Broncos' RB RJ Harvey Draws Caution Tag From NFL.com's Fantasy Research

On Wednesday, the Denver Broncos released their first "unofficial" depth chart of the 2025 season. Every rookie, including the Broncos' Day 1 and 2 picks, was listed at the bottom of his respective depth chart.

That included running back RJ Harvey. Broncos head coach Sean Payton has scoffed at the first iteration of the depth chart in years past, advising people not to read into it at all.

For instance, Bo Nix was listed as the Broncos' third quarterback on last year's first "unofficial" depth chart, even though we knew the first-rounder was going to be the starter. The same likely holds true for Harvey, although that's not the reason why NFL.com's Michelle Magdziuk listed Harvey as one of the seven "riskiest players to draft" in fantasy football.

"When Harvey was drafted in the second round by the Broncos, it felt like he was walking into an amazing opportunity to own the backfield. Since then, however, the team signed veteran JK Dobbins, a real threat (if he can stay healthy) to win the starting job and take valuable snaps from Harvey. I have confidence the rookie will still have a significant role in Sean Payton’s offense, but Dobbins, an efficient rusher when available, will likely be a thorn in Harvey's fantasy potential," Magdziuk wrote. "Payton has often leaned on a committee approach in the backfield, and I fear he could have more confidence in feeding Dobbins than a rookie in close games. Harvey should have no problem winning the third-down role, thanks to his pass-catching ability -- but if he is limited to playing only on third down, he likely won’t offer enough value to be worthy of a sixth-round draft pick."

Harvey's average fantasy draft position on NFL.com is in the sixth round. Magdziuk advises against drafting him that early.

I honestly couldn't care less about fantasy football. But NFL.com's list of the seven riskiest players does call into question just how involved Harvey will be in the Broncos' offense.

Watching and reporting on every day of Broncos training camp, it's clear that Dobbins is going to comprise half of Payton's one-two punch at running back. And frankly, Harvey will be that other half, based on what we've seen.

We know that Harvey is going to get looks on third down, but he'll get his fair share of carries on first and second down, too. So, I suppose fantasy footballers must ask themselves if the Broncos running back to own is the guy who'll get first, second, and third-down snaps as Harvey will.

Dobbins will get some third-down snaps, too, but in more of the obligatory sense so as to not tip off the defense. Harvey will be a featured weapon on third down, whereas Dobbins will be more of a decoy and an outlet of last resort.

Fantasy football aside, the takeaway shouldn't be that Harvey's role is going to be limited. Only in the sense that he will be sharing the backfield with Dobbins, and occasionally a change-of-pace back like Jaleel McLaughlin, or a short-yardage bruiser like Audric Estime, will Harvey's offensive role be 'limited.'

The Broncos upgraded their running back room with gusto this offseason. And throw in the addition of the outside zone in the Broncos' offensive installs this summer, which favors Harvey, and Nix will finally have a backfield to complement what he does as a passer.

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Combined with the Broncos' top-rated offensive line returning all five of its starters, and it's shaping up to be a fortuitous year for the offense.