Fantasy Football Early Waiver Wire: Najee Harris’ injury could make it worth going all-in for Jaylen Warren

Steelers running back Najee Harris had to leave the first week’s game against the Bengals with a foot injury and while we don’t yet know the extent of the injury, it’s a scary sight for someone who missed much of training camp with a Lisfranc injury . Harris went to the dressing room for further evaluation and missed the end of the game. That’s the kind of injury that could already have a massive impact on fantasy seasons.

It’s too early to say for sure, but what we can say is that Jaylen Warren suddenly looks like he might be the Running back to add fantasy before week 2 – even ahead of 49ers Jeff Wilson, who will play a significant role following Elijah Mitchell’s knee injury. Warren is the clear backup for Harris based on what we saw from the preseason, and while that didn’t translate into much production on Sunday, he was the only other running back to touch the ball for the Steelers.

The reason you’d rather have Warren than Wilson is because the 49ers also have Trey Lance and Deebo Samuel to share carries while the Steelers tend to lean heavily on a running back whoever is available. For example, between 2019 and 2020, Benny Snell had 19 or more touches in four of his five starts instead of James Conner. Warren could play a similar role in the future.

Of course…this Steelers offense might not be very good. Mitchell Trubisky passed just 194 yards on 38 tries Sunday while they rushed 75 yards on 22 carries — including just 30 yards on 13 carries between Harris and Warren. And with the more agile Trubisky in the QB instead of the portly Ben Roethlisberger, the running backs only had three targets between them. It’s only a one-game sample size and this is a pretty talented Bengals defense, but this wasn’t a great debut for the Steelers’ new QB.

Still, Warren looks like he could play a significant role in Harris’ injury, and that would make him the clear top pick for waivers this week. We’ll hear more about Harris’ injury in the coming days, but given the preseason injury, it’s difficult to be optimistic. If Harris has to miss a lot of time, Warren might be the kind of pickup you spend a quarter or more of your FAAB budget on because I’d predict he’s an RB2 while Harris is out.

Here are some other players we may look at in the waiver ahead of week 2 – but don’t forget Jeff Wilson, who could see a significant role next weekend if Elijah Mitchell’s knee injury turns out to be serious: