The Broncos enter the 2026 season with J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey once again as their top running backs on the depth chart. Fourth-round rookie Jonah Coleman sits third on the depth chart and has potential, but Dobbins and Harvey are expected to lead the way.
Which one of these backs should be going first in fantasy drafts?
Which Broncos RB should you draft?
While Harvey had all the buzz going into last season after being a second-round pick by the Broncos, Dobbins was more effective on the ground, averaging 5.0 YPC compared to 3.7 YPC for Harvey. Dobbins went down with a season-ending foot injury in Week 10, but leading up to this, he was the Broncos’ clear No. 1 rusher.
With both Dobbins and Harvey active for the first 10 games of the season, Dobbins saw more than three times the rushing attempts Harvey did, with the former out carrying the latter 153-50. As expected, Dobbins also dominated in the redzone, out carrying Harvey 19-6.
While Dobbins held a massive edge in the run game, Harvey was utilized more as a receiver. He saw 25 targets on 111 routes, compared to 13 targets on 108 routes for Dobbins. With the better target rate, Harvey outperformed Dobbins, catching 23 passes for 166 yards and four touchdowns. Dobbins caught just 10 passes for 30 yards and zero touchdowns.
In the end, Dobbins seeing the much larger role as a rusher made him the better fantasy player in these 10 games together, producing 12.9 FPTS per game compared to 9.9 for Harvey.
After Dobbins went down in Week 10, Harvey took on a featured role for the final seven games of the regular season and provided 15.6 FPTS per game while garnering 16.9 touches per game on a 60.7% snap rate.
Harvey would likely receive a similar workload if Dobbins was to go down again and that is a possibility given his history. Dobbins has never played in more than 15 games in his five seasons in the NFL. The back missed the entire 2021 season after suffering a major knee injury in the preseason, dealt with additional knee issues that limited him to eight games in 2022, and tore his Achilles in 2023. Then, Dobbins missed nearly half of last season due to the foot injury.
While this long list of injuries is alarming, Dobbins enters this season in good health and he should again be the primary rusher for the Broncos. Dobbins’ inability to earn targets is a concern, but he should still out-touch Harvey when both are healthy.
There is logic in going for Harvey given Dobbins’ injury history, especially in best ball drafts. For traditional fantasy leagues, banking on another major injury for Dobbins is risky, so siding with the veteran and his more solidified rushing role is the right move.
