RADIO
Najee Harris is a 2024 fantasy football draft sleeper at running back and an ADP draft value. Target Najee Harris as an undervalued RB in fantasy football drafts.
BALLER MOVE: Target Around ~70 Overall
CURRENT ADP: ~73
ANALYSIS: Most fantasy managers will likely want no part of Harris after his past two seasons, but that would be a mistake. The Steelers have made many big improvements to their offense this season. First and foremost is the addition of Russell Wilson. He’s not the guy from Seattle anymore, but he’s a whole lot better than Kenny Pickett, that’s for sure.
On top of that, the Steelers drafted left tackle Troy Fautanu in the first round and center Zach Frazier in the second round. These were the two biggest holes in their offense and they filled them with two highly regarded prospects. The offensive line should take a big step forward this season. The combination of Wilson under center and those offensive line upgrades will be huge for Harris’ efficiency and touchdown potential.
Pittsburgh had a lot more offensive weaponry than Denver had last year, but Denver scored three more points per game because it had Wilson -- or maybe it was because it didn’t have Pickett. Five percent more of Denver’s drives got points, and it had 16 more red-zone trips. Wilson has better receivers, running backs, and offensive line than Denver. This offense should be considerably better in 2024.
Think sneaky offseason winners are #Steelers RBs:
* Run-game hardo Arthur Smith hired as OC
* QB position improved/stabilized
* Draft yielded LT Troy Fautanu (20th overall), C Zach Frazier (51st overall), OG Mason McCormick (119th overall)— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) April 29, 2024
Last year, Harris was among the few players who finished with more than 14.7 touches per game but failed to finish as a top-24 running back in PPR PPG. He finished as the RB30 on 16.7 touches. In 2022, he finished as the RB20 on 18.4 touches, indicating Harris has been one of the most inefficient running backs over the past two seasons.
Inefficient or not, he’s been a top-20 running back in two out of three seasons and has finished with 284 or more touches in every season of his career. He’s also had 1,200 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in every season of his career. It’s not a stretch to say that this Pittsburgh offense will be the most talented one Harris has ever been on.
He’s not suddenly going to become this super-efficient running back, but maybe if he were to improve his efficiency just a little bit with the kind of volume he’s going to get, Harris could be a nice buy this season. He’s a virtual lock to surpass our 14.7 touch-per-game total.
UPDATE: Jaylen Warren is nursing a hamstring injury that could bleed over into the first week or two of the regular season.
More Fantasy Football Values and Sleepers
Waiver Wire Pickups: Wide Receivers
It's Week 15, which is the first week of the fantasy football playoffs in most leagues. Whether you made it in and want to win a championship, or are just looking to avoid your league's last place spot, there's still reason to work the waiver wire. Even if you're out of the playoffs, it makes […]
Waiver Wire Pickups: Running Backs
The fantasy football playoffs have arrived as we hit Week 15 of the NFL season. Fantasy championships will be on the line over the next three weeks, and these late-season decisions can be the difference between winning and losing. In this article, we'll look at three running backs listed in this piece who have all […]
Waiver Wire Pickups: Running Backs
Let's say you're one of the many fantasy football managers who drafted Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton (ankle). Maybe you chose Cardinals RB James Conner (ankle). Perhaps you selected Titans tailback Tony Pollard. If you chose any of these players, you've probably been hurting at RB for most of the season. The same […]
Waiver Wire Pickups: Wide Receivers
The wide receiver position is just a little bit more forgiving than the running back position in terms of finding talent on the waiver wire. It's hard to find players that will be consistently good moving forward, though. Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (collarbone), Green Bay Packers wideout Christian Watson, and Houston Texans […]
Waiver Wire Pickups: Running Backs
We are entering the home stretch of the fantasy football season, as managers look to fill their available roster spots with players that are ready to make an impact. Fantasy championships are on the line, and making the best decisions for your team is going to be the difference between winning and losing. The three […]
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!
Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!
