Tag: Najee Harris fantasy football

Fantasy football outlook: Pittsburgh Steelers running backs

One of these two backs is the fantasy favorite, but will both offer utility?

The Pittsburgh Steelers have long maintained an offense focused on the running game more than most teams. Even when Ben Roethlisberger was cementing his Hall of Fame resume, the ground game was vital to the success of the offense.

After struggling in the post-Big Ben era, the Steelers have set themselves up for success with three running backs who can all get the job done – Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson.

With one of the ultimate game manager quarterbacks in history now in Pittsburgh (Russell Wilson), all three of the top guys are going to get their opportunities to contribute. Throw in new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who oversaw the most run-heavy offense in the NFL the last three years while in Atlanta, there is reason for more than one of the Steelers running backs making an impact on fantasy rosters.

Is Kenny Pickett ready to ascend into fantasy football relevance?

What can fantasy gamers expect from Pickett in Year 2?

The lead up to the start of NFL training camps is when the projection machine starts winding up and everyone wants to be the smartest person in the room by forecasting players to make a gigantic leap from the previous season to the coming year. Few players are in that crystal ball of hype more than Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett.

The first quarterback taken in the 2022 draft, it only took three games before Pickett replaced Mitchell Trubisky as the starter and the post-Ben Roethlisberger era was underway.

It didn’t come easily or smoothly. In his first four starts, Pickett threw seven interceptions and at times looked like he had bust potential. However, the coaching staff didn’t have a quick hook for him and he ended up repaying that trust, winning five of his last six games to help keep the Steelers streak of finishing .500 or better going for an amazing 19th straight year (finishing 9-8 after a 3-7 start).

Pickett played a role in that strong finish, but it wasn’t because of eye-popping fantasy numbers. While he threw only one interception in his final eight games, he finished the season with more interceptions (9) than touchdown passes (7). He never had more than one TD pass in any game and had twice as many games with fewer than 200 passing yards (8) than more than 200 (4).

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He didn’t offer much as a runner – after scoring two rushing TDs in his first start, he had just one more the rest of the way and had more than 20 rushing yards in just three games. His rushing production dropped as the season went on – in his final five games he had 20 carries for just 42 yards and no touchdowns.

So why all the hype? Many NFL quarterbacks make their biggest leap from Year 1 to Year 2 after a full offseason with the coaching and training staff. Pickett has done all the right things in that regard. The reason for excitement is that he has all requisite weapons to be effective. He has a significantly upgraded left side of the offensive line from a year ago. He has a strong bell-cow runner in Najee Harris who forces defenses to respect the run and makes play-action more effective. He has a trio of solid wide receivers – emerging star George Pickens, leading receiver Diontae Johnson and veteran acquisition Allen Robinson. Throw in playmaking tight end Pat Freiermuth and it’s understandable why people are jumping on the Pickett bandwagon. But I think it’s a year too soon.

Fantasy football outlook

Pickett isn’t going to make the kind of second-year leap Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence did because the AFC North may be the best top-to-bottom division in the NFL. All of them have solid defenses that can’t be exploited twice a year and games in this division tend to be low-scoring bloodbaths.

Pickett has showed flashes of talent but is a middle of the pack fantasy quarterback. Ask yourself would you rather have a veteran like Derek Carr or Kirk Cousins and their numbers or Pickett? While Pickett has a higher ceiling, for 2023 he’s a low-end QB2. Fantasy owners should hope he won’t have to play more than to cover a bye week.

5 players to avoid in your fantasy football draft

Here’s who you should avoid in your fantasy football draft.

Preseason has wrapped up, and the 2022 NFL season is right around the corner, which means fantasy football draft season is in full swing.

Here’s a quick look at five players to avoid during your fantasy draft this year.

Fantasy football team previews: AFC North

A team-by-team fantasy football outlook from the AFC North.

The 2022 fantasy football draft season is starting to heat up now that we’ve gone through the height of free agency and all of the chosen rookies have been assigned to their professional home cities.

The landscape has changed a great deal for many franchises after a whirlwind offseason, and our divisional preview series will help you stay on top of all of the changes to date.

AFC divisional previews

East | North | South | West

NFC divisional previews

East | North | South | West

Rookie Rundown: RB Najee Harris, Alabama

Harris has the skills and pedigree needed to thrive.

Alabama has churned out a few quality NFL running backs in recent years, and the next in line appears to be Najee Harris. The burly but athletic specimen has all of the necessary tools to shine over three downs of action in the pros.

