X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Najee Harris - Rookie Stud Or Dud?

Najee Harris is a difficult player to value for fantasy football drafts. Eli Grabanski analyzes Harris's profile and determines whether the running back is a good fantasy value pick in 2021.

Today's fantasy football profile will take a look at rookie running back Najee Harris by looking at his positives, his concerns, and a variety of other important information in determining his fantasy outlook for 2021.

Harris was drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and has received a lot of hype in the fantasy community given his status as the perceived bell-cow of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But will he ultimately live up to the hype?

Let's dive in and find out!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

The Good With Najee Harris

  • Dual-Threat: Najee Harris proved himself capable both on the ground and through the air during his college career. During the 2019 college football season, he took 209 carries for 1224 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns on the ground and caught 27 passes for 304 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns through the air. He proved that was no fluke in 2020, taking 251 carries for 1466 rushing yards and 26 rushing yards on the ground, and catching 43 passes for 425 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns through the air. By being capable both on the ground and through the air, it makes it harder to take Harris off the field.
  • Size & Athletic Ability: Najee Harris is a bigger back standing at 6’2’’ and weighing 230 pounds. He isn’t afraid to utilize his size and physicality when he runs, has great contact balance, and also is surprisingly elusive for his size.
  • High Draft Capita & Likely Bell-Cow Role: The Steelers invested a 1st round pick in Najee Harris. Given this investment and the other backs currently on the roster, it’s clear that the Steelers envision Harris in a bell-cow role. Given the lack of bell-cows currently in the NFL, this makes Najee Harris a more intriguing fantasy investment.

 

The Concerns With Najee Harris

  • Crappy Run-Blocking Offensive Line: Last year according to PFF, the Steelers offensive line ranked 17th overall. But the team had massive differences between their pass-blocking and run-blocking abilities, ranking near the top in pass-blocking but just 31st in the run-blocking category in 2020. This raises some concerns about the running room Najee Harris will see in 2020.
  • Not A Big Play Guy: Najee Harris may have consistently gotten positive gains, but he’s not a major home-run threat to take a long run to the house with the longest rush of his college career being a 53 yard run against Notre Dame his senior year.
  • Big Ben & Father TimeBen Roethlisberger showed some signs of falling off last year, throwing for just 3803 yards despite having 608 pass attempts (6.3 yards per attempt). Including the playoffs from week 11 on (seven games), Big Ben threw 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Now 39 years old and with an extensive injury history, Big Ben’s abilities could be called into question for the 2021 season. If Big Ben falls off in 2021, there will be significantly fewer scoring opportunities for the offense.

 

Additional Info

  • Firing Of Randy Fichtner & Promotion of Matt Canada: Randy Fichtner refused to run the ball as the Steelers offensive coordinator, with the team having 345 rushing attempts in 2018, 395 rushing attempts in 2019, and 373 rushing attempts in 2020. Matt Canada’s history as a college play-caller suggests that he will run the ball a lot more than that, with his running back room averaging 26.62 carries, 135.95 rushing yards, and 1.33 rushing touchdowns per game over the course of his 175 game career as a college offensive coordinator or head coach. 
  • Canada's Previous RBs: Some previous NFL running backs that Matt Canada has worked with at the college level include: Michael Turner (2003, Northern Illinois), Montee Ball (2012, Wisconsin), James White (2012, Wisconsin), Melvin Gordon (2012, Wisconsin), Nyheim Hines (2015, NC State), James Conner (2016, Pittsburgh), Qadree Ollison (2016, Pittsburgh), Derrius Guice (2017, LSU), Darrel Williams (2017, LSU), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (2017, LSU), and Anthony McFarland Jr. (2018, Maryland).
  • Preseason Stat Lines: Najee Harris took seven carries for 22 rushing yards and caught one pass on one target for three receiving yards against the Dallas Cowboys in the Hall Of Fame game. In Week 1 of the preseason against the Philadelphia Eagles, he carried the ball twice for 10 rushing yards and caught one pass on two targets for nine receiving yards. In Week 2 of the preseason against the Detroit Lions, he took four carries for 10 rushing yards on the ground and caught two passes on three targets for 53 receiving yards through the air. In total, his final preseason totals were 13 carries, 42 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 6 targets, and 65 receiving yards.

