Steelers RB Najee Harris (hip) practiced fully on Thursday. The second-year back does not carry an injury designation for Week 16's game vs. the Raiders on Saturday. The Raiders' defense ranks as the 3rd-best matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs this season. This certainly bodes well for Harris. The issue is the Steelers' o-line, and their deficiencies relegate Harris to RB2-level status for fantasy purposes.

Steelers RB Najee Harris posted 19 carries for 65 rushing yards vs. the Raiders on Sunday night. Teammate Jaylen Warren logged 29 rushing yards on 8 carries in addition to hauling 3 of 4 targets for 23 yards as a receiver. Even though the duo saw a larger workload divide between them in this contest, Warren outscored Harris in PPR with 8.2 and 6.5 points, respectively. The Raiders’ defense has been a soft matchup so far in 2023. The fact that neither back could capitalize on this opportunity speaks to the deficiencies the Steelers’ offense still has to work through. They’ll have a chance to improve upon this outing next week vs. the Texans.

Steelers RB Najee Harris ended Week 2 with 10 carries for 43 rushing yards vs. the Browns. Teammate Jaylen Warren logged 20 rushing yards on 6 carries in addition to hauling 4 catches on 6 targets for 66 yards as a receiver. Most of Harris' yardage came on two runs in the third quarter. He was otherwise stuffed at the line throughout the contest. The Steelers are still splitting the workshare between Harris and Warren fairly evenly (13 and 12 touch opportunities, respectively). Still, it isn't easy to justify relying on either for fantasy production. Warren presents a modest upside in half or full-PPR formats in Week 3 vs. the Raiders.

Steelers RB Najee Harris recorded 6 attempts for 31 rushing yards in Week 1 vs. the 49ers. He also added a pair of catches for 2 yards as a receiver in the loss. Teammate Jaylen Warren received 3 carries for 6 yards and caught 5 of 6 targets for 12 yards. The Steelers split the backfield touch opportunities fairly evenly (Harris with 8, Warren with 9) on Sunday, though neither player was particularly strong. It’s also worth mentioning that Harris ran 24 receiving routes to Warren’s 19, so the usage still skews a little bit in the direction of the former first-round NFL draft pick. The duo will have an opportunity to rebound against the Browns in Week 2 on Monday night.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says Steelers RBs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris "could split carries" vs. the 49ers today. "Najee Harris is going to be the starter, getting the first- and second-down snaps. Jaylen Warren third-down snaps," Rapoport adds. "But Warren is expected to get a little more of the first- and second-down snaps than usual." We've heard conflicting reports on this backfield all summer, so it'll be nice to actually get a look at it today. We'd still try to keep Warren on fantasy benches; Harris is a low-end RB2 in a tough matchup vs. San Francisco.

On Friday, Steelers beat reporter Dave Lolley took to Twitter to help clarify the team's RB situation. Lolley shared that the "narrative that Jaylen Warren is going to 'surpass' Najee Harris ... is simply not true," adding that Harris is the "clear No. 1" and Warren is the third-down back in Pittsburgh. Warren is the more optimal draft pick from an ADP value perspective. Regardless, both Warren and Harris are still favorably slotted in our current RB rankings. This is yet another reminder that one of the pillars of fantasy is to pursue value above all else. Learn more about our draft philosophy here at Draft Sharks.