During the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 20-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren suffered injuries. What’s the latest on the running backs and will they be available in Week 4 when the Steelers face the Indianapolis Colts?
What’s the Latest on Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren?
Harris suffered an apparent arm injury during the Week 3 victory. The star running back had his arm in a sling during postgame locker room availability, according to PennLive’s Nick Farabaugh.
It’s unclear when Harris suffered the injury, as he put Sunday’s game away with a 21-yard run in the final minutes. The Steelers closed out the contest with consecutive Justin Fields kneel-downs.
Najee Harris ripped off a 21-yard run to ice the game for the #Steelers! 😤 pic.twitter.com/bXD3UWtsAF
— Steelers Update (@SteelersUpdate1) September 23, 2024
Fortunately, on Tuesday, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Harris “is expected to be fine and is likely to be ready for Sunday’s game” against the Colts. He added: “There doesn’t seem to be any concern.”
As for Warren, he was pulled from the game after injuring his knee. Steelers head coach Tomlin explained why Warren exited the game while speaking to reporters after the win.
“Jaylen Warren wasn’t able to finish here late in the second half. I pulled him from the game. It just didn’t look like he was running smoothly,” Tomlin explained. “We will have to evaluate him.”
Warren reportedly will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of his injury. He will be limited in practice, and he is currently listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Indianapolis.
Warren suffered a strained hamstring during Pittsburgh’s second preseason game. Initially, there were reports that he would miss multiple weeks, but the tone quickly became far more optimistic and he was able to play in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons. While many wondered if the injuries are related, Tomlin told reporters on Tuesday that Warren’s current issue is unrelated to his previous hamstring strain.
Harris ran 18 times for 70 yards while catching five balls for 16 yards. Warren, meanwhile, finished with just three carries for five yards.
On the season, Harris has carried the ball 55 times for 209 yards (3.8 yards per carry). Warren has 14 carries for 54 yards (3.9 yards per carry). Warren clearly hasn’t looked like himself through three weeks, as Tomlin noted.
Jason Katz’s Fantasy Analysis: Will Cordarrelle Patterson Play a Bigger Role?
It was curious that Cordarrelle Patterson played as many snaps as Warren, but now we know why.
We know Arthur Smith loves him some C-Patt. If Harris and Warren are unable to go on Sunday, we could be staring down the battle of Patterson as the feature back.
Sources: #Steelers RB Najee Harris, who was seen in the locker room with a sling on his right arm on Monday, is expected to be fine and is likely to be ready for Sunday’s game vs the #Colts. There doesn’t seem to be any concern.
Harris has totaled 239 yards through 3 games for… pic.twitter.com/mOIFJVVlMw
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 24, 2024
Given how many players entered Week 3 injured and how many more went down, Patterson would be a very appealing volume-based Flex option if both of the Steelers’ top two backs are out.
If just one is out, and it sounds as though Warren is dealing with the more serious injury, Patterson would still be worth considering as a desperation Flex.
Unless we get overwhelmingly positive news on both Harris and Warren, Patterson should absolutely be on fantasy managers’ list of waiver claims this week.