Mike Tomlin's Latest Comments are Concerning for Najee Harris' Fantasy Outlook

It's been a disappointing season for Najee Harris and his fantasy managers, and unfortunately it doesn't sound like it's going to get any better.

While Harris has already underperformed relative to preseason expectations, it appears that trend may continue based on Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin's latest comments.

Najee Harris Fantasy Outlook

Harris was one of the first running backs taken in fantasy drafts this year coming off an impressive rookie season in which he rushed for 1,200 yards and 7 touchdowns while adding another 467 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns through the air.

Unfortunately, Harris hasn't come close to approaching those numbers in 2022. He's struggled to make an impact in a Steelers offense that has often looked dysfunctional with Mitch Trubisky and now rookie Kenny Pickett at quarterback. With just 222 rushing yards, 64 receiving yards and 2 total touchdowns through five weeks, Harris is on pace for 755 rushing yards, 218 receiving yards and 7 total touchdowns.

While those are decent numbers, they're a far cry from the RB1 production that fantasy managers were expecting. After finishing last season as the overall RB3 in PPR formats, he's currently the RB27 this year behind the likes of Khalil Herbert, Michael Carter and Devin Singletary.

Now, it seems like Harris' stats might take even more of a hit with the emergence of rookie running back Jaylen Warren. While Warren hasn't been much of a factor thus far, he played a more significant role in Pittsburgh's 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 5. In addition to playing on 51% of the offensive snaps, Warren turned a season-high 9 touches into 63 total yards.

Granted, the Steelers were resting Harris in a blowout, but it's possible that Warren could continue to eat into his workload as the season progresses. Based on Tomlin's comments, it sounds like Warren will be featured more in the offense going forward, which limits Harris' fantasy ceiling considerably.

As such, consider Harris more of a low-end RB2/high-end RB3 until further notice. The Duel has him ranked as the RB30 for Week 6 in PPR formats and the RB17 for the rest of the season.

Harris will try to get back on track against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6 with Pittsburgh listed as 8.5-point home underdogs on FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds.

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