The 2024 Broncos backfield ranked 11th in yards before contact per rush but just 28th in yards after contact per rush. This backfield lacked playmaking juice. The backfield totaled 117 targets -- only the Saints, Dolphins, and Buccaneers targeted the RB position more. Those targets resulted in the 10th-most backfield receiving Fantasy points. The infrastructure was there for monster Fantasy production, but this was simply an inefficient backfield. Ahead of even Ashton Jeanty, Harvey led college football in rushes of 15+ yards across the 2023-24 seasons. Harvey posted an avoided tackle rate of 30% or better with a yards after contact per rush rate of 3.5 or better in all three seasons as a starter. Those are elite thresholds. If only including his career runs vs. Power Four competition, Harvey maintained a 30.8% avoided tackle rate and 3.61 yards after contact per rush. He's a dynamo with the ball in his hands, and he got the Sean Payton stamp of approval in Round 2 of the NFL Draft. Feel free to follow Payton's lead and select Harvey as early as you want to. He checks all of the boxes. Harvey has the upside to be worth targeting as early as the beginning of Round 5 of your Fantasy drafts.
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2024
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2023
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3y Avg.
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Fantasy News
Broncos' RJ Harvey: Joined by Dobbins
Rotowire
Harvey has new backfield competition with the Broncos having agreed to terms with J.K. Dobbins on a one-year, $5.25 million contract Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Harvey is now joined by a far more proven backfield mate than incumbents Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin, with Dobbins having racked up 1,058 scrimmage yards and nine total touchdowns across 13 regular-season appearances with the Chargers in 2024, a tremendous rebound after three consecutive injury-riddled years in Baltimore. While Dobbins' impressive comeback year shouldn't be discounted, he did miss four games due to an MCL sprain and faded somewhat down the stretch. Dobbins' average of 4.6 YPC on the season was heavily buoyed by a strong start, as from Week 3 on he hovered at just 3.8 YPC. Harvey's impressive athleticism, 4.40 speed and second-round draft capital still provide him a path to a significant role early in his career, and coach Sean Payton's offenses have a history of supporting two fantasy-viable RBs at a time, but the arrival of Dobbins increases the difficulty of projecting the rookie to immediately emerge as a workhorse.
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Broncos' RJ Harvey: Heads to Mile High City in Round 2
Rotowire
The Broncos selected Harvey in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 60th overall.
The landing spot and draft capital are going to transform Harvey from a sleeper to a mainstream fantasy target. Denver was in need of a running back after it struggled in that facet last year and also lost Javonte Williams. Harvey had to battle plenty of competition for carries during his time at UCF but always won out. He took on 225 or more carries in each of his last two seasons and ran for 16 and 22 touchdowns in those years, respectively, while maintaining a yards-per-carry figure north of 6.0. At 5-foot-8 and 205 pounds, Harvey has a dense build similar to that of D'Andre Swift's coming out of college. His 4.4 speed at the combine and impressive broad jump (127 inches) verified him as a plus-athlete. Harvey has something of an incomplete grade as a pass catcher with just 61 catches over his last three seasons, but he did damage with his receptions at 11.8 YPR. He should immediately compete for a big role out of the Denver backfield and will be one of the more buzzy rookie running backs in fantasy draft season.
