Why Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins Is A Fantasy Football League Winner

J.K. Dobbins' emergence in the Broncos' backfield makes him a fantasy football league winner this season.

Sep 29, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) hands the ball off to Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) during the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

J.K. Dobbins has emerged as the lead back in the Denver Broncos’ backfield following a career year for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024. In another injury-riddled season last year, Dobbins recorded a season-high 905 rushing yards with nine touchdowns on the ground. So far this season, he’s managed to build on such momentum. 

In fantasy football, Dobbins’ efficient play to start the season has helped him emerge as one of the top backs in the league, as he’s on pace to post yet another career year in 2025. 

Coming into Sunday’s game at Philadelphia, Dobbins is on pace to notch roughly 242 carries for 1,373 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground over 17 games, season-highs across the board. 

Entering the season, Dobbins checked-in with an Average Draft Position (ADP) of 98.0 among PPR leagues. Among running backs, he ranked No. 33 in his position group coming into the year, according to FantasyPros’ data, but has vastly outperformed his projections early into the season. 

Here’s what makes Dobbins one of fantasy football’s biggest sleepers as the season progresses:

Notable Production Makes J.K. Dobbins A Coveted Fantasy Football Sleeper

Sep 29, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) rushes during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Entering Week 5, Dobbins ranks fifth in the NFL in rushing yards (323), sixth in yards per carry (5.7), and fourth in yards per game (80.8). He’s also entering Sunday’s game versus the Philadelphia Eagles, coming off a season-high 101 rushing yards on 16 carries versus the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4. 

He checks in at RB14 among PPR leagues in fantasy, and has provided consistent production with a continuously expanding role in Denver’s backfield. Dobbins has eclipsed 11.0 PPR points in each of the first four games of the season. 

Looking at his volume, Dobbins has split carries with highly touted rookie back R.J. Harvey, but has cemented his role as the lead back in the Broncos’ backfield. His 57 carries account for roughly 50.4% of the share in Denver’s run game. 

He’s also provided immensely valuable touchdown production, finding the end zone three times through four games. 

The sixth-year back could continue his hot streak of play and cement his status as the franchise back for the Broncos. A matchup versus Philadelphia will give Dobbins a tough matchup, but Denver’s rushing attack may help the Broncos pull off a significant upset.