Fantasy Football 2026 Broncos deep dive: Players outlooks, players to target, avoid at ADP and more

2. J.K. Dobbins

Dobbins is back with the Broncos in 2026 after signing a two-year contract extension in March. He should be viewed as a high-end flex option, and he's worth drafting with a mid-round pick, with his value higher in non-PPR leagues. Hopefully, he can stay healthy after being limited to 10 games in 2025 before suffering a season-ending foot injury. This year, Dobbins will share touches with RJ Harvey and Coleman, which isn't ideal. But Dobbins should enter the season atop the depth chart, and he performed well last season before getting injured with 153 carries for 772 yards and four touchdowns and 11 catches for 37 yards on 14 targets. Harvey will likely see most of his playing time on passing downs, and Coleman could steal some touchdowns. But Dobbins scored at least 14.1 PPR points in five of his first eight games, including two outings with at least 100 rushing yards over that span. And Denver clearly valued his performance enough to bring him back for two more seasons. His injury history and potential competition for touches keep his Fantasy value down, but Dobbins should be a nice reward when healthy, given his expected role for the Broncos this year. He's one of my favorite reserve running backs to draft this season with a FantasyPros ADP of No. 102 overall as RB37.

3. Jonah Coleman

The Broncos selected Coleman in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, and he will compete for touches this season with Dobbins and Harvey. Given the crowded backfield in Denver, Coleman is only worth drafting with a late-round pick in the majority of leagues. In rookie-only drafts for dynasty leagues, Coleman is worth a Round 2 selection. It will be hard for Coleman to have a significant role when everyone is healthy for the Broncos, but Dobbins was limited to 10 games last season due to a foot injury and has a long injury history. Harvey also could play primarily on passing downs, and Coleman might be able to work at the goal line for Denver, given initial reports following the NFL Draft. At Washington, the 5-foot-8, 220-pound Coleman combined for 349 carries for 1,811 yards and 25 touchdowns the past two seasons, along with 54 catches for 531 yards and two scores. He could eventually become the featured running back for the Broncos, but that might not happen until 2027. That said, if Dobbins gets hurt, Coleman could have flex appeal in the majority of leagues if given a larger role. He's a great stash candidate on your bench with a FantasyPros ADP of No. 147 overall as RB52.

Players to avoid based on Average Draft Position

1. Jaylen Waddle

It's fair to wonder if Waddle leaving Miami via trade for Denver was good for his Fantasy value or not. With the Dolphins, Waddle would have been fed targets, but we don't know if Malik Willis is a good quarterback yet. We've seen receivers have success with Nix, but the Broncos have a crowded receiving corps led by Sutton. I expect Waddle to lead Denver in targets this season, but it might not be by a wide margin. Sutton has led the Broncos in targets in each of the past two seasons with Nix under center with 135 in 2024 and 124 last season. The problem for Waddle and Sutton could be not having enough targets for both to succeed. In 2024, Javonte Williams was second on the Broncos in targets with 70. Franklin was second on the team in targets in 2025 with 104. Denver was fourth in the NFL in pass attempts in 2025 with 613, so Waddle's targets could come at the expense of Franklin, Engram (76), Mims (51) and Bryant (49), which makes sense. Sutton, 30, also could take a step back. But Waddle has also struggled in the past two years when he averaged just 9.9 PPR points per game in 2024 and 12.1 PPR points in 2025. From 2021-23, Waddle averaged at least 14.2 PPR points per game, and I'm hopeful that a healthy Waddle in a new offense will return to his early-career form. I would draft Waddle in Round 5, but his FantasyPros ADP is No. 39 overall as WR19. That's too expensive for me as of now.

2. RJ Harvey

Harvey has the potential to be a quality Fantasy running back this season, but given the loaded backfield in Denver with Dobbins and Coleman, Harvey is only worth drafting as a flex with a mid-round pick, with his value slightly higher in PPR. Harvey was a great Fantasy running back to close 2025 when he scored at least 18.6 PPR points in three of his final five games in the regular season. Dobbins suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 10, and Harvey took over Denver's backfield with at least 14 total touches in six of seven games from Weeks 11-18. But when Dobbins was healthy it was hard to trust Harvey as even a flex. He averaged just 9.9 PPR points in the first 10 games of the season and only had three games with double digits in PPR over that span. He also had one game with double digits in touches. This offseason, the Broncos re-signed Dobbins and drafted Coleman, who is expected to have an impactful role, potentially at the goal line. While Coleman will likely be third on the depth chart, his presence limits the potential upside if Dobbins were to miss any time due to injury like we saw in 2025. Harvey's talent will hopefully get him on the field enough to matter as a potential No. 2 Fantasy running back, and he should have a productive role in the passing game. But the earliest he should be drafted in most formats is Round 7 given the crowded backfield in Denver. That's not expected to happen given his current FantasyPros ADP at No. 67 overall as RB25.

2026 Prediction

The Broncos will once again be in the mix for the AFC West crown, but Denver will fall short of winning the division behind the Chargers and potentially the Chiefs. The Broncos should be in the wild-card mix, and I expect them to make the playoffs.

Nix will get off to a slow start coming off the ankle injury he suffered in the playoffs last year, but he should finish the season strong. He won't finish the year as a top-12 Fantasy quarterback overall, but his end-of-season production will make him a starting option heading into the Fantasy playoffs.

Waddle will be good in Denver, but he won't be great. Fantasy managers will regret spending a fourth-round pick on him this year, but he will perform like a high-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver.

Sutton's production will be similar to Waddle, and Fantasy managers will be glad they settled for Sutton in Round 6. No other Denver pass catcher will matter for Fantasy managers this season.

The backfield will be frustrating for Fantasy managers this season while Dobbins, Harvey and Coleman are healthy, but Dobbins will perform like a flex option when he's on the field. Unfortunately, he will miss some game action due to a minor injury, and Harvey and Coleman will split the workload while Dobbins is out.

Coleman will end up leading the Broncos in touchdowns, and he will be the third-best rookie running back in the NFL in 2026 behind Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Harvey will end up being one of the bigger Fantasy busts because of a lack of touches and touchdowns.