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When the Pittsburgh Steelers hired former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as their offensive coordinator, the entire fantasy football world groaned. After frustrating managers all last season with Atlanta, Smith will now attempt to fix Pittsburgh’s scuffling offense.
While many are worried about what Smith’s presence means for Pittsburgh’s pass-catchers, the rushing game is sure to benefit. This should mean good things for Steelers backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Both had successful 2023 seasons, but which one is poised to lead this backfield?
Make sure you keep up to date with all your fantasy football needs by following RotoBaller on X and checking out RotoBaller.com. Let’s take a closer look and examine who is the Pittsburgh Steelers' RB1 and which rusher you should be targeting in drafts.
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Who is the Pittsburgh Steelers' RB1?
Last year, Warren and Harris handled backfield touches at approximately a 57%-43% split in favor of Harris. He led the backfield in carries with a 255-149 edge over Warren. However, Warren led the way in receptions with 61 compared to Harris’s 29. This backfield was more of a 1A-1B type of situation, but Harris was the “lead back” when looking at these numbers.
It is expected that Harris will continue to lead this tandem entering 2024. Worth noting, though, is that Warren produced just 51 fewer yards than Harris on 74 fewer touches. Harris enters the season as the RB1, but Warren could usurp the role if he continues to outplay Harris.
Who Should I Draft in Fantasy Football?
Pittsburgh declining Harris’s fifth-year option was an unexpected move. It’s unclear how he figures into the team’s future plans at this time. While that is up for debate, what’s not up for debate are Harris’s advanced metrics. He ranked 14th in Next Gen Stats Rush Yards Over Expectation (RYOE) and 16th in Rush Yards Over Expectation Per Attempt (RYOE/ATT). Among backs with 100+ carries, he ranked 17th in Pro Football Focus’s (PFF) Rushing Grade and 14th in their Elusive Rating. All of these are respectable marks.
Unfortunately for Harris, Warren scored higher in every one of these metrics.
Jaylen Warren subs in for Najee Harris on 3rd-and-7. Stays in.
Then a long TD run.
More speed than given credit for. Good player. pic.twitter.com/6oK9NvhUmj
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) August 19, 2023
Warren outscored Harris in PPR leagues last year. Harris held the edge in half and non-PPR formats. His current NFFC ADP is about 66th overall while Warren’s is about 90th. In PPR leagues, the play here seems to be bypassing Harris at ADP and selecting Warren almost 30 picks later. You’ll get similar, if not better, production and get the better player.
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