Steelers Backfield Fantasy Football Breakdown | Should You Start Najee Harris or Jaylen Warren in Week 11? Can You Start Both?

The Pittsburgh Steelers have relied on Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren pretty equally all season. That shows in the season statistics, and has them neck and neck in fantasy scoring.

It’s great for the Steelers to have two backs they can trust, but it’s frustrating for fantasy owners of either guy. After each back had a strong showing in week 10, which one should you be turning to in week 11? Can you start both? Let’s discuss.

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Backfield Breakdown by Week

FantasySP’s target, touch, snap and red zone leaders page makes it easy to track how each Pittsburgh back has performed this season. Instead of making you click through every week, let me save you the trouble and give you the numbers here.

Week 1 saw Harris and Warren each finish with eight touches. Warren rushed three times for 6 yards and caught five of his six targets for 12 yards. Harris rushed six times for 31 yards and caught both of his targets for 2 yards.

Harris had 11 touches in week 2, while Warren got 10. Harris rushed 10 times for 43 yards and caught one of his three targets for zero yards. Warren rushed six times for 20 yards and added four receptions and 66 receiving yards on six targets.

Harris again led the way in week 3, getting 19 touches to 11 for Warren. Harris rushed for 65 yards on 19 carries and failed to catch his lone target. Warren rushed eight times for 29 yards and added 23 yards on three grabs and four targets.

Things were pretty even in week 4, with Harris at 15 touches and Warren getting 14. Harris totaled 71 rushing yards on 14 carries and caught one of his two targets for 32 yards. Warren rushed eight times for 29 yards and caught all six of his targets for 26 yards.

Warren again was the better fantasy player in PPR formats in week 5, despite Harris getting 15 touches to his 12. Warren had 40 rushing yards on nine carries and added 39 receiving yards on three catches and targets. Harris gained just 37 yards on 14 rushing attempts and caught his only target for 3 yards.

Pittsburgh had its bye in week 6, and since that time, Harris has been the better PPR fantasy option.

Harris got 17 touches to just seven for Warren in week 7. Harris totaled 53 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and caught all three of his targets for 15 yards. Warren also scored on the ground, tallying 32 yards across six carries, while adding a catch on two targets for minus 1 yard.

Harris got 12 touches in week 8, while Warren had nine. Harris gained only 13 yards on seven rushing attempts, but caught all five of his targets for 42 yards. Warren went for 19 rushing yards on five carries and had four grabs on five targets for 19 yards.

Harris scored in week 9 on the ground, when he got 18 total touches. He finished with 69 rushing yards on 16 attempts and caught half of his four targets for 7 yards. Warren had 14 touches, rushing for 88 yards on 11 carries and catching all three of his targets for an additional 25 yards.

Both backs scored in week 10 on their way to their best fantasy showings of the season. Harris got 19 touches, rushing 16 times for 82 yards and a score and adding three catches on four targets for 14 yards. Warren was at 17 touches, rushing 15 times for 101 yards and a score, while adding 9 receiving yards on two catches and four targets.

For the season, Harris has 134 touches across his 301 offensive snaps played. Warren is at 102 touches on 255 snaps.

You can see that both backs have been able to produce, but because they split the workload, their ceilings aren’t super high. Week 10 might have been the ceiling for both guys.

Who to Start in Week 11

The Steelers have a big game in week 11 against the Cleveland Browns. The teams met back in week 2, with the Steelers prevailing 26-22.

That game was one in which Warren was the better fantasy player because of his work as a pass catcher. The 129 total yards for Harris and Warren that week was one of the few times the Browns haven’t been able to slow opposing backs.

Cleveland is a top-10 defense when it comes to stopping running backs. The Browns allow an average of 73 rushing yards and 25 receiving yards to RBs.

With Deshaun Watson out for the season, the Browns’ offense is likely going to rely on the run game. The Steelers have been a strong running team of late, so viewers of this game should expect lots of rushing attempts. There’s a good chance the backs in this contest also get involved in the pass game on checkdowns. The winner of the contest is probably going to be the one with the most productive backs.

Even with the tough matchup, I’d still want Harris and Warren in my fantasy starting lineup, especially in PPR leagues. While the production isn’t always there, the consistency in getting both backs involved has been. I like that to continue in week 11.

Harris comes in 26th in our weekly RB projections, while Warren is 31st. That means you likely have at least one or two other fantasy options ahead of both guys, so I’d understand not wanting to start Harris or Warren given the matchup. I see this as your typical AFC North grind out out kinda game, so whether by rushing, receiving or scoring, Harris and Warren will each reach their fantasy projections, so at least use your flex spot on a Pittsburgh back.

If having to decide on just playing one of these guys, I'd go with recent results and take Harris for what he's done since the team's bye week.