Player: RB Najee Harris
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: In his first game toting the load without Jaylen Warren, Najee Harris looked overburdened. He rushed for a paltry 19 yards despite carrying the ball 13 times. While he had a nifty 32-yard catch and run and over 50 receiving yards overall, this is not a performance to hang your hat on. Or your prospects for a long-term contract, for that matter.
It’s hard to justify under 20 rushing yards for a starting running back with double-digit carries in a game. Even though the Indianapolis Colts prioritized loading the box, Najee Harris struggled in the Steelers’ loss Sunday. On 13 rushing attempts, he mustered just 19 yards, with a long of 5.
The Steelers did find ways to use him effectively in the passing game, Harris catching three passes for 54 yards. That included a nifty 32-yard catch and run on Harris’ part on which he looked both impressive and underwhelming. While you have to admire his effort, it also illustrated his lack of long speed.
Through the first three games of the season, Najee Harris had rushed for 209 yards on 55 carries. Those are not great numbers by any means but are reasonably respectable. As indicated by his 41.8-percent success rate, they also represent an imbalanced performance. He has tended to do better in the second half.
Harris did not record his first successful run Sunday until the second half, in fact, a three-yard gain on 1st and 5. That was his seventh rushing attempt of the game, and he finished with just four. That included a one-yard gain to convert on 3rd and 1. He also helped set up a touchdown with a five-yard run inside the red zone.
So far, I don’t think we can say that we are seeing a player in Najee Harris the Steelers must re-sign after this season, the 2021 first-round pick due to hit free agency in March. There are a lot of factors to consider, including the newness of the offense and the offensive line. The line played most of yesterday’s game with essentially three backups, Isaac Seumalo, Troy Fautanu, and James Daniels all injured, Daniels in-game. But Harris needs to show better than this.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
