Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris could be one of the fantasy football steals of the 2024 season.
Harris has been one of the most consistent producers in the NFL since joining the Steelers. He’s never missed an NFL game and he’s recorded three straight 1,000-yard seasons. But despite that, he’s currently ranked as the 26th-best running back in PPR formats by ESPN.
That comes despite Harris entering a 2024 environment that should be vastly improved for him running the ball.
The Steelers invested two high draft pick in bringing in Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier to significantly inject talent into the offensive line. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith loves to run the ball and his Atlanta Falcons team has the highest rushing yards over expected last year.
The passing offense, with Russell Wilson expected to start and a glaring hole at wide receiver beyond George Pickens, is not going to take significant pressure off the Steelers’ passing game, and though Jaylen Warren will once again steal a bunch of reps and touches, he won’t get the lion’s share of the goal-line duties.
Not only that, Harris is entering a contract year, after the Steelers declined his fifth-year option, and should have plenty of motivation to put up big numbers this season.
Right now, Harris is ranked below players like D’Andre Swift, Zamir White, Brian Robinson, and even Warren. Even his season rushing prop is under-valued, at over/under 800.5 yards — 235 fewer than his worst career season, despite what should be a vastly improved offensive environment.
