Fantasy Football News

Broncos RB R.J. Harvey suffered a rib injury late in Sunday's win over the Packers and did not return. We'll look for updates on his status for Week 16 and beyond. With RB J.K. Dobbins on IR, Harvey's absence would leave Denver's backfield to Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie.

Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins needs surgery for his foot injury and will likely miss the rest of the season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Dobbins suffered the foot injury on a hip-drop tackle during Denver's Week 10 win over the Raiders. NFL Network reports that it's a "ligament issue" and calls the surgery season-ending.

Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins (foot) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Chiefs. He’s dealing with a “significant” foot injury and is expected to be sidelined “for the foreseeable future,” NFL Network reports. We’ll see if Dobbins lands on IR on Saturday. His absence should mean an expanded early-down role for RB R.J. Harvey. Denver only has RBs Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin behind him. Harvey checks in 22nd in the Week 11 RB rankings in a tough matchup against Kansas City.

IR is "being considered" for Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins (foot), according to The Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson. Dobbins sought a second opinion on his foot injury, but we still haven't heard any further updates. If IR is even a possibility, though, it's likely that Dobbins will miss multiple games. IR would cost him at least four. Dobbins is worth keeping stashed as we await more information, but fantasy owners should at least plan on him missing Week 11. The Broncos then get a Week 12 bye. Dobbins' absence would likely mean a much bigger role for RB R.J. Harvey, particularly on early downs. The only other RBs on Denver's active roster are Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin.

Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin (quad) is not listed on the final injury report and will be back for Saturday's game vs. the Bengals. Denver figures to deploy at least a three-RB committee with McLaughlin, Javonte Williams, and Audric Estime in that one. We'll see if RB Blake Watson stays involved. And WR Marvin Mims has also been getting backfield work lately. It's a RB group to try to avoid in Week 17 fantasy lineups.

Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin (quad) was listed as a full participant on Wednesday's practice report. He's on track to return for Saturday's game vs. the Bengals. RB Audric Estime impressed with McLaughlin out last week, but it was McLaughlin who was emerging as the best fantasy bet in Denver's backfield before the quad injury. This is a tough backfield to project in Week 17, making it a situation to avoid in fantasy lineups.

Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Colts with a quad injury. McLaughlin was leading Denver RBs with seven carries and 21 rushing yards when he exited. His absence leaves the backfield to Javonte Williams and Audric Estime.

Broncos RB Tyler Badie is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Jets with a back injury. He appeared to collapse on the sidelines and was taken away on a stretcher. We'll update his status when we know more. Badie's absence leaves Denver's backfield to Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin.

Update: Badie has been ruled out.

The Broncos are sending rookie RB Audric Estime to IR with an ankle injury. The Athletic's Nick Kosmider says only that Estime will "miss at least four games," which makes it sound like a shorter-term issue.

Broncos HC Sean Payton said Thursday that RB Javonte Williams looks like a "completely different player" this year compared to last. Williams, of course, was working his way back from a multi-ligament knee injury last season.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams was one of the least efficient runners in the league last year. He averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and ranked 42nd among 49 qualifiers in NFL Next Gen Stats’ Rush Yards Over Expected Per Attempt. It's certainly worth noting that Williams was returning from an October 2022 multi-ligament knee injury. He was cleared for the start of training camp last summer, but it’s fair to wonder if the knee was still a factor throughout the season.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams didn't just let you down with his production in Saturday night's loss to the Lions. He saw his playing time and route participation tumble. It started with Denver putting Jaleel McLaughlin on the field to open the game. Williams took over for the second possession and still led the backfield in playing time and touches. But his 48% playing time for the game marked his lowest since a Week 6 return from a quad injury. That followed three straight games of 60%+. His biggest dip came in the passing game. Williams ran a route on just 25.7% of QB Russell Wilson's dropbacks. That marked a significant fall vs. three straight outings of 40.5% or more. Williams ran just nine routes vs. eight for Samaje Perine and five for Jaleel McLaughlin. Combine that with now seven straight games of averaging less than 3.9 yards per carry, and it's tough to see Williams as more than an "if you need him" starter for a Week 16 matchup with the Patriots. We'll see about his role and performance in that game before declaring his usability for a better matchup with the Chargers in Week 17. Perine drew just 1 target for the game but caught it for 11 yards and averaged 6.2 yards across his 6 carries. That followed a 5-catch Week 14 and couldn't have hurt his chances at getting playing time the rest of the way. McLaughlin garnered just 4 touches for the game. He has topped 6 touches just once in his past eight games.

Broncos rookie RB Jaleel McLaughlin grabbed attention with some high-efficiency performances earlier this season and briefly moved ahead of Samaje Perine in playing time and usage. McLaughlin has continued to garner a lot more carries than Perine, leading the veteran 22-4 in the four games since Javonte Williams returned from injury. But Perine has played more snaps than McLaughlin each of the past three games, including Monday night in the win over Buffalo. Perine's primary role obviously lies in passing situations, where he's splitting time with Williams. That hasn't meant more than 3 targets in a game since Williams returned. But it will limit McLaughlin's opportunities. McLaughlin has remained the touch leader between them over the past three games, but neither looks usable vs. Williams' current role -- unless you're desperate for an RB.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams (quad) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. He seemingly has a chance to play vs. the Jets this weekend. We'll see what Williams does on Friday and how he's listed on the final injury report.