Should you trade Najee Harris? Fantasy outlook explained

Najee Harris seems to be the long-term running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. During a stellar rookie campaign last year, he served as the center of their attack, establishing himself as a powerhouse on the ground and in the passing game.

Harris carried the ball 307 times for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns, and caught 74 of his 94 targets, totaling three scores. He became the only rookie to top the NFL in that statistic since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2001 with 381 regular season touches, a league-high.

Harris is a unique asset that might make the Steelers' attack formidable for many years.

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Najee Harris' value as a fantasy player

In his last two games, Najee Harris has had 25 carries, averaging 2.9 yards per run for a total of 72 rushing yards. Only once did Harris' two-game run total of 2021 fall below what it was at the start of this campaign.

In Week 11's game against the Los Angeles Chargers last season, we saw Najee Harris earn 39 yards on 12 attempts. Week 12's game in Cincinnati saw him gain another 23 yards on eight touches. The average total of yards gained per carry stayed at 3.1 despite the lower total of 62 on 20 carries.

Last season, Harris finished second among running backs in carries and first in touches, snaps, targets, and receptions.

Harris' efficiency has been a little underwhelming to start the season. A lot of that can be attributed to a subpar offensive line and a low-scoring attack. The latter is a little bit better going into this 2022-23 season, but the team's QB situation is still very uncertain.

Nevertheless, Harris is poised for a similar role this season. He has exceptional upside and is a reliable RB1. You should keep him for a while longer and see how he fares in future games.

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Najee Harris timeline

Running back Najee Harris is one of the top weapons in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. It was in the first round of the 2021 draft that the Steelers selected him after he played college football for Alabama.

Harris concluded his rookie season with 1,200 running yards and seven scores. He came in fourth in rushing yards, fourth in all-purpose yards, and first in receptions among running backs. He had the most touches (381) and no fumbles in the NFL. He was chosen as a backup for the Pro Bowl in 2022, right behind Bengals running back Joe Mixon.