Najee Harris fantasy football outlook for 2024: Is Steelers RB a safe pick this year?

Najee Harris has been a disappointing fantasy player a few times before, but a new season marks a chance for him to finally realize his potential. Will he turn in a good season for those who draft him? Or is he going to have a down year once again?

What's Najee Harris' fantasy outlook? (Imagn)

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Najee Harris Fantasy Outlook 2024

Najee Harris may be in for a down year. He's never played to the potential that the Pittsburgh Steelers saw when they used a first-round pick on him, and he's been trending negatively.

Last season, Harris finished as the 65th overall player in fantasy and RB18. He was worse than Tony Pollard, who infamously had a shockingly disappointing season.

Harris rushed for 1,035 yards at a 4.06-yard average. Neither of those metrics should inspire you to take him this year. He did have eight touchdowns, but you probably want to stay away from TD-dependant players in fantasy.

In the passing game, he was pretty much useless. He had 29 catches for 170 yards and did not score. While Harris got the bulk of the backfield usage, he hardly made use of it.

That kind of player is one to be wary of. Yes, he's the starter and should theoretically get the most touches during each game. However, this isn't an inspiring offense and Harris has too many red flags to ignore in favor of his depth chart position.

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Is Najee Harris a good fantasy pick this year?

Najee Harris is not a good fantasy pick this year. He wasn't really a good fantasy pick last year, and it started to show when Jaylen Warren began outplaying him. It didn't quite result in the usage shift that was expected, but it might this year.

Furthermore, there are a lot more mouths to feed in that offensive backfield now. Warren will get a lot of Harris' carries, and so will whoever wins the QB competition. Both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson are mobile, so that cuts into Harris' value.

Harris has always been inefficient, but he thrived on being the lead back in a more run-heavy offense. That likely won't be the case this year, and even if it is, his inefficiency should give managers pause.

Warren, on a per-play basis, was pretty much better than Harris was in 2023. That alone should have him trending down, and the new offense and unknown aspect there should force you to reconsider picking the former Alabama product at all.

There are better backs out there, and if Harris is the best available, you may want to wait.

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Where should you draft Steelers RB this year?

Najee Harris is currently being taken at the 80th overall position. It ranges a bit, but he's being selected at the end of the eighth round in most fantasy leagues right now. This data will change as more drafts are completed leading into the NFL preseason, but that's his current ADP (average draft position).

Pick Joe Mixon over Najee Harris in fantasy football

There is another player being picked in roughly the same range: Joe Mixon. However, our fantasy analyzer believes that these two players will have decidedly different seasons and that Mixon will be the superior player. Unless Harris drops out of this range, it's best to pass on him there.

Eventually, Harris will have value since he is a starter and a capable player. Since his ADP is 80, you should look for him to fall into the 95 range. If he gets there, he could be considered a good value pick and the later it gets, the more likely he ends up being a steal.

Harris might not be very good this year, but that doesn't matter as much in the 80-100 range and when you already have your starting running backs taken care of. If Harris is your top back, you may have issues.