As we close in toward the new season, the ever-changing NFL landscape has player fantasy values constantly on the move, with key events like free agency and the 2023 NFL Draft still to come. Whether you’re used to the dynasty platform or are still learning the rules, let’s dive into the latest dynasty fantasy football value of RB Damien Harris.

Damien Harris Dynasty Outlook and Value

With his rookie contract set to expire, 2019 third-round pick Damien Harris is slated to hit free agency as part of an extensive list of available running backs. After basically redshirting his rookie season, Harris became an essential piece of the New England Patriots‘ offense the following three seasons, starting in 34 of a possible 36 games.

But injuries made it difficult for Harris to stay on the field and, in the end, likely cost him his job. Consequently, Harris probably isn’t in line for a significant payday this offseason.

Harris had a breakout 2021 campaign with 929 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns as the overall RB14. Still, he took a backseat this season to second-year back Rhamondre Stevenson, who became the Patriots’ first 1,000-yard rusher since LeGarrette Blount in 2016 and led the team in receptions with 69.

Meanwhile, Harris missed six games due to injury this season and ran for 462 yards and three touchdowns on 106 carries while also catching 17 passes (on 23 targets) for 97 yards. Safe to say those who invested thinking 2022 would be a repeat were sorely disappointed.

Harris finished the year 48th in per-game scoring at 7.0 PPR/game, as he lacked TD upside or receiving volume to boost his floor. As a result, he was an RB3 or worse in 64% of his games, with only one finish (Week 2) inside the top 12. Stevenson, on the other hand, was the RB7 in 2022.

According to Spotrac, Harris carries an estimated market value of $7.1 million AAV on a three-year deal, which honestly feels high to me, given the current market.

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Right now, there are only five running backs making over $10 million per year and seven north of $6.5 million on average. It’s Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott, Nick Chubb, Derrick Henry, Dalvin Cook, Joe Mixon, and Alvin Kamara. That’s it.

While I do expect both Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs to enter this territory, too, Harris is still behind the likes of Miles Sanders, David Montgomery, Kareem Hunt, and Tony Pollard (tagged), for who I would rank the free agent RBs for 2023.

Harris needs a fresh start from New England, who wants to move forward with Stevenson as their workhorse. Harris is still young enough that his dynasty value might go up depending on the landing spot and depth chart.

As a two-down back with TD upside, Harris will have a home in 2023 and could be a sneaky buy-low for dynasty, if you’re someone who believes in Harris’ skill set.

Damien Harris Fantasy Ranking

While he does lack receiving upside, Harris should remain a viable Flex option for 2023 and beyond, assuming the landing spot is favorable. Due to the uncertainty, Harris is slightly devalued in rankings but not by much, coming in as the RB35 in PPR formats and the 118th player overall in Superflex leagues, where QBs slide up the board more due to positional scarcity.

At cost, Harris should be a solid pick in dynasty startup drafts. He’s been a reliable two-down back when healthy, and we aren’t overly concerned about him losing PPR value since it was never there in the first place. Still, it’s shaky right now, just like most RBs, it seems.

I don’t foresee Harris’ value rising between now and the opening kickoff. If he lands on a team as the lead in a committee in the next few weeks, dynasty managers could treat it as a sell-high opportunity if they’re worried about the team drafting one of the many talented running backs on Day 2 or Day 3, such as Zach Charbonnet, Kendre Miller, Israel Abanikanda, Sean Tucker, and DeWayne McBride, who would all threaten Harris’ role in short-area and goal-to-go situations.

It will be touch-and-go for Harris and dynasty managers who roster him. He could remain in the low-end RB3 range but could just as quickly find himself in the low-RB4 territory and needing an injury to raise into reliable Flex/RB3 territory this season.

Personally, situations, where a player is more likely to lose value than to gain are ones I try to actively stay away from when possible.