Najee

Harris

The move comes a couple days after Harris criticized the New York coaching staff for its handling of the backfield touch distribution. “It’s hard to get into a rhythm with one or two plays...if you’re getting a play here and then get taken out for a series, there’s nothing you could do,” Harris said after the Giants’ Week 6 loss to the Saints. “I’ve never been through none of this before.” Harris had 31 rushes for 99 scoreless yards before getting the boot. With Harris gone, Cam Skattebo could get another chance to see increased playing time after being all but benched last week. Tyrone Tracy, who led the team in rushing attempts against New Orleans, could be the de facto lead back for now.

Tyrone Tracy appeared to do the most with his opportunities last week, scoring the game’s only two touchdowns. Najee Harris was bottled up and Cam Skattebo was soft benched while Devin Singletary led the team in snaps while they were in comeback mode for most of the second half. By the letter of what he’s offering here, Tracy is probably the player who should get the majority of the snaps against the Texans. In actuality, we have no idea what will happen here and this quote doesn’t really help us. “I don’t like (rotating backs) either,” Harbaugh said per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan after the game. “One of those guys needs to step up. Somebody needs to step up and be the back. And none of those guys have done that yet.” We suspect we’ll be diving beat writer opinions ahead of Sunday.

Harris started the game for the Giants after it was reported Cam Skatteboo would be downgraded after his fumble issues. Fantasy managers that picked up Harris to start or stash will be immensely disappointed to see four carries and 11 snaps on the day. A pass-heavy game script played a role in that, but he totaled just two yards and has been a largely ineffective runner this season. Harris can remain off fantasy rosters heading into Week 7 against the Texans.

Fowler was adding to a report from Jordan Raanan, who said Harris is “likely to have a larger role with Cam Skattebo downgraded but still part of the mix after the fumbles.” Skattebo has indeed struggled with fumbles, putting the ball on the ground four times this year. No running back has more fumbles, and Skattebo’s most recent blunder cost the Giants a shot at an overtime win versus the Commanders last week. They instead settled for a tie. Even if Skattebo winds up leading the team in carries this week, he was only valuable for fantasy managers because of his high-volume role. With that out the window, Skattebo is buried in the RB3 ranks for Week 6.

Giants beat writer Dan Duggan chimed in with “I would be very surprised if [Cam] Skattebo has the same RB1 workload on Sunday that he’s had in the first five games.” Skattebo has put the ball on the ground four times in the first five games. Najee Harris has one in 27 carries and Tyrone Tracy has added two. It sounds like Harris may start to be a significant thorn in the side of Skattebo-reliant managers.

Harris was playing Cam Skattebo to a usage standstill before his fourth quarter giveaway in a game where the G-Men were clinging to a 27-24 lead. He never touched the ball afterwards, going over 11 minutes without a handle as Skattebo saw seven touches during that timespan. That’s what a fumble benching looks like. Coach John Harbaugh will likely forgive and forget going into Week 5 against the Commanders, but not to the degree a timeshare starts developing. This might have been Harris’ one shot in that regard. Even with injuries mounting and bye weeks beginning, Harris is a tough stash in 12-team leagues.

Devin Singletary was inactive this week and Tyrone Tracy only touched the ball once, leaving nearly all of the backup running back touches to Harris. He gashed the Titans for 5.2 yards per carry but wasn’t involved in the receiving game, limiting his fantasy value. Harris is the clear backup to Cam Skattebo, but he won’t see enough touches to be worth a FLEX spot when the Giants take on the Cardinals next week.

We can’t endorse relying on anyone in this backfield as a surefire bellcow in the event that Cam Skattebo gets hurt or is ineffective enough to lose playing time. It seems like it will be hard to rely on Tracy to have a major role this year with Harris in town.

Harris saw his first game action since he suffered a torn Achilles last year. The 28-year-old running back had 39 yards on 11 carries and his longest run was for nine yards. Harris added a 20-yard reception, giving him 59 scrimmage yards on 12 opportunities. Harris was brought in to be a “significant contributor” to the Giants, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. He looked the part in Friday’s preseason finale against the Jets.

This will be the first look we get at Harris since he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 3 last season. The 28-year-old vet signed a deal with the Giants less than two weeks ago, but could end up being a “significant contributor” to the Giants’ backfield, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Whether or not Harris has any fantasy value as a standalone option with Cam Skattebo healthy is to be determined, but he could be the leader in the clubhouse to be the next man up should Skattebo ever miss time, making him an intriguing late-round pick in fantasy drafts.