The NFL preseason is in full swing, and fantasy football managers need to monitor every piece of injury news as they finalize draft boards. Najee Harris injured his eye in a fireworks accident on July 4 and was initially expected to have a quick recovery. With the regular season looming, what is Harris’ current status, and how might his absence affect the Los Angeles Chargers’ running back depth chart and your fantasy strategy?
Najee Harris Injury Update
Harris suffered a superficial eye injury at a Fourth of July celebration where a fireworks mishap led to injuries for several people. His agent, Doug Hendrickson, immediately downplayed the incident, calling it a minor setback and assuring the public that Harris would be ready for the season. For weeks, team officials echoed this optimism, repeatedly stating he was expected to be back on the field before Week 1.
Despite those reassurances, Harris remains absent from Chargers practice well into August. He started camp on the non-football injury list and, as of the second preseason week, has not participated in any team drills. Harris has been seen only walking laps at practice with his helmet and a tinted visor, and a recent image posted to social media appeared to show his injured eye still partially shut.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh’s recent press conferences have not clarified Harris’s timeline. If anything, they’ve introduced more skepticism. Asked directly whether Harris would be ready to play when the season opens in Brazil against the Kansas City Chiefs, Harbaugh admitted, “There’s a chance he is,” before repeatedly deferring to team doctors and Harris’ agent about the true nature of the injury.
Jim Harbaugh on Najee Harris’ injury status: “There’s a chance he is [ready for Week 1]. I’m not a doctor, but can he open his eye? Yeah. We’ll wait and see.”
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim) August 8, 2025
Chargers camp reactions to Harris’ status have grown increasingly uneasy. While the original messaging was that he could return any day, now speculation has shifted to whether he will be ready at all for Week 1, or possibly the opening month.
August 13 Update: Harris finally started doing work at practice on Tuesday, August 12. However, he remained limited to individual drills. Still, it is a step in the right direction and the first true positive indicator we’ve had, unless you count Harris literally walking the practice field.
According to ESPN’s Kris Rhim, a Chargers beat reporter, Harris “ran and participated in drills with a football for the first time this training camp, doing so off to the side with an athletic trainer during Tuesday’s practice.”
It’s great to see Harris back working, but we’re still talking about a player new to the team who has yet to formally participate in practice a mere three weeks out from the start of the season. Harris still has a ways to go to be ready for opening day.
Harris Fantasy Outlook
Harris entered the offseason with a fresh shot to reinvent himself as a veteran contributor in Harbaugh’s run-first offense. His proven production with the Pittsburgh Steelers would have made him a likely early-season backfield leader, possibly keeping first-round rookie Omarion Hampton in more of a complementary role to start the year.
However, Harris’ prolonged absence and lack of on-field work destroy nearly all early-season upside. By the time Harris returns to full-contact practices, whether that’s later in August or after the opener, Hampton will have spent all of camp taking first-team reps and earning trust as the Chargers’ go-to back.
Unlike typical veterans who can coast on past production, Harris is new to the organization and the system. He’s no more established in Los Angeles than Hampton and now may have to fight just to hold off backups like Kimani Vidal. If Harris only manages to get back to practice days before the opener, he profiles as a pure backup and possible short-yardage or passing-down specialist, not a volume leader.
Najee Harris stiff arms 😲💪 pic.twitter.com/6IM8Dda1TO
— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) June 24, 2025
For fantasy managers, the risk now outweighs any upside unless Harris falls deep into the double-digit draft rounds. Your roster spot may be wasted stashing him unless there is sudden positive news about his recovery. Harbaugh’s non-committal outlook only amplifies the red flags.
This injury has cemented Hampton as the presumed Week 1 starter, and those who nabbed him in early drafts now have one of the safest rookie rushing workloads in the league. The door is wide open for Hampton to start strong, and even with occasional Harris appearances, there’s little reason for the team to slow the rookie’s momentum.
Camp buzz and visible frustration suggest the Chargers’ staff is preparing to begin the season without Harris contributing in a major way. Unless something changes quickly, the veteran’s best hope is a rotation role after Hampton is firmly established as the franchise’s top back.
At the same time, OC Greg Roman indicated that this won’t be a solo backfield regardless of the health of the team’s backs.
OC Greg Roman on the Chargers backfield:
“There will be rotation no matter what happens. The day of the one running back taking every rep, it’s kinda gone the way of the prehistoric creatures.” pic.twitter.com/h02we7qvwG
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) August 12, 2025
While this may discourage fantasy managers from drafting Hampton, it’s important to remember that Roman is correct. There are very, very few backs who are playing every down these days. Derrick Henry’s snap share the past two seasons has been 58% and 54%.
No one should have been projecting Hampton for a 70% snap share. In a run heavy scheme, there will be plenty of opportunities for the rookie even in a 60/40 split with some combination Harris, Kimani Vidal, Raheim Sanders, or whoever else may end up on the roster. Hampton remains priced such that there is plenty of room for upward mobility.
