Najee Harris is good to go for Friday’s season opener against the Chiefs in Brazil.
The veteran ball carrier injured his eye in a Fourth of July fireworks accident, but ramped up enough to be healthy for Week 1 against Kansas City.
“He says he’s ready, and he looks ready to go,” Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said earlier this week. “Really hard to predict play counts. He’s going to play football and have at it. That’s the mindset.”
Despite being touted as one half of a two-headed rushing attack, oddsmakers aren’t expecting much from Harris when the Chargers head south.
Harris’ rushing yards over/under is sitting at around 20.5 yards at most major sportsbooks.
That’s well below fellow Chargers running back, rookie Omarion Hampton, who was taken in the first round by Los Angeles in April’s draft and named the starter on Thursday.
Hampton is forecast for around 47.5 rushing yards, which may be wishful thinking as oddsmakers up the number for the much sexier option in the Chargers’ backfield.
Harbaugh showed last season that he’s willing to run out a 1-2 punch at running back – three times last season, Gus Edwards had double-digit carries while backing up J.K. Dobbins.
The Chiefs’ run defense wasn’t exactly dominant last season as well, allowing 108.1 yards on the ground per game despite having plenty of leads with their 15-2 regular season record.
Betting on the NFL?
Hampton’s time will come for the Chargers.
I’m not expecting Harbaugh to treat him like a true bellcow right off the bat, though.
Look for Harris to get a decent chunk of the work as the franchise eases Hampton in.
The play: Najee Harris to have more than 20.5 rushing yards (-125, Fanatics Sportsbook)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
Credit: Source link
