Najee Harris Rookie of the Year Campaign Takes Hit After Tough Debut

Najee Harris had a lot of hype going into the season. He played well in the preseason, saw his Offensive Rookie of the Year odds rise and seemed to be the missing piece for the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. 

Well, none of that was apparent on Sunday in Buffalo. Harris finished the day with 49 total yards on 17 touches, which is 2.9 yards per touch. He wasn’t able to get going against a Buffalo Bills team that was near the bottom third of the league in rushing yards allowed per game last season. 

As a result, Harris saw his odds to win ROY drop. WynnBET has his odds at +700. While those odds aren’t terrible, it’s interesting to see who is in front of him. Harris dropped to +700, but Trey Lance and Justin Fields, who are backups that see limited playing time, are both ahead of Harris with +600 odds. 

Harris is still expected to be one of the top backs and should have success as the year goes on, but Week 1 was not the debut he wanted to have. Not everything is his fault either. The Steelers’ offensive line isn’t the best and Harris was the one that felt the most effects of that. 

The one positive to come out of Harris’ performance is that the Steelers had him on the field for every offensive snap. Harris is going to get all the opportunity to prove his worth, but it still may not be enough.

The Steelers planned to be more balanced this season with Harris in the mix, but if the offensive line can’t do their job, then Harris might be a prime candidate to stay away from in the OROY conversation. 

Will Najee Harris rebound from a poor Week 1? Download the WynnBET app and make your pick today.