 

Personal Thoughts

Najee Harris is currently going off the board as RB11 on ESPN (18.3 overall), RB11 on NFL.com (17.98), and RB11 (17.8) on Yahoo. This is in the right ballpark - the only RB ranked lower than Najee that I would definitively move ahead of him right now is Antonio Gibson. The combination of an aging Ben Roethlisberger, the firing of Randy Fichtner & promotion of Matt Canada to offensive coordinator, and spending a 1st round pick on Harris all indicate that the Steelers intend on having a more run-heavy approach in 2021. The offensive line is a major concern that limits his upside (he's unlikely to be a top-five fantasy RB), but volume alone should give Najee Harris a high floor (at least an RB2) in fantasy leagues.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

ChangHo Lee14 mins ago

Looks For His Second UFC Win
Brad Tavares23 mins ago

Set For Middleweight Bout
Gerald Meerschaert37 mins ago

Set For His 23rd UFC Bout
Ezequiel Tovar40 mins ago

Off To A Slow Start In 2025
Tim Tawa48 mins ago

Stays Hot At The Plate
Brenton Doyle51 mins ago

Gets His First Extra-Base Hit On Thursday
Luis Gurule52 mins ago

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Ode' Osbourne1 hour ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Logan Henderson1 hour ago

Rebounds In Second Start
José Alvarado1 hour ago

Jose Alvarado Earns The Save On Thursday
Robert Valentin1 hour ago

Set To Open Up UFC Vegas 105 Main Card
Bubba Chandler1 hour ago

Tosses Two 2/3 Scoreless Frames In Season Debut
Nick Lodolo1 hour ago

Has A Quality Start Against The Brewers On Thursday
Torrez Finney1 hour ago

Set For UFC Debut
Cade Horton1 hour ago

Strikes Out Six In Season Debut
Jeremy Peña1 hour ago

Jeremy Pena Goes Deep On Thursday
Ian Seymour1 hour ago

Strikes Out 10 In Loss
Samuel Basallo2 hours ago

Goes Deep On Thursday
Dustin Wolf4 hours ago

Snaps Skid On Thursday
Wyatt Johnston4 hours ago

Scores In Sixth-Straight Game
Linus Ullmark4 hours ago

Stops 31 Shots In Victory
Nick Suzuki4 hours ago

Has Goal, Assist On Thursday
Leon Draisaitl4 hours ago

Can Not Finish Thursday's Contest
John Gibson4 hours ago

Exits Early On Thursday
Geraldo Perdomo4 hours ago

Hits Grand Slam On Thursday
Tony Gonsolin4 hours ago

Picks Up Strikeout In Rehab Game
Zach Neto4 hours ago

Homers In Rehab Game
Kristian Campbell4 hours ago

Homers On Thursday
Joel Payamps5 hours ago

Picks Up Save On Thursday
Nestor Cortes5 hours ago

Jr. Picks Up Win Over Reds
Trent Grisham5 hours ago

Homers In Win On Thursday
Jazz Chisholm Jr.5 hours ago

Homers On Thursday
Luke Weaver5 hours ago

Picks Up Save On Thursday
Aaron Judge5 hours ago

Homers Again
Nikola Jokić13 hours ago

Nikola Jokic Expected To Play On Friday
Jonathan Kuminga13 hours ago

Back On Thursday Night
Miles Boykin15 hours ago

Heading To Chicago
Jalen Wilson15 hours ago

Sidelined On Thursday
Baker Mayfield15 hours ago

Tampa Bay Restructures Baker Mayfield's Deal
Case Keenum16 hours ago

Chicago Signs Case Keenum To One-Year Deal
Kyshawn George16 hours ago

Unavailable For Thursday
Richaun Holmes16 hours ago

Out Versus Magic
Khris Middleton16 hours ago

Out Again Thursday Versus Magic
D'Angelo Russell16 hours ago

Good To Go On Thursday
Noah Clowney16 hours ago

Done For Rest Of The Season
Jordan Poole16 hours ago

Unavailable For Thursday
Scottie Barnes16 hours ago

Available On Thursday
Jonathan Drouin17 hours ago

Martin Necas, Jonathan Drouin Unavailable Thursday
Tyrese Maxey17 hours ago

Expected To Miss Rest Of Season
Alexandar Georgiev17 hours ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Henry Thrun17 hours ago

