After coming off an impressive season with the Chargers, RB J.K. Dobbins signed a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos.
The biggest issue with Dobbins has always been his health, because when he’s on the field, he usually delivers the goods. He played in 13 regular season games last season, rushing for 905 yards and nine touchdowns.
76 rushing yards per game is a great return on a player who has suffered the injuries that Dobbins has over the years. He broke his leg in high school before coming to the NFL and tore his ACL and Achilles in 2021 and 2023, respectively. Dobbins played in only nine games from 2021-2023, so getting 13 regular season games under his belt in 2024 was a major step in the right direction. He did miss a few games in December due to a smaller knee issue, but was able to return for their final two regular season games and Wild Card exit against the Texans.
So, how will Dobbins’ joining the Broncos impact his fantasy football stock? I think Denver was the perfect place for Dobbins to land. While he’s not the nailed-on starter, Dobbins has been getting the first-team carries at the start of training camp.
The Broncos drafted RB RJ Harvey out of UCF in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft. Dobbins and Harvey will be atop the pecking order, and we’ll see how the competition shakes out for the rest of the year. If Dobbins can stay on the field, he will make it very difficult for Harvey to take his spot. I could see the Broncos going by committee, which isn’t ideal for fantasy, but if Dobbins can get a higher split of carries and goal line carries, he could still make for a great RB2 in 2025.
A season ago, the former Charger was RB24 on DraftKings with 197.8 FPTS. His 15.2 FPTS per game was 18th among running backs, ranking higher than players like Aaron Jones, Brian Robinson Jr. and Christian McCaffrey. Dobbins can still be a player in this league, and his fantasy rankings and stats show that. He may not be as explosive as he once was, but when Dobbins is healthy, he has shown he can produce.
The Broncos have a solid offensive line in a Sean Payton offense that is going into year three. I expect Dobbins to grab the reins of the starting job, and that, along with good health, should skyrocket his fantasy football value.
