Broncos Running Back Depth Chart Spells Bad News for Popular Fantasy Football Sleeper

The Broncos released their depth chart this morning ahead of their season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The depth chart revealed what the Broncos running back workload may look like with J.K. Dobbins as RB 1, RJ Harvey as RB 2 and Jonah Coleman as RB 3.

The Broncos running back depth chart creates some conflict for Fantasy managers to analyze before inserting any of the Broncos running backs in their starting lineup.

J.K. Dobbins Listed As Starter

🏈 Depth chart has him RB1
🏈 Harvey penciled in as RB2
🏈 Early-down path looks clean

Dobbins is a lock him in for Week 1. pic.twitter.com/l5FHw5OB8Z
— RotoLegends (@RotoLegends) September 9, 2026

J.K. Dobbins

Dobbins (RB 36, 99 ADP) is coming off another season-ending injury, but appears to be ready to go as RB 1 to start the season for the Broncos. In his first season in Denver, Dobbins proved to be a valuable Fantasy asset prior to his injury as Dobbins averaged 11.6 FPPG in PPR leagues. Dobbins would see a healthy amount of touches in his 10 games last season as the former second-round pick averaged 16.4 touches per game.

Injuries are always a concern with Dobbins as the former Ohio State Buckeye has yet to play a full season in his five-year career. In three of those seasons, Dobbins missed over seven games.

The later ADP makes Dobbins worth the risk as selecting a RB 1 in a productive offense is hard to come by this late in the draft. Fantasy managers with Dobbins on their squad should place the running back, who should see a decent amount of touches, into their starting lineup early on in the season.

RJ Harvey

Fantasy managers with Harvey (RB 30, 83 ADP) may be concerned after the depth chart placed the second-year running back as RB 2. Many expected the second-year running back to take over as the Broncos RB 1 this season, but it may have to wait until later in the season for that to come to fruition.

The RB 2 distinction doesn’t mean Harvey should be discarded. Harvey figures to be the Broncos third-down back, which means being in on more passing opportunities. This makes Harvey an interesting prospect in PPR leagues and may be worth starting in certain matchups where the Broncos may need to pass more.

Harvey Fantasy managers should wait a couple of weeks until placing the running back into their starting lineup as it’s still unclear how much Harvey’s workload will be in a fully-healthy Broncos running back room.

Can’t wait to see RJ Harvey do his thing in his second year ❕#BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/RTLOcVS5n3
— SleeperBroncos (@SleeperBroncos) September 6, 2026

Jonah Coleman

The rookie may not see much work early on in the season, but is worth stashing on the bench for his potential down the road. Coleman (RB 45, 144 ADP) caught the eye of head coach Sean Payton throughout the preseason and should get a few touches in a full-healthy Broncos running back group.

Given Dobbins’ injury history, Coleman could become a workhorse down the road. Once the Fantasy playoffs start Coleman can become a useful commodity if the rookie has to step up to a RB 1 or RB 2 role.

Fantasy managers with Coleman in their squad should hold on to the rookie and start the fourth-round pick if the situation is right or trade Coleman for any needs if the rookie becomes Fantasy viable.

Jonah Coleman doing a great job of being patient on this Broncos Duo run.

Waits for the LBs to commit, stays balanced, then cuts and bursts through the hole. The spin move is the cherry on top. pic.twitter.com/WiBc3FJlKZ
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) August 15, 2026

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