Denver Broncos rookie running back RJ Harvey has a chance to shine for fantasy football with veteran J.K. Dobbins battling injury. Selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, some analysts believed Harvey could be a Year 1 wonder in Sean Payton’s offense. However, up until now, Harvey hasn’t been able to earn starting reps in this offense. Now that he has the role by default, could he be a late-season savior for a fantasy team struggling to make the playoffs?
RJ Harvey Fantasy Football Outlook Without J.K. Dobbins
RJ Harvey the Player
J.K. Dobbins is already ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the running back won’t return to the field any time soon. RJ Harvey will have plenty of opportunities in fantasy football, but does he have the talent to capitalize on the projected increase in touches?
Put simply, the answer is probably yes. RJ Harvey hasn’t set the world on fire since coming into the NFL, but he has looked like a competent player while splitting snaps with Dobbins. So far this season, the rookie has recorded 214 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 50 attempts while adding another 25 receptions for 175 yards. Additionally, the advanced metrics suggest he’s an NFL-caliber player, as his 68.8 PFF grade is 28th out of 55 eligible running backs while his 3.59 yards created per touch ranks 15th in the league.
Of course, these numbers come from a small sample, so we should analyze his college profile as well. Draft capital is the most important metric there is, and going off the board in the second round is typically a good indicator of future success. Additionally, RJ Harvey had a 43.8% college dominator and a 9.3% target share, which bodes well for his fantasy football future. The biggest red flag is that he was a late declare, which is especially bad for running backs and their relatively short shelf life.
This is one long way of saying that, while RJ Harvey probably won’t put up 2019 Christian McCaffrey numbers, he should be a reliable asset in fantasy football if he receives a high enough workload. The only question left is whether Sean Payton will give him enough of an opportunity in this new role.
Projected Workload
So far this year, J.K. Dobbins has been the team’s unquestioned starter with a 50.8% snap share. Harvey, meanwhile, is in second place with 29.2%, followed distantly by Tyler Baide (17.2%) and Jaleel McLaughlin (0.9%). Deuce Vaughn, meanwhile, is on the practice squad but has yet to play a snap for the team. Of course, not all snaps are created equal. While Dobbins has seen most of the overall work, Harvey has been the clear receiving back, which is generally the more valuable role on a per-snap basis.
With Dobbins sidelined, Harvey should see more early-down work while retaining his role as the primary pass-catching back. Tyler Badie will likely see a bit of an uptick in work, but he only had 14 professional carries to his name. Jaleel McLaughlin, meanwhile, is more of a receiving back than a runner and probably won’t see too much of an uptick in opportunities from the J.K. Dobbins injury.
In short, the Broncos don’t have anyone left on the roster capable of challenging Harvey for touches. Nobody receives a 100% snap share, but Harvey could easily end up receiving 60-70% of the touches. If this happens, look for him to be a low-end RB1 or high-end RB2 for the remainder of the season.
Main Photo: Thomas Shea – Imagn Images
The post Fantasy Football: RJ Harvey Outlook Without J.K. Dobbins appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.