Is RJ Harvey or JK Dobbins the Better Fantasy Football Pick From the Broncos in 2025?

The Denver Broncos made an improbable playoff push last season before losing to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round. Despite making an early exit in the postseason, the 2024 campaign was considered a success for head coach Sean Payton in his second year at the helm, but he knew the Broncos needed to make changes to their rushing attack if they want to see improvements from the offense in 2025.

After failing to have a running back finish with 600-plus rushing yards and the team averaging only 4.1 yards per attempt on the ground a season ago, the Broncos selected RJ Harvey with the 60th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Denver then signed veteran J.K. Dobbins to a backfield that also features Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin.

For fantasy football purposes, which running back on the Broncos should we be targeting in drafts? Let's take a look at Denver's running back room and discuss whether Harvey or Dobbins is the back to have in fantasy football for the 2025 season.

Note: All ADPs (average draft position) mentioned in this article come from FantasyPros' Consensus ADP for half-PPR leagues.

Fantasy Football: Denver Broncos' Backfield

Following the departure of Javonte Williams (the Broncos' leading rusher from last season), either Harvey or Dobbins -- or a combination of both -- is expected to be the team's preferred option on the ground. Figuring out which one ends up garnering the majority of the touches could lead to plenty of success in your fantasy football leagues.

Before being selected by the Broncos in this year's draft, Harvey earned the eighth-most yards per attempt (6.8), third-most rushing touchdowns (22), eighth-most missed tackles forced (69), and second-most runs of 10-plus yards (54) among college backs with 100-plus attempts in 2024, per PFF. As a 24-year-old rookie, Harvey does have plenty of tread on his tires with 640 total touches in his collegiate career, but he's explosive and is a capable pass catcher in an offense that is desperate for efficiency at the position.

Dobbins got off to a hot start with the Los Angeles Chargers last season, cementing himself as the overall RB13 and RB12 in fantasy points per game in half-PPR formats from Week 1 through Week 9. However, Dobbins suffered yet another injury later in the season, causing him to fall to RB22 in fantasy points per game from Week 10 to Week 18 while he was sidelined for four games, so projecting him for plenty of touches is certainly risky.

At 5-foot-7 and lighter than 190 pounds, McLaughlin hasn't been much more than just a gadget player for the Broncos in his first two seasons, totaling only 189 attempts, 906 rushing yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns during that span. McLaughlin could see the field every now and then due to his receiving ability and explosiveness, but he's not expected to have much relevance in fantasy football this year -- barring an injury.

During the 2024 NFL Draft, the Broncos took Estime in the fifth round, and he got an opportunity to earn an increased role in the latter part of last season due to the team needing more from the running back position. Estime turned his 81 touches into only 337 scrimmage yards as a rookie, and he's a non-factor in the passing game, making it unlikely that he'll see the field much this season.

RJ Harvey or JK Dobbins: Which Broncos' RB Should You Draft?

At the moment, it's entirely possible that we get a nearly even split of Harvey and Dobbins to begin the season, especially with Dobbins being more trusted in pass protection. But by the middle of the season, I believe Harvey possesses the skill set to seize the starting role and produce solid outputs in fantasy football down the stretch.

With fantasy football drafts taking place right now, Harvey currently holds an ADP of 55.3 (RB21), and he's one of my favorite Zero-RB running backs to target if you're taking that approach approach. Our Annie Nader also mentioned Harvey as a rookie that has fantasy football value entering the 2025 season.

On the other hand, Dobbins has an ADP of 108.0 (RB37), putting him in the same range as other risky running backs like Javonte Williams, Rhamondre Stevenson, Najee Harris, and Tank Bigsby. While Dobbins could surprise early in the upcoming campaign, he's now missed 46 games over the last four seasons, and even with a career-high 32 catches in 2024, he still finished with only 153 receiving yards and no receiving touchdowns.

Despite Sean Payton potentially making Harvey earn his spot as the featured back, I'm willing to take a swing on Harvey at his ADP instead of taking a chance on Dobbins. Playing alongside a quarterback like Bo Nix, who is willing to take the short and easy throws, should benefit Harvey tremendously -- especially after the Broncos had 19.5% of their targets go to running backs in 2024.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.