Damien Harris has been a touchdown machine over the past two seasons, posting 15 rushing touchdowns in 2021 and then starting the 2022 campaign with three in his first four games.
He’s been acting as the primary ball-carrier in a committee with Rhamondre Stevenson, who has been the pass-catching/third-down back in the New England offense.
Fantasy managers were excited to start Harris in Week 5 against one of the league’s worst run defenses, but were extremely disappointed after he exited the game after just four carries for 11 yards.
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Is Damien Harris Healthy Or Injured?
Harris exited Week 5 with a hamstring injury and was quickly ruled out of the game, paving the way for Stevenson to play every snap and handle 25 carries for 161 yards and two receptions for 14 yards.
In 2019, he missed three games with a hamstring pull, so this looks like a tricky ailment for a running back to deal with.
It is worth noting that he suffered hamstring injuries as early as last season, as in Weeks 13 and 17 of 2021 he exited early with what looks like a similar injury to the one he suffered in Week 5. It is unknown how much time Harris will miss, so fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status moving forward.
Fantasy Football Outlook
If he is to miss some time, Stevenson would become a weekly must-start option. It is unknown if he would play an every-down role, but he would handle a sizeable workload nonetheless.
Pierre Strong Jr. would figure to get an increased role in the offense as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, but he wouldn't offer too much fantasy appeal given that he was a healthy scratch in Week 5.
With Stevenson’s ability as both a hard runner and good pass-catcher, fantasy managers could value him as a high-end RB2 option in PPR formats without Harris.
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