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.

Tests on Harris' foot injury came back negative Monday, with Adam Schefter of ESPN indicating via a source that the running back "should be good to go" this coming Sunday against the Patriots.

EDGE Analysis

While Harris' status still is worth monitoring closely, it looks like he avoided a concerning aggravation of the Lisfranc sprain that he dealt with in training camp. Though he may be limited somewhat in practice this week, it now appears as though Harris, whose top backup is Jaylen Warren, is trending toward being available this weekend against New England.

Michael Giardi of NFL Network suggests that Harris' foot injury is "not considered a big deal."

EDGE Analysis

While that's an encouraging post-game nugget provided by Giardi, the running back's status will still need to be monitored closely as as next Sunday's game against the Patriots approaches, given that Harris previously dealt with a Lisfranc sprain in his foot during training camp. If Harris ends up being out or limited in Week 2, Jaylen Warren would presumably be a candidate to log added work in the Steelers' backfield versus New England.

Harris was forced out of Sunday's game against the Bengals with a foot injury, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

EDGE Analysis

Prior to his exit from the contest, Harris had carried 10 times for 23 yards and caught two passes for three yards and a TD. Next up for the team's carries and thus a potential Week 2 waiver wire target is Jaylen Warren.

Harris, who made his preseason debut Sunday against the Lions, indicated that he was previously dealing with a Lisfranc sprain in his foot, dating back to the first day of training camp, Eric Edholm of NFL.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

That said, Harris drew the start at running back for the Steelers in their preseason finale on Sunday, en route to logging 28 snaps on offense, while carrying four times for 10 yards and catching all three of his targets for 11 yards. With no reported setbacks in the contest, Harris remains on track to continue to lead Pittsburgh's backfield in the team's season opener against the Bengals. Currently in the mix to log complementary RB snaps behind Harris -- the team's clear-cut top option at the position -- are Benny Snell, Anthony McFarland and Jaylen Warren.

Harris rushed four times for 10 yards and caught all three of his targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 19-9 preseason win over the Lions.

EDGE Analysis

Harris, who has had the starting job in Pittsburgh locked up, finally got his feet wet right before the start of the regular season. The sophomore's fantasy managers were probably hoping for more production in the tune-up appearance after a pedestrian 3.9 yards per carry mark in 2021. That said, Harris should be in store for another high-volume season -- he had 381 touches and 10 touchdowns last year -- with a running back depth chart that looks similar to the one he led during his rookie campaign. Harris and the Steelers will take on the Bengals in Week 1 of the regular season on Sunday, Sept. 11.

Harris is slated to play in Sunday's preseason finale against the Lions, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

That said, we wouldn't expect the Steelers' top back to log extensive action in the contest. With that in mind, the team's depth backs -- Benny Snell, Anthony McFarland, Jaylen Warren and Max Borghi -- should see their share of work Sunday, with backfield depth chart slotting on the line ahead of looming roster cuts.

Mike Tomlin confirmed Harris won't play in Saturday's preseason game against Jacksonville, Missi Matthews of the Steelers' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Harris dealt with a minor foot injury earlier in August, but he might be sitting out Saturday even if that weren't the case, as he's a rock-solid bet to rank among the NFL leaders in touches per game. He was able to handle a massive workload without missing any games as a rookie, leading all NFL backs in snaps (980) and touches (381). Running backs coach Eddie Faulkner suggested the Steelers would like Harris to play about seven fewer snaps per game this season, though perhaps without much sacrifice in terms of carries and targets (the idea being to take him off the field more on snaps where he's unlikely to see the ball).

Harris indicated Wednesday that he's not in line to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Jaguars, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

EDGE Analysis

The report notes that if Harris -- who has been managing a foot issue in training camp -- does play at all in the preseason, it will be in the Steelers' exhibition finale against the Lions on Aug. 28. In any case, Harris is entrenched as the team's top back, with Benny Snell (knee), Anthony McFarland, Jaylen Warren, Mataeo Durant and Master Teague (ankle) currently in the mix for depth chart slotting behind him in Pittsburgh's backfield.

Harris, who had dealt with a foot injury over the last two weeks, was a full participant in Monday's practice, Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

EDGE Analysis

Harris was limited in practice over the last several weeks, but Monday's session marked the first time that he had managed every rep since sustaining a foot injury in early August. The team never expressed significant concern about the issue, so it's unlikely that the issue will impact his availability to begin the regular season. However, the Steelers have said over the last few months that they plan to reduce Harris' snap count slightly in 2022 after he led all running backs in snaps, snap share, snaps per game and touches as a rookie last year.