In most fantasy football drafts during the offseason, promising rookie RJ Harvey was the first pick out of the Broncos’ backfield over veteran J.K. Dobbins. Yet it’s been the veteran Dobbins who took the lion’s share of the work, out-touching Harvey by more than a two-to-one margin going into Sunday’s game. In that offensive explosion against the Cowboys, Harvey finally had his breakout game.
Does Harvey’s hat-trick performance change things in this Denver backfield? Or will it be business as usual in Week 9 against the Houston Texans?
Analysis
Harvey’s breakout in the end zone was notable. The breakaway run pointed to his talent, and the two red-zone scores point to the trust that Sean Payton and the staff have in him. But it didn’t change the usage all that much.
Their backfield split in Week 8 was in line with what we’ve seen all year. Dobbins took 15 carries and caught two passes in contrast to Harvey’s seven carries and lone catch. Sure, three of those eight touches went for touchdowns, but you have to look deeper at the production.
Take away Harvey’s 40-yard carry, and he took his other six carries for six yards. If you do the same to Dobbins’ long carry of 25 yards, he would have produced 14 carries for 86 yards, an awfully robust line. Once again, it’s in line with what has happened all year long as Dobbins has picked up almost a full yard more than Harvey on a per-carry basis.
So, what to make of this backfield as we head towards the second half of the season?
The verdict
Harvey got his day in the sun on Sunday. What that game did show is that if given the opportunity, he can make some big plays. But that opportunity is not coming as long as Dobbins is here.
I’d feel better about Harvey as a bench stash going forward, but he’s not rising to the level of a consistent flex play. Dobbins remains a strong RB2 play who will have some RB1 weeks. Don’t overreact too drastically to Sunday’s result; this is still the veteran’s backfield.
