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Will RJ Harvey start for the Denver Broncos when he returns? Dan Fornek breaks down the RJ Harvey return timeline and fantasy football outlook ahead of Week 9.
Fantasy managers were optimistic about the Denver Broncos offense entering the 2026 season. The group was coming off a strong year, headlined by growth from Bo Nix, a strong offensive line and run game, and the addition of veteran wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
One of the young players expected to take a step this season after a strong rookie season was running back RJ Harvey. Harvey had impressive moments in and big fantasy scoring weeks in 2025, but found himself competing for touches again in 2026. A knee injury in practice ultimately landed him on the injured reserve before Week 8.
Will RJ Harvey be the starting running back for the Denver Broncos when he returns? Let’s dive in.
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Will RJ Harvey Start For The Denver Broncos When He Returns?
RJ Harvey entered the 2026 season with an opportunity to grow his role after an inconsistent 2025 season. As a rookie, Harvey played a limited role over the first 10 weeks of the season, averaging 5.0 carries, 2.9 targets, and 38.9 all-purpose yards per game with six touchdowns.
Harvey’s role increased massively over the final seven games thanks to an injury to J.K. Dobbins (13.7 carries, 4.1 targets, 72.5 yards, and six touchdowns), but his efficiency as a runner was among the worst in the league.
The Broncos re-signed Dobbins this offseason and drafted Washington running back Jonah Coleman in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, adding more competition to the backfield. Harvey has continued to flash his playmaking ability as a pass catcher (28 targets, 25 receptions, 217 yards, and a touchdown), but struggled to get much going on the ground (24 carries for 87 yards and one touchdown). A knee injury landed him on the injured reserve after Week 7.
RJ Harvey takes the screen pass 52 yards for a TD!
DENvsAZ on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/symyT3Qo6D— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026
Harvey has once again been in a frustrating timeshare with Dobbins, even with Coleman missing time due to a trip to the injured reserve. Harvey is averaging a 38.7% snap share in his second season with just one game above a 50% snap share.
One positive for Harvey is that Dobbins has not looked nearly as good this season as he did in 2026, averaging just 3.3 yards per attempt and struggling to find rushing lanes. Unfortunately, Coleman returned in Week 8 and had the most impressive game from a Broncos running back this season, handling 11 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown and adding five targets, four receptions, and 63 yards against a good Chiefs defense.
At this point, it feels like Harvey will return to a backfield that will have roles for Dobbins, Coleman, and himself. Harvey’s explosiveness and role as a pass catcher remain a value for fantasy managers, but his lack of consistent volume will make him a volatile running back week in and week out.
RJ Harvey Fantasy Football Outlook
Fantasy managers who drafted RJ Harvey in PPR formats were pleased with what they had gotten to start the season. The second-year running back was RB25 in PPR points (11.2), but had three games with 14.0+ points and two top 24 (one top 12) fantasy finishes. Unfortunately, he also had three games with fewer than 11.0 points scored.
Harvey’s explosiveness will always have a role in Denver’s offense, but the strong play of Coleman as a pass-catcher and rusher will inevitably warrant more work. It also isn’t a great sign that the Broncos have been linked to Jonathan Taylor in trade talks as they try to get their offense back on track.
The Broncos backfield could look very different when Harvey returns from injured reserve, but he’s done enough as a pass catcher in his first two seasons to warrant a consistent, weekly role. Time will tell if that volume is enough to sustain him as an RB2 or make him a boom-or-bust RB3 each week going forward.
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Jonah Coleman, J.K. Dobbins. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 9. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Jonah Coleman, J.K. Dobbins. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 9.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 9 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 9 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 9 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 9 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Jonah Coleman, J.K. Dobbins compared to others:
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