yards per carry (6.6) and scored one of his four touchdowns on the season in this game.
The problem is, in the three games since that Bengals’ win, Harris has produced very little for the Steelers or fantasy football managers. In the last three games, Harris has produced just 125 rushing yards total — 41.6 rush yards per game — and 3.1 yards per carry, all in Steelers losses.
When these two teams met in Pittsburgh last season, Harris finished with 90 yards rushing and two touchdowns. So, that’s 189 rushing yards and three touchdowns combined over his last two games vs. Cincinnati.
Harris, who did not practice on Tuesday, was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, so expecting him to be in the lineup for Week 16 is a fairly safe assumption.
Should You Start Jaylen Warren in Fantasy This Week?
Warren has proven that even when he doesn’t get a lot of carries — he has had 10+ carries in a game just four times all season — he still can be a productive player for fantasy football managers.
Last week, Warren finished with 40 rushing yards on just 10 carries. However, he also added 28 receiving yards on five receptions. It was his second straight game with at least 25 receiving yards, and despite his backup status for most of the season, Warren is approaching 1,000 scrimmage yards on the season (952).
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Even if Harris does play this weekend as expected, Warren is worth considering.
His biggest flaw is his inability to get in the end zone more — a characteristic that could be applied to most Steelers offensive players. Warren had just three touchdowns on the season and none since Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns.
Using the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, our Consensus Rankings say that Harris is the player to start. His projected 9.4 points include 38 rushing yards and two receptions for 11 receiving yards. His projected stat line outperforms that of Warren (8.9 points).
Warren is projected to finish with 30 rushing yards, three receptions, and 23 receiving yards.
My ranking for these running backs aligns with the consensus. Harris’ performance in the first meeting with the Bengals is worth following up on for Week 16.
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