The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the New York Jets in Week 7. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Najee Harris.
Is Najee Harris Playing in Week 7?
Najee Harris didn’t practice on Wednesday because of a rib injury but rebounded with a full practice on Thursday. There was some alarm because while Harris typically receives a rest day on Wednesdays, the Steelers specifically noted his rib issue.
However, it appears that he is on his usual maintenance plan and should be the lead back again on Sunday night vs. the Jets. Harris doesn’t have an injury destination for Week 7.
Harris posted his best performance of the season on Sunday against the Raiders, totaling 106 yards and a TD on the ground while adding 16 yards a receiver.
He could also benefit from Russell Wilson starting in place of Justin Fields. He wouldn’t have to cede rushing opportunities to the elder quarterback, while Wilson wouldn’t be a threat to steal goal-line touches (like Fields is).
The Jets are better against the pass, but they’re still good against the run. Gang Green has allowed the eighth-fewest fantasy points to RBs and the ninth-fewest rushing yards per play.
We’ll continue to monitor the Steelers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Najee Harris in Week 7?
The touchdown was a thing of beauty as Harris flashed the type of agility that we’ve wanted to see from him for years.
In total, he wrung up 122 yards against the Raiders on 16 touches. It was easily his best performance of the season (his longest gain and his first touchdown) and he draws a Jets defense that is on short rest after giving up 152 yards to Ray Davis on Monday night.
The likely move to Russell Wilson adds scoring equity to Harris’ portfolio, and with Jaylen Warren carrying six times for just seven yards last week, we might just have a bell cow in Pittsburgh.
For the season as a whole, the Jets are an average run defense and Harris is an average back in terms of efficiency. I worry that this is a low-possession game, and that caps the upside for all players involved, but I’m looking for Harris to assume roughly 70% of the running back carries in this coin-flip game; that results in an average RB2 ranking on my end.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 7 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Najee Harris’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 7
Harris is projected to score 13.7 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 16.4 rushing attempts for 64.1 yards and 0.4 touchdowns. It also includes 2.7 receptions for 18.5 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Najee Harris’ Week 7 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.Â
Conference Championship RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) James Cook | BUF (at KC)
3) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
4) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. BUF)
5) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Austin Ekeler | WAS (at PHI)
7) Ray Davis | BUF (at KC)
8) Ty Johnson | BUF (at KC)
9) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. BUF)
10) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. WAS)
11) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at PHI)
12) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. WAS)
13) Carson Steele | KC (vs. BUF)
14) Reggie Gilliam | BUF (at KC)
15) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
