Sure, quarterbacks are the stars of the show. And star wide receivers have proven to be fairly reliable. But there’s just something special about a breakout running back in fantasy football. Those are the picks we remember for years and years. Guys like David Johnson and Alvin Kamara, carrying out teams to fantasy glory. That’s what it’s all about.

But the NFL has not made that easy in recent years. The game day roster has slowly expanded via new collective bargaining agreements to the point that it’s easier than ever to carry multiple running backs. And most days are embracing that. It’s no longer a linear position as it was in the early 2000s. Which makes it harder than ever for a young running back to “steal” the starting job.

In the modern era, we need to identify specific roles. That’s why we do our Running Back Questionnaire each year in the draft guide, looking at who will likely handle the five different RB scenarios (early down, pass down, goal line, two-minute drill, and late lead). With that, we can figure out who has the talent to create fantasy football greatness in their scheme - if given the opportunity. And RJ Harvey might just have it all. 

 

 


 

RJ Harvey Talent

RJ Harvey is a freak athlete. There’s no doubt about that. He started his football journey as a dual-threat quarterback. In his senior year of high school, he threw for 42 touchdown passes and ran for another 22 on the ground. He committed to play football for Virginia as a quarterback, but transferred to UCF, where he was eventually converted to a running back. 

After a knee injury derailed his early seasons, he broke out in a big way in his final two. He had 1,654 yards from scrimmage and 17 TDs, then followed that up with 1,844 and 25 TDs the next year. He showed out at the combine, running a 96th percentile 40 time per Player Profiler.
 

Because of the time it took converting from quarterback to running back, along with the knee injury, Harvey was an older prospect entering a loaded running back class this year in the 2025 NFL Draft. That didn’t stop the Denver Broncos from using a meaningful pick on him in the second round. Now he’ll compete for touches in a scheme that has been fairly friendly to running backs.

 

 


 

RJ Harvey Scheme

You may have heard the term “Joker” used with Sean Payton. And there is some confusion as to what exactly that means because he has used it to describe multiple players. It’s actually not one specific role but rather a term that he uses to describe any player that can be used “out of position” to create mismatches. If a tight end can line up in the slot or at split end, like Jimmy Graham, that is a “Joker”. If a quarterback can play tight end or running back, too, like Taysom Hill, that is a “Joker”. If a running back can line up at wide receiver and run routes, like Alvin Kamara, that is a “Joker” as well.

And that “Joker” running back role is especially valuable with Joe Lombardi as the offensive coordinator. Joe Lombardi has worked on a few different offensive staffs over the last 18 years. The Saints, the Lions, the Chargers, and now the Broncos. In all 18 of those years, the offense he has worked for has been top five in passes to the running back.

That includes the Denver Broncos last year, who were top five as a team, and Javonte Williams was also top five himself. Williams didn’t do a lot with the 70 targets he received last year, which is part of why they decided to move on from him and bring in RJ Harvey. 

 

 


 

RJ Harvey Opportunity

There are still some hurdles in the way of RJ Harvey having a monster breakout season. Namely, one big hurdle. JK Dobbins. The Broncos inked Dobbins to a one-year ~$2.75M deal to come in and round out the backfield. They released Audric Estime, whom they drafted last year, but Dobbins still could push Harvey for the starting job - and meaningful touches.

We’ve seen this situation before with Sean Payton, however. A far more drastic version. In 2017, Sean Payton’s Saints used pick 67 on a rookie running back, Alvin Kamara (they used pick 60 on RJ Harvey). Kamara was set to be the third-string back behind not only starter Mark Ingram but also future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson. Despite that, Kamara proved too good to keep off the field, and Peterson was traded. Kamara finished as the RB4 in PPR that season.

What makes that even more interesting is that Kamara only “started” three games - Mark Ingram was still the starter. And Ingram actually finished as the RB6 in PPR. That’s how powerful that “Joker” role can be in fantasy football. RJ Harvey actually played with the starters over JK Dobbins in the first few team drives we saw in the preseason. But he doesn’t necessarily need to be the “starter” to get the targets and high-leverage touches we need for fantasy football greatness.    

We've talked at length about the plus side of passing but it's worth mentioning how good the Broncos offensive line is. They are pretty widely regarded as one of the best in the league with some places ranking them first overall. Our own Dan Malin has them ranked second behind only the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. So conditions are pretty darn good both on the ground and through the air. 

 


 

RJ Harvey Fantasy Football Outlook

Fantasy gamers are a lot more savvy now than they were almost a decade ago. And RJ Harvey isn’t buried behind two veteran RBs - he’s competing with one. So Harvey goes off the board as the RB21 based on our composite ADP compared to Alvin Kamara, who was going off as the R52 back in 2017. But, if things break right for Harvey the way they did for Kamara for Sean Payton back then, where you get him won’t really matter. 

Right now, I love getting him as my RB2 or RB3 in fantasy. Even if he’s my RB1, I’ll just make sure to load up at RB after and give myself a few more shots at upside. If you want all of my rankings for every format, you can use promo code COOP25 now to get 25% any of our products, whether that is our 2025 NFL Draft Guide or an annual membership! You might be surprised to see how high we are on RJ Harvey, but the upside is there.