Harris (foot) said Tuesday in his appearance on Sirius XM's "Mad Dog Sports Radio" that he "will be playing this weekend" against the Patriots.

EDGE Analysis

Harris appears to have avoided a major foot injury after he exited the Steelers' season-opening overtime win over the Bengals late in the contest, with medical tests coming back negative. Even though he noted Tuesday that he "should be back practicing this week" before suiting up Sunday, a decision on his availability for the Week 2 matchup is likely to be made by the Steelers' training and coaching staffs, not the player himself. If Harris' prediction comes true and he suits up this weekend, he could still carry a designation into the contest if he's unable to turn in a full practice by Friday. The second-year back previously dealt with a Lisfranc sprain to the same foot during training camp, so the Steelers may be incentivized to exercise caution with him and perhaps even lighten his workload and snap count in Week 2 to avoid a longer-term setback. Rookie Jaylen Warren is the next man up in the backfield if the Steelers elect to hold out or limit Harris this weekend.