Najee Harris

Pittsburgh declined Harris's fifth-year option ahead of the 2024 season. A contract year gave him a shot to prove his worth on a team hell-bent on riding their defense to a postseason run. While he saw the ball plenty in his fourth season, Harris gave the Steelers and fantasy managers more of the same. He ran 263 times for 1,043 yards and six scores in the regular season. The unexplosive back topped 30 yards on just two of his carries. He added 283 yards through the air. Harris hit 100 rushing yards three times in a row early but never recaptured that magic during the final two months of the season. He never surpassed 75 rushing yards over his final 10 games including the playoffs. If the Steelers bring him back in free agency, it will only be as a two-down grinder and a committee back. Another team could view him as a three-down option and out-bid the Steelers, though that isn't likely to work out well for them.

A ZeroRB darling, Warren suffered a hamstring injury in the offseason that threatened to hold him out of the Steelers' Week 1 opener. While he did play in the game, Mike Tomlin was determined to limit his snaps in the opening month because of the injury. Warren totaled 19 touches over the first three weeks of the season and then missed two games with a knee issue. He eventually returned to a part-time role, operating as a change-of-pace back while also getting work as the team's primary option on passing downs. Warren's role ebbed and flowed depending on the game state, but he never passed Najee Harris on the depth chart despite looking like the team's more explosive back late in the year. While better than Harris, Warren's numbers also took a hit in 2024. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry compared to 5.3 in 2023. Warren finished the year with 120 carries for 511 yards and 38 catches for 310 yards. With Harris set to hit free agency, there's a chance Warren gets a larger cut of the backfield in his fourth NFL season. However, Mike Tomlin's reluctance to give him a full-time role suggests Pittsburgh will bring in another back if they let Harris walk.

Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt avoided a penalty for a hit to the head of Steelers running back Najee Harris in Week 18, but he received some discipline from the league this week.

Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt avoided a penalty for a hit to the head of Steelers running back Najee Harris in Week 18, but he received some discipline from the league this week.

Warren was dealing with a rib injury, but it was still surprising to see the tailback receive 10 fewer touches than Najee Harris (12-36-1, four catches for 20 yards) in the season finale. Warren looked like the much faster and better playmaker when he did touch the ball, but game script and stubbornness saw him essentially be a non-factor. Expect to see more Warren in the Wild Card round, especially if Harris (undisclosed) can't play next weekend/Monday.