Broncos' RJ Harvey finds himself in a tricky RB depth chart spot with J.K. Dobbins

Billy Heyen

Broncos' RJ Harvey finds himself in a tricky RB depth chart spot with J.K. Dobbins image

If you just looked at the rushing yardage column for RJ Harvey's NFL debut, you'd be very encouraged.

The Denver Broncos' second-round rookie out of UCF finished with 70 rushing yards against the Tennessee Titans. That's a strong start.

But the workload problem that underlies that number is this: Harvey had just six carries. He took one of them for 50 yards.

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And while you've got to love that explosiveness, he was clearly second fiddle in the RB rotation in the opener.

The veteran J.K. Dobbins got 18 touches compared to eight for Harvey.

For fantasy football players, that makes Harvey tough to rely on, at least for right now.

"He's got upside in the league," ESPN's Matt Bowen writes. "But after one game, with Dobbins seeing most of the volume, Harvey's fantasy value does take a hit. For now, he's a deeper-league flex who will need more time to earn a defined role."

 

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There's always a chance Harvey's long run earns him more playing time as soon as this week. You definitely can't drop him off your fantasy team. 

There's also some uncertainty about Denver's offense after Bo Nix struggled mightily throwing down the field against the Titans. If Nix hits a sophomore slump, it hurts everyone around him, too.

For now, Harvey will try to keep proving to Sean Payton that he's worth giving the football to. By the second half of the season, he might be the top dog.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle