Is Najee Harris Or Jaylen Warren the Fantasy Football RB1 for the Steelers?

Who will be the RB1 for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024? Andrew Ball takes a look at the credentials of each candidate to see who is likely the lead running back.

A first-round pick versus an undrafted selection. The answer to the article title should be obvious, right?

That's not that simple. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren were deployed often throughout Pittsburgh's 2023 campaign, on what ultimately turned out to be a poor offense. Still, both contributed meaningful fantasy points at various points in the season.

Will the real Pittsburgh RB1 please stand up? Let's break down the backfield.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings (redraft)
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings
• 2025 NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
• Best ball fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback fantasy football rankings
• Running back fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
• Tight end fantasy football rankings

Who is the Pittsburgh Steelers RB1?

Najee Harris was and is the RB1 in Pittsburgh but Jaylen Warren scored more fantasy points in PPR formats. Harris (and I’ll use this word loosely) outshined his counterpart in half-PPR and non-PPR formats. Harris was on the field for 50 more snaps than Warren. In a timeshare sense, it can’t be much closer.

Harris picked up 106 more carries than Warren en route to 1,035 rushing yards. Warren’s total, albeit far more efficient, was 784 yards. Warren averaged 1.2 yards per carry more than Harris, which better spun the narrative that Warren is a better running back than Harris (which could be true).

One cool way to look at missed tackles forced is filtering for plays with 7+ defenders in the box.

This describes explosiveness on "typical" carries, and levels the playing field between players w/ different roles

Jaylen Warren still passes with flying colors.@FantasyPtsData pic.twitter.com/kQ2UGg62pD

— Ryan Heath (@RyanJ_Heath) July 9, 2024

As stated above, it was the passing game that boosted Warren. The former undrafted free agent secured 61 receptions, good for fifth best in the league. Harris, on the other hand, snagged 29 balls.

Who Should I Draft in Fantasy Football?

Last summer, the rumblings of Warren taking a significant share of the pie became too loud to ignore. But, Harris was still being selected in the third round and Warren could be found in the double-digit rounds. That's not the case this year.

It’s vital to pay attention to your league format when deciding between these two Pittsburgh running backs. In PPR and half-PPR formats, the pair is being drafted about 10 picks apart, with Harris coming off the board first in the late-fifth or early-sixth round. The gap widens in non-PPR formats.

Because of the presumed 50/50 (or 60/40) split again, both running backs cemented their status in the RB dead zone. For those new to the game, the dead zone refers to running backs in rounds 3-6 (or round 7 depending on format and number of teams). Essentially, the tiers aren't your elite guys, before the shots in the dark and insurance running backs. All players in that group have red flags. The wide receivers, quarterbacks, and tight ends being drafted around them typically return better value.

The red flag for Harris and Warren, of course, is their timeshare. Lucky for them, the new offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh is Arthur Smith, notorious for his reliance on a running game. Head coach Mike Tomlin has historically also loved a run-first approach. Both running backs should get a healthy number of touches and return value on their ADP.

The #Steelers are expected to hire former #Falcons coach Arthur Smith as their offensive coordinator, per sources.

Smith had a top run game as #Titans OC before heading to Atlanta three years ago. Now he’ll be coaching Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and company in Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/8QH8okMNgG

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 30, 2024

If you're a fantasy manager with a Zero or Hero RB approach, Warren and Harris will be smart additions to your roster, depending on the format. If either misses time with an injury, the other will flourish.

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