During the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 20-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Najee Harris suffered an arm injury. What’s the latest on Harris’ status, and will he be available in Week 4 when the Steelers face the Indianapolis Colts?
What’s the Latest on Najee Harris’ Injury?
After the Steelers’ Week 3 win, 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.”
While Harris didn’t practice on Wednesday, but head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that it was a planned rest day. Harris was a full participant at practice on Thursday and Friday, and he doesn’t even have an injury designation entering Sunday’s contest against the Colts.
His workload could increase with Jaylen Warren ruled out for this week.
Last Sunday, Harris ran 18 times for 70 yards while catching five balls for 16 yards. On the season, Harris has carried the ball 55 times for 209 yards (3.8 yards per carry).
Harris’ Fantasy Outlook
With Warren out, expect Harris to receive the bulk of carries in Week 4. This is a terrific matchup for Harris to exploit, so don’t be surprised if he has a big game (even if he isn’t 100% due to his arm injury).
The Colts gave up over 150 rushing yards to Joe Mixon in Week 1 and Josh Jacobs in Week 2 before slowing down against the Chicago Bears’ poor excuse for a run game last week.
Yes, it’s still safe to label this as a vulnerable defense, and after Harris dominated the Week 3 usage (18-3 edge over Warren in carries, 5-1 in targets), he’ll be an RB2 in fantasy this week.
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While Harris is banged up, he’s incredibly durable; he hasn’t missed a game in his NFL career, so he’s no stranger to playing through the pain.
With Warren out and given how many players are injured entering Week 4, Cordarrelle Patterson is worth considering as a desperation Flex.
We know how much Steelers offensive coordinator loves Patterson, so don’t be surprised if he mixes in and spells Harris throughout the game.