JK Dobbins' Injury Opens The Door For Jonah Coleman To Become A Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Priority

The Denver Broncos were able to knock off the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, but lost their starting running back JK Dobbins. He exited with a hamstring injury and was unable to return to the game. This could potentially put fantasy football owners in a tough situation with the Broncos playing on Sunday Night Football in Week 3.

Broncos RB JK Dobbins, who left Sunday's win over the Jaguars with a hamstring injury, is "good", source said. They face the Rams next Sunday night.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 21, 2026

With Dobbins going down and RJ Harvey already inactive, the team turned to rookie Jonah Coleman. By the end of the game, Dobbins played 21 offensive snaps, and Coleman played on 25. Dobbins finished the game with 10 carries for 36 yards on 3.6 yards per carry, while Coleman also carried the ball 10 times for 39 yards and a touchdown on 3.9 yards per carry and tacked on three receptions for 19 yards.

Fantasy Impact

RB JK Dobbins, Denver Broncos

The hamstring injury that Dobbins is dealing with is not believed to be overly serious, but that doesn't mean that it won't cost him any time. Hamstrings are tricky to deal with. They tend to linger and are very prone to re-injury. Entering the week and heading into the waiver wire, fantasy owners need to assume that, at best, Dobbins will be a game-time decision in a Sunday night game this week.

Even if he does play, you are risking him exiting early with an injury again. This is a player who has dealt with a ton of injuries, has never played a full season, and has missed more games than he has played in his career. In a matchup against the Rams, it's a tough sell to plug him into your starting lineup.

RB Jonah Coleman, Denver Broncos

If Coleman is available on your waiver wire, he should be your top priority. With a very similar sample size in Week 2, Coleman was significantly more productive.

If Dobbins is forced to miss any time, we would expect Coleman to step up as the lead rusher in Denver, even if RJ Harvey is able to get back on the field while Dobbins is still sidelined. We projected that Coleman would take over the starting job in Denver at some point this season; he could have a much bigger opportunity than we expected, much sooner than we expected.

RB RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos

Regardless of whether or not Dobbins is available once Harvey returns to action, Harvey is going to stay in the same role. Coleman is the true backup to Dobbins, while Harvey has a specific niche carved out for him.

Harvey is not a good early-down or between-the-tackles runner, and the team isn't going to use him that way with either Dobbins or Coleman healthy. Don't expect anything to change for Harvey because of this Dobbins injury.

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