Jonah Coleman (ankle) sidelined again on Thursday

Coleman out-carried Dobbins 11-7 and was the only Broncos running back to earn a target, of which he saw five. Most importantly, Coleman was on the field for goal line duties, and he cashed in with a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Though he only averaged 3.7 yards per carry, Coleman was a handful for Chiefs defenders to bring down, routinely creating missed tackles while racking up yards after contact. Coleman’s best rep of the day was a 51-yard catch-and-run to set up his touchdown on the next play. Coleman saw all of the high-value touches in the backfield while leading the way in carries and targets. The takeover is all but complete, putting Coleman in the RB2 ranks for Week 9 against the Panthers.

Harvey was added to the injury report Thursday with a knee injury before being unable to practice Friday, ultimately ruled out for the team’s divisional clash against the Chiefs. Expect Jonah Coleman to serve as the primary rusher in addition to the possibility he sees his pass game involvement tick up in the absences of both Harvey and Tyler Badie, the latter of whom is on injured reserve. The increase in opportunity is enough to vault Coleman into viable FLEX territory for Week 8.

He also noted that Coleman’s touches were explosive. It’s hard to sit here with much certainty about what looks to be a three-headed Broncos running back room where every back has their niche, but Coleman probably enters Week 8 as the favorite of the three to crack 10 touches. Payton added, for the 17th time since he became Broncos coach, that he needed to get more touches for Marvin Mims on offense. We’ll believe that when we see it.

Coleman returned to action after missing a month because of an ankle injury. He was immediately in the mix for touches and saw three opportunities before RJ Harvey got his first look. Coleman went on to lead the Broncos in carries. Both he and Harvey earned two targets apiece. Unfortunately for Coleman, he was the only Denver back who didn’t find the end zone in Week 7. Coleman has made a mess of a backfield that had just begun to stabilize. Now all three Denver backs will be low-end FLEX options for Week 8 versus the Chiefs.

Outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper is also active. Coleman hasn’t played since Week 2, when he turned 10 carries into 39 yards and a score. The Broncos were banged up at running back that week. They have since established a stable two-man rotation with JK Dobbins operating between the tackles and RJ Harvey handling passing downs. Coleman will likely take a backseat to those two this week.

Coleman missed the minimum four games as he tended to an ankle injury suffered in Week 2. He led the team in snaps in that contest and could return to the primary rushing role considering the inefficient play of J.K. Dobbins in his absence, making him worthy of a start in fantasy circles in a plus matchup against the Cardinals in his first game back.

Coleman practiced in full all week, but the Broncos could technically give him another week to rehab the ankle. If active, there are too many unknowns regarding Coleman’s potential workload to start him in the FLEX, but he must be rostered in 12-team leagues.

Coleman is trending toward returning for the Broncos’ Week 7 game against the Cardinals. His teammate, RB Tyler Badie (thumb), remains sidelined. Coleman makes for a risky start if active, but the Broncos’ coaching staff likes him. He should be rostered in 12-team formats.

Coleman can return to practice this week and the team now has 21 days to bring him off injured reserve. He could be back on the field as soon as Sunday. With the Broncos’ offense struggling and two backs already seeing work in the backfield, it’s hard to imagine Coleman having much fantasy value in his first game back. He’s worth stashing in deeper leagues, but it might be a while before fantasy managers want him in their lineups.

That escalated quickly. Coleman was potentially in line to serve as the starter in Week 3 with both J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey nursing various injuries. Coleman missed practice throughout the week with an ankle injury that wasn’t revealed until Wednesday’s practice report, with the injury now taking the next four games, at minimum, from the talented rookie. Both Harvey and Dobbins have been cleared to play in Week 3, forming a backfield tandem in the wake of Coleman’s injury.