Returns From Nine-Game Absence Thursday
Olli Määttä17 hours ago

Olli Maatta Returns To Utah Lineup Thursday
Dylan Guenther17 hours ago

Ready To Go Thursday
Anthony Duclair17 hours ago

Takes Leave Of Absence
Alex Pietrangelo17 hours ago

On Track To Return Thursday
Brady Tkachuk18 hours ago

Out On Thursday
Trey McBride18 hours ago

Cardinals Making Trey McBride The Highest-Paid Tight End In NFL History
Geno Smith19 hours ago

Raiders, Geno Smith Agree To Two-Year Extension
20 hours ago

Tyler Shough Could Be Day 2 Pick In NFL Draft
Dallas Cowboys20 hours ago

Shemar Stewart Meeting With Cowboys Staff
New York Giants20 hours ago

Travis Hunter The Likely Pick For Giants?
Dallas Cowboys21 hours ago

DeMarvion Overshown Aiming For Comeback Player Of The Year Award
Washington Commanders21 hours ago

Commanders Sign T.J. Maguranyanga
Kansas City Chiefs22 hours ago

Mike Edwards Reunites With Chiefs
New Orleans Saints22 hours ago

Saints Could Take A Quarterback Early In The Draft
Joe Milton III1 day ago

Traded To Cowboys
Anfernee Simons1 day ago

Could Be Absent Again Thursday
Scoot Henderson1 day ago

Misses Third Consecutive Game Thursday
Scottie Barnes1 day ago

Iffy For Thursday
Immanuel Quickley1 day ago

Takes Thursday Off
Jakob Poeltl1 day ago

Sits Out Thursday's Game
Damian Lillard1 day ago

May Return To Action Sooner Than Expected
Giannis Antetokounmpo1 day ago

Likely To Suit Up Thursday
LeBron James1 day ago

Probable Thursday
Jared McCann1 day ago

Tallies Three Helpers On Wednesday
Jackson Blake1 day ago

Scores Twice In Victory
Artemi Panarin1 day ago

Tallies Three Points In Overtime Victory
Andrei Svechnikov1 day ago

Exits Early On Wednesday
Jake McCabe1 day ago

Suffers Injury On Wednesday
Jonathan Drouin1 day ago

Exits Wednesday's Contest
Los Angeles Chargers1 day ago

Chargers Sign Tight End Jordan Petaia
2 days ago

Matthew Golden Making Pre-Draft Visit To Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals2 days ago

Trey Hendrickson Not Looking For Short-Term Deal
Tutu Atwell2 days ago

Rams Plan To Give Tutu Atwell A Bigger Role In 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers2 days ago

Bucs Restructure Antoine Winfield's Deal To Free Up Cap Space
Jrue Holiday2 days ago

Won't Play Against Miami
New York Jets2 days ago

Xavier Newman-Johnson Re-Signs With New York
Al Horford2 days ago

Sidelined Versus Heat
Evgeni Malkin2 days ago

Joins Penguins For Road Trip
2 days ago

Kyle McCord Rising Up Draft Boards?
2 days ago

Ashton Jeanty To Raiders Continues To Gain Steam
Cameron Young2 days ago

A Player To Avoid At Valero Texas Open
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

In Search Of Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim2 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At Valero Texas Open
Tom Hoge2 days ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick3 days ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners3 days ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay3 days ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Gary Woodland3 days ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia3 days ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti3 days ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
Jordan Spieth3 days ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp3 days ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim3 days ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood3 days ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau3 days ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole3 days ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Sam Stevens4 days ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA4 days ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy4 days ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman4 days ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ryan Preece4 days ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR4 days ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland4 days ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno4 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg4 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober4 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall4 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara4 days ago

Gets Submitted
Édgar Cháirez4 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.4 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira4 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez4 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas4 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez4 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron4 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano4 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe4 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones4 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry5 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano5 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece5 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott5 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney5 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF