JK Dobbins totals 52 yards vs. Niners

Dobbins got the Bronocs’ first touch on offense and immediately took a backseat to Jonah Coleman. The rookie tallied 11 carries and five targets. He also became the first Bronocs running back to hit 100 yards from scrimmage in a game this year. Dobbins was not targeted and was not on the field at the goal line, where Coleman was heavily involved. Coleman ultimately punched in a goal line touchdown for the game-winning score after setting himself up with a 51-yard catch. The short-yardage role used to belong to Dobbins, but the rookie appears to have taken that as well. Without any high-value touches to work with, Dobbins is a between-the-20s grinder averaging a little over three yards per carry this season. He is falling back into the RB4 ranks for his Week 9 date with the Panthers.

Whoa, that escalated quickly. Harvey reportedly suffered a knee injury in practice this week that initially caused the Broncos to rule him out for Week 8, with the team then making the procedural move of placing him on injured reserve Saturday. Harvey will now miss the next four games, at minimum, as he rehabs the injury, leaving rookie Jonah Coleman and veteran J.K. Dobbins to handle primary backfield duties with Tyler Badie also on injured reserve. Coleman warrants weekly FLEX status, at minimum.

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.

Harvey was added to the injury report Thursday after being limited in practice due to a knee injury, something fantasy managers will want to monitor as the weekend approaches. Either way, Harvey now has two healthy backs to compete with for touches with the return of Jonah Coleman in Week 7, keeping him on the fringes of FLEX consideration entering a difficult matchup against the Chiefs.

Harvey only ran the ball three times for six yards. Jonah Coleman, who was active for the first time since Week 2, ran nine times and also caught a pair of passes. Harvey’s role took a hit, but he made the most of his limited opportunities with a 52-yard screen in the third quarter. Sean Payton’s play-call schemed half of the Cardinals’ defense out of the play and Harvey blew by the other half on his way to the end zone. Despite the spike week for fantasy managers, Harvey’s declining role will have him tumbling down the running back ranks for Week 8. He will be on the RB3/4 border versus Kansas City next week.

Dobbins was the team’s preferred option at the goal line, allowing him to save a bust of a fantasy day with a one-yard score in the second half. He was initially stood up at the goal line but made it in the paint by driving his legs through the contact for six. Dobbins was held under 10 points even with the touchdown. Jonah Coleman returned this week and led the team in carries with nine. Harvey ran the ball just three times. This backfield is a messy, three-man committee and Dobbins doesn’t get to pad the stats with PPR-friendly targets. He will shuffle to the back of the RB3 ranks for his Week 8 date with the Chiefs.

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.

The fact that the 31 yards through the air led the team in receiving is a comment on the state of an offense that gained only 168 yards of total offense against the defending Super Bowl Champions. Even so, a relentlessly aggressive defense willed the team to victory behind a consistently positive game script, which allowed J.K. Dobbins to handily lead the backfield in opportunities. Harvey remains a matchup-dependent fantasy option best utilized in trailing game environments, which is unlikely to be the case when the Broncos face the struggling Cardinals in Week 7.

Dobbins found little room to run on a night the Broncos gained only 168 yards of total offense but handily led the backfield in opportunities in what was a consistently positive game script due to the dominance of their defense. Dobbins has now failed to eclipse a modest 50 yards on the ground in four of five appearances but might be useful as a bye week fill-in when the Broncos travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals in Week 7.

Harvey was a non-factor in this one, and a week after his big receiving game, he was held without a catch with just one target. The second-year tailback was clearly the backup to JK Dobbins, and was unable to make the most of his limited opportunities. He’s off the radar for Week 6 versus the Seahawks on Thursday.