Who Should I Start? Najee Harris or Chris Brooks


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
4.4 23.4 0.1 0.7 4.2 0.0

Najee Harris News

Najee Harris Could Earn a Role in New York

Tuesday, September 8, 5:59 AM

New York Giants running back Najee Harris will be an important name to monitor early in the season after the veteran signed a one-year deal to join new coach John Harbaugh in New York. He is expected to play a significant role behind starter Cam Skattebo, and he will compete for snaps with Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary for backup work. Tracy struggled in pass protection this preseason, which may be part of the reason that Harris was added. The 28-year-old veteran was limited to just three games with Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers last season, suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in late September after missing training camp due to a fireworks accident. He was a workhorse in his first four seasons in the league for the Steelers, racking up over 1,000 rushing yards and playing all 17 games each year. His role with the Giants is uncertain, which is why he's only RotoBaller's No. 53 RB for Week 1, indicating he isn't in the mix to start in most formats. However, he is a solid handcuff for Skattebo and could work his way into a large enough role to be a deep-league flex option by the time we reach bye weeks.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
5.5 19.7 0.1 1.4 9.5 0.1

Chris Brooks News

Chris Brooks Has a Real Opening in Green Bay's Backfield

Tuesday, September 8, 12:05 PM

Green Bay Packers running back Chris Brooks has become a little more interesting with Josh Jacobs unavailable to open the season. The Packers are going with a committee for now, leaving Brooks in a three-man backfield with MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson. Lloyd has the obvious big-play appeal, but Brooks brings something Green Bay already trusts. He has carved out work on passing downs because of his hands and pass protection, which gives him a chance to stick in the rotation even if he isn't getting many early-down carries. Brooks had only 27 rushes for 106 yards last season, though he also caught 13 passes for 91 yards. There isn't enough here to put him into a Week 1 lineup yet. He is rostered in just 3% of Yahoo leagues and makes the most sense as a stash in 14-team PPR formats. If the committee gives Brooks more passing-game work than expected, there could be something useful here.


Najee Harris vs. Chris Brooks

Still trying to decide between Harris and Brooks? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Najee Harris is projected to score 4.4 points this week while Chris Brooks is projected to score 5.5 points.