Najee Harris Week 1 Outlook - Steelers at Falcons

By Derek Brown (FantasyPros), Wed, Sep 4th 2024, 8:38pm EDT

Harris was his usual consistent self last season. He finished with his third consecutive season with at least 1,000 rushing yards, eight total touchdowns, and 1,200 total yards. That didn't equate to a smash season, though, as he was the RB30 in fantasy points per game as he split work with Jaylen Warren. Warren will still be a thorn in his side for 2024. What gets lost in the Harris discussion, though, is that he arguably had one of his best seasons on a per-touch basis of his career. Among 49 qualifying backs, he was 10th in explosive run rate, 19th in missed tackles forced per attempt, and 17th in yards after contact per attempt. Harris could have a tough time in Week 1 against a stout Falcons' run defense. While Atlanta allowed the 14th-highest explosive run rate and 13th-most rushing yards per game, they were a tough team overall to run on. They faced the sixth-most rushing attempts last year and held opposing rushers at bay with the sixth-highest stuff rate, the tenth-lowest missed tackles forced, and the ninth-lowest yards after contact per attempt. Harris will have to rely on volume this week.