Who Should I Start? Najee Harris or Khalil Herbert

Friday, May 17, 1:12 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris changed his diet this offseason in an effort to slim down. "He's motivated, to say the least," his offseason trainer Josh Scott said. It makes sense for Harris, who had his fifth-year option declined by the Steelers recently. "It's all fueling his fire to have an even better season than last year and prove a lot of people wrong," Scott said. The former first-rounder in 2021, who is listed at 242 pounds on the team's roster, looks closer to his listed college weight of 230. Harris has been eating a lot of fish and vegetables and has avoided processed foods. "He's looking really, really springy; really, really light off the ground; and more agile," Scott said. Harris averaged less than 4.0 yards per carry in his first two NFL seasons but has gone over 1,000 yards rushing in all three of his campaigns. He had a career-high eight rushing TDs in 2023, but his fantasy ceiling could be capped as an RB2 with Jaylen Warren commanding his share of backfield touches.

Thursday, May 2, 2:16 PM

The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain wonders if running back Khalil Herbert would be a trade candidate if the Chicago Bears bring in an undrafted rookie at the position and he impresses. Of course, this all depends on the development of Roschon Johnson. Herbert is entering the final year of his rookie deal. D'Andre Swift signed a three-year contract with the Bears this offseason, while Johnson has the same number of years remaining on his first contract after being drafted in the fourth round in 2023. Herbert is a solid back, but RBI is a position that changes often for teams. Chicago's coaching staff is high on Johnson, and the 26-year-old Herbert dealt with ankle and back injuries last year after leading the NFL with 5.7 yards per carry in 2022. The addition of Swift in this backfield obviously hurts Herbert's fantasy stock a great deal heading into the 2024 season.