Are you wondering how the Denver backfield will sort out for 2025? Of course. We all are. And HC Sean Payton says that even he doesn't know yet. "I'm looking forward to seeing how they play," he told ESPN's Jeff Legwold in late June. "They're going to get opportunities. Audric is going to get opportunities. We've seen Jaleel. Don't try to figure out the club right now. It's way too early." Harvey became the immediate fantasy favorite after the Broncos drafted him in Round 2 and Payton drew comparisons to versatile RBs from his past. But the more recent J.K. Dobbins signing complicates the fantasy outlook.
Legwold: "Dobbins likely has the early advantage for the most snaps in the room because of his ability as a pass blocker and 'intelligence on third down,' as Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph put it during minicamp."
Payton: "When you see [Dobbins'] consistency, it's not an accident. It's another good football player we're adding to our team. Then we'll see how training camp goes, see how all the carries go."
Dobbins: "[Harvey is] going to be really good. He's going to help me out, and I'm going to help him out. He's going to be great."
Perhaps Legwold's projection on Dobbins' "early advantage" is merely a guess based primarily on Dobbins' experience. Harvey, after all, has yet to play an NFL game. Audric Estime logged just 81 total touches as a fifth-round rookie. And Jaleel McLaughlin remained behind Javonte Williams in workload last season.
But the mere suggestion combined with Payton's caution about how early we are in the process should make you at least a bit wary of assuming too much for any Denver RB.
It's an upside situation that's likely to give us multiple fantasy-relevant players throughout the year. And Harvey's draft capital -- rare for RBs amid Payton's 17 years as an NFL head man -- points to the team's high hopes.
Just make sure you're not overpaying in early drafts.
We like the upside on Harvey in Denver, but he stands as a poor value by our ADP Market Index right now: RB20 in best ball ADP. That puts him about six rounds ahead of Dobbins, and also in front of better values such as James Conner, David Montgomery, Quinshon Judkins, and Isiah Pacheco.
Harvey's ADP has come down a little since the Dobbins signing, though. And he might well slide further as we get more into redraft season. The rookie is bound to be more attractive for the Underdog Fantasy format that leans heavily on late-season production.
We'll be watching the whole backfield closely throughout summer and updating our projections accordingly.
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