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Following Week 10, Mike Tomlin announced that they officially named Jaylen Warren as the team's starting running back. With former first-round pick Najee Harris still on the roster, Pittsburgh is likely to find a role for each of their backs going forward.
Harris has been the starter since he was drafted back in 2021 and got his career off to a hot start, but recent struggles along with the rise of Warren have led to a more split-backfield approach.
With Warren as the starter going forward, what type of roles do these two have going forward? Do either of them have legitimate value in fantasy football? Let's take a look.
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Jaylen Warren & Najee Harris Fantasy Football Outlook
In the first game with Warren as the official starter, he was still outsnapped by Harris 19-to-17 but was more efficient with his opportunities. Harris finished the day with 16 rushing attempts for 82 yards with a touchdown and three catches for 14 yards. Warren, on the other hand, ended the day with 15 carries for 101 yards with a touchdown and two catches for nine yards.
With every week that has passed, the distribution gap between Harris and Warren has narrowed, and they were nearly even on opportunities in Week 11. The efficiency has favored Warren in both facets, as he averages over five yards per carry compared to Harris' four, and averages 1.7 yards per route run to Harris' 0.91.
If the opportunity distribution stays similar to Weeks 9 and 10, both Warren and Harris could be flex options based on their matchups for that week. As of now, it's difficult to say definitively who's better to roster, but it seems like the Steelers are going to make sure Warren is involved going forward.
Should I Start Jaylen Warren or Najee Harris in Week 11?
One week after a 205-yard rushing performance against the Packers, the Steelers face one of the toughest defensive matchups in the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. The Browns allow the sixth-fewest PPR points per game to running backs this season, and the Steelers averaged just 2.6 yards per carry in their matchup earlier this year against the Browns in Week 2.
Cleveland has done a great job holding great rushers in check, as the Seahawks are the only team to average more than 4.5 yards per carry against them, and that was in a small 17-carry sample size. Even the dominant 49ers' rushing attack only averaged 4.5 yards per carry, showing just how tough it is to run against this front.
With the likelihood of a split backfield along with a very tough matchup this week, Harris and Warren are mainly flex options for Week 11. As more weeks pass with Warren as the starter, we'll get a better idea of how this backfield will be used and who is more trustworthy in fantasy lineups.
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