The Denver Broncos are already banged up in the backfield with hamstring injuries giving both J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey some problems. In Week 2, Jonah Coleman stepped up in relief and performed admirably, scoring his first NFL touchdown with the opportunity. Now, he could be positioned to serve as the top runner in this offense come Sunday.
With a real workload a possibility in Week 3, is Jonah Coleman a must-add waiver wire pickup?
Is Jonah Coleman a must-add waiver pickup in Week 3?
The Broncos selected Coleman in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Washington, where he showed signs of a high-upside runner but also displayed some clear limitations. He’s built like the second coming of CJ Spiller at 5-foot-8 and 220 pounds but has a surprising amount of wiggle to his game. He may lack high-end straight-line speed, he does make up for it in short-area burst – while he wasn’t an elite pass-catching back in college, he did haul in 20+ receptions in his three collegiate seasons in which he played a significant role.
Coleman popped in preseason, so much so that head coach Sean Payton talked about how he’d seen enough from the rookie to go ahead and cut his reps to keep him healthy. He didn’t see a single touch in Week 1 of the regular season, but when given the chance in Week 2, he did look quite solid. Coleman recorded 10 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown, also catching all three of his targets for an additional 19 yards. He saw his heaviest workload after Dobbins was hurt, recording 33 of his 39 rushing yards on the final drive of the game as Denver went on to win.
Was what Coleman showed in that matchup enough to make him a must-add name on the waiver wire this week? The answer is likely a resounding yes.
There hasn’t been a definitive update on Dobbins and Harvey’s injuries yet, but the former was knocked out of the Week 2 tilt and the latter was inactive outright. Hamstring issues can linger at times, and for what it’s worth, Dobbins hasn’t exactly been the picture of health throughout his career. If just one of the backs misses the Week 3 contest, Coleman should have a role. If both miss, then it’s wheels up for the rookie.
The Broncos are set to face the Los Angeles Rams, who are likely to finish as a top-10 defense at worst and just added Aaron Donald back into the mix when the future Hall-of-Famer came out of retirement to chase another ring. It’s a difficult matchup for any halfback, but volume is king when it comes to the position in fantasy football. The Denver offense should be fairly productive even in a tough assignment – if they get into scoring position, there’s a very solid chance that Coleman gets touches at the goal line thanks to his stature. The remainder of the argument for his fantasy upside hinges on which of the other two running backs don’t play. If Dobbins misses, Coleman may get early down work. If Harvey doesn’t play, then the rookie may absorb his passing-downs role.
In either case, Coleman is a player who should absolutely be on fantasy rosters. There’s a chance that he doesn’t see the field much if both of the backs ahead of him are healthy enough to play, but he’s a valuable handcuff regardless. If he does get a chance to get on the field – particularly if both of the others miss – we’re looking at a legitimate workhorse running back.