A highly recruited prep star, Harris bided his time in the Alabama program behind eventual NFL backs, including Damien Harris in 2017 and Josh Jacobs in ’18. When it finally became time to shine, he produced strong numbers — only to eclipse them in 2020’s abbreviated campaign.

Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 230 pounds
40 time: TBD (4.52 estimated)

Harris did not run at either of Alabama’s Pro Days, due to a minor ankle injury suffered late in 2020’s season. He is expected to be fine soon enough, so the 40 time is an estimate based on past reports from his workouts with the team.

The 2019 junior took over as the primary starter for the Crimson Tide and earned second-team All-SEC honors. His production alone would have been enough for a high draft stock, but Harris opted to return for his senior season, and it paid off in a big way.

Table: Najee Harris NCAA stats (2018-20)

Year
School
Class
Gm*
Rushing
Receiving
Att
Yds
Avg
TD
Rec
Yds
Avg
TD
2017
Alabama
FR
10
61
370
6.1
3
6
45
7.5
0
2018
Alabama
SO
15
117
783
6.7
4
4
7
1.8
0
2019
Alabama
JR
13
209
1,224
5.9
13
27
304
11.3
7
2020
Alabama
SR
13
251
1,466
5.8
26
43
425
9.9
4
Career
638
3,843
6.0
46
80
781
9.8
11

*includes postseason/bowl games

The summation of his time at Alabama: Harris finished as the school’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (46), total touchdowns (57), and rushing yards (3,843). He won the Doak Walker Award in 2020 as the nation’s best back, and Harris also received first-team All-SEC recognition. No player scored more total touchdowns in 2020.

Pros

  • Blend of size-speed-power-hands creates a unique weapon for clever playcallers
  • Moves more nimbly than size suggests — displays a swift stop-and-go move that creates whiffs. Harris has plus lateral ability and makes people miss with regularity
  • Leaping ability to leave his feet for extra yardage
  • Experienced running downfield routes out of the backfield
  • Quality hands as a receiver
  • Quicker than fast — explosive in a short area
  • Patient enough with the vision and anticipatory skills needed as a pro
  • Excellent ball security
  • Tremendous balance and body control through contact for a back of his size
  • Runs with an attitude, especially around the stripe
  • Feet are constantly in motion
  • Respectable stiff arm and an effective swipe to brush off smaller defenders
  • Able to get to the perimeter fast enough to get into the second level on zone stretches
  • Waited for his opportunity in a crowded backfield and delivered when called upon — showed he can come in cold and immediately contribute as well as hold up to the rigors of being the featured back
  • Only a moderate amount of touches over four years (718)
  • Quite capable as a blocker in pass protection

Cons

  • Coming off a minor ankle injury
  • Super aggressive, which can get him into trouble at times
  • Violent nature of play will expose him to injuries and/or a shortened NFL career
  • Top-line speed won’t run away from many NFL defenders
  • Despite lower volume of work over four years, Harris has been a busy guy in the past two seasons
  • The leaping over people is fun to watch but won’t be as effective in the NFL

Fantasy football outlook

Don’t automatically see this large-framed Alabama back and think Derrick Henry. Harris is more Mark Ingram or Steven Jackson. While neither of those guys were slouches, they also weren’t the King.

Harris has a first-round grade on talent alone, but teams will devalue him based on the positional need and this being a deep draft class for quarterbacks and wideouts. It’s still certainly within reason he will be chosen in the first round, however.

The Miami Dolphins (18th) and New York Jets (23rd) are the most reasonable spots for him in Round 1. The Arizona Cardinals (16th) could pitch a curveball, and the Buffalo Bills (30th) are a farfetched but remotely possible destination.

Near the top of Round 2 is probably the floor of Harris’ draft stock, with the Jets (34th), Atlanta Falcons (35th), Denver Broncos (40th) and San Francisco 49ers (43rd) all likely landing spots.

Arizona, Miami and the Jets would be ideal spots in terms of opportunity for three-down work. The Bills already have two young backs and added Matt Breida in the offseason — none of them are in Harris’ league, though. Atlanta added Mike Davis, but he’s not the long-term answer and maybe not even the immediate one as a career journeyman. Denver and San Fran would give more stability around him but create serious time-share situations.

In the right spot, Harris is a strong contender for RB2 status on a weekly aggregate basis. The floor, provided he stays healthy, is quality depth if drafted by any of those teams.