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USATSI

The Broncos signed J.K. Dobbins on Tuesday to a one-year, $5.25 million contract, which is a great move for Denver, but a potential headache for Fantasy managers. We now have to figure out if Dobbins or rookie R.J. Harvey will be the best running back for the Broncos this season.

Let's start with Dobbins, who is coming off a solid season in 2024 with the Chargers. He had a career-best 1,058 total yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games. He rushed for 905 yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry, and he added 32 receptions on 38 targets.

Dobbins averaged 14.8 PPR points per game and scored at least 15.3 PPR points in seven outings. But he also missed four games with an MCL sprain, and we know injuries have been a problem for him, including a torn Achilles in 2023 and multiple knee problems since 2021.

In Denver, Dobbins could easily be the No. 1 running back, but we expect Harvey to have that role. The Broncos selected Harvey in Round 2 of the NFL Draft out of Central Florida, and he's done well during offseason workouts so far.

"You want to think he's a rookie, but he's a dog," Denver left tackle Garett Bolles said in The Denver Post. "You see him in minicamp, excuse me, OTAs. What he's done, he's caught onto the playbook, and he has the speed that we need."

In his past two seasons in college, Harvey combined for 458 carries for 2,993 yards and 38 touchdowns and 39 catches for 505 yards and four touchdowns. Harvey ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and Sean Payton is excited to use Harvey in the passing game.

I'm still planning to draft Harvey as the No. 1 running back in Denver, but he was a potential Round 4 pick in all leagues prior to Dobbins joining the roster. Now, the earliest you should draft Harvey is Round 6.

He should be considered the fourth rookie running back at best behind Ashton Jeanty, TreVeyon Henderson, and Omarion Hampton, and you can make a strong argument that Quinshon Judkins and Kaleb Johnson should be selected ahead of Harvey as well. For now, I'll go with Harvey, but the Dobbins signing could be a problem.

Most likely, Dobbins and Harvey will split work on rushing downs, and Harvey should handle the majority of plays in the passing game. Javonte Williams left Denver this offseason for Dallas, and Williams led the Broncos in 2024 with 139 carries for 513 yards and four touchdowns and 52 catches for 346 yards on 70 targets.

Harvey could easily match that amount of work in the passing game, and he should improve on the rushing production. And the addition of Dobbins should make Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime irrelevant. That duo combined for 189 carries for 806 yards and three touchdowns and 29 catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns on 32 targets last year.

Dobbins is worth drafting in the Round-10 range now, but his value could improve depending on what happens in training camp. This is still a fluid situation to monitor, but don't panic about Harvey just because Dobbins was added.

The Denver backfield got better on Tuesday, and Harvey and Dobbins should both be productive Fantasy options. And if you liked Harvey prior to this move then you should now be able to get him at a discounted price.