The Pittsburgh Steelers sit first place in the AFC North, and for the first time in what feels like years, their offense is putting up points.
Heading into the high-stakes matchups of the fantasy football playoffs, several Steelers are quality starters who belong in lineups every week. Among them is halfback Najee Harris, who is a locked-in RB2 throughout the season’s home stretch.
A consistent king
Quarterback Russell Wilson and wide receiver George Pickens seem to get most of the headlines about the Steelers’ ascension to a top-10 scoring offense. It’s understandable, especially since the freshly 36-year-old Wilson is sixth in passing yards per game at 254.9. On the other hand, Pittsburgh’s offense still runs through the ground game, and Harris hasn’t gotten the credit he deserves for his part in the Steelers’ success.
The fourth-year pro has 877 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on the season, and while his efficiency metrics aren’t the best, he’s sixth in the NFL in carries with 223 attempts. With another 123 rushing yards, which he’s on pace to achieve, Harris will log his fourth-straight season with 1,000-plus yards on the ground.
While he hasn’t matched the receiving production of his rookie campaign in which he caught 74 balls, Harris contributes a bit in the receiving game too. He’s also tallied 249 yards on 29 receptions this season, which means he’s broken the 1,000-scrimmage yard mark already on the year. With 2.86 targets per game, there’s upside he can contribute an extra couple of fantasy points through the air.
In fantasy football, Harris is averaging the second-most points per game of his career at 13.9. He’s scored at least 11.3 fantasy points in seven of his last eight games, with at least 15-plus points in half of them. On the season, Harris is the RB24 in PPG and RB20 in total points.
Playoff outlook
We’ve sung the praises of Harris’ talent, but the Steelers’ schedule through the fantasy playoffs is a tough one. They travel to Philadelphia in Week 15, visit Baltimore in Week 16, then close the fantasy football season at home vs. Kansas City in Week 17. It’s a bit of a nightmare schedule for most running backs as all three teams fall top-eight in run defense.
That doesn’t Harris is cooked, though. The Steelers have one of the NFL’s top defenses, so they should be able to limit opponents’ scoring and keep these games competitive. Plus, Harris has taken 16 or more carries in 10-of-13 appearances, so he has a steady floor due to volume.
Fantasy managers should be able to count on him as a low-end RB2 or high-end FLEX throughout the remainder of the fantasy football season. He hasn’t scored many touchdowns on the campaign, but if he can find the end zone a time or two over the next couple of weeks, he could prove invaluable to managers’ playoff runs.
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