Who Should I Start? Najee Harris or Rico Dowdle

Saturday, January 18, 12:20 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren will both be free agents in March, and Cordarrelle Patterson has one year left on his two-year deal. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac expects only one of those three RBs to return in 2025. Harris' return could be in jeopardy despite the fact that he's just one of 14 players in NFL history to start their career with four straight 1,000-yard seasons. The writing was on the wall when the team didn't pick up his fifth-year option last spring, and bringing him back on the franchise tag would cost $13.6 million. Dulac suggests the Steelers would prefer to look for a replacement in the NFL draft, which should have a deep class at the position. Warren is a restricted free agent, so he has a greater chance to return. While Harris did have 1,000 yards rushing in 2024, it was the second straight season he went without a TD reception.

Sunday, January 5, 9:23 PM

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle rushed 22 times for 72 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's Week 18 loss to the Washington Commanders. He also caught two of his three targets for an additional 12 yards through the air. Dowdle was quite impressive throughout the 2024 season, supplanting Ezekiel Elliott as the Cowboys' undisputed No. 1 running back. He finished the campaign with 1,079 rushing yards, 249 receiving yards, and five total touchdowns through 16 games, ranking as a low-end RB2 in fantasy football. There has been plenty of speculation that the Cowboys could take an aggressive approach with their pursuit of a running back this offseason, such as drafting Ashton Jeanty. However, there's also a real possibility they feel confident in Dowdle and don't take as big of a swing for a backfield addition within the upcoming months. The 26-year-old currently still has appeal as a mid-range RB3 option heading into the 2025 campaign, and until Dallas brings in competition, this backfield belongs to Dowdle.