J.K. Dobbins DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

ESPN's Jeff Legwold writes that the Denver Broncos figure to give new running back J.K. Dobbins a long look in the third-down role ahead of Week 1 of the 2025 regular season. Dobbins has dealt with multiple injuries since being drafted in 2020, mainly knee and Achilles injuries, but he had career-highs in rushing yards (905), catches (32) and receiving yards (153) last year with the Los Angeles Chargers and tied his career best with nine rushing touchdowns. And that was with him missing four games in 2024 with an MCL sprain. Javonte Williams led the Broncos in carries (139) and rushing yards (513) last year, but he's now in Dallas. Second-round rookie RB RJ Harvey is the favorite for lead-back duties in 2025, but Dobbins (if healthy) could be a nice RB3/flex option for fantasy managers in PPR leagues if he captures the full-time third-down role.

Free-agent running back J.K. Dobbins signed a one-year, $5.25 million deal on Tuesday with the Denver Broncos, sources tell NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Dobbins, who was a Comeback Player of the Year finalist in 2024, is still only 26 years old and had over 1,000 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games with the Los Angeles Chargers last year. He did not play at all in 2021 and was limited to nine total games in 2022 and 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens due to knee and Achilles injuries, which made it all the more impressive that he averaged 4.6 yards per carry on his career-high 195 rushing attempts in 2024 with the Bolts. Dobbins will now pair with rookie second-round RB RJ Harvey in the backfield for the Broncos in an offense that should be plenty productive under quarterback Bo Nix in his second season. At the very least, Dobbins could have RB3/flex appeal in Denver's backfield.

Former Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins is headed to Denver on Wednesday night to have dinner with coaches and to visit the Broncos facility on Thursday, a source tells NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Dobbins, who was originally taken 55th overall in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens out of Ohio State, had a career-best 905 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns on 195 rushing attempts in his lone season with the Chargers in 2024, adding a career-high 32 catches for 153 additional yards in 13 regular-season games (11 starts). If the Broncos were to sign the 26-year-old, it would put a damper on second-round rookie RB RJ Harvey's first-year fantasy value. Dobbins, given his extensive injury history, would almost certainly work alongside Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin in a committee backfield if he lands in Denver.

Free-agent running back J.K. Dobbins remains unsigned as we head towards June. It's worth noting that the Los Angeles Chargers placed an unrestricted free agent tender on Dobbins. That means, the Chargers have exclusive negotiating rights if Dobbins remains unsigned in late July. That being said, Dobbins will likely try to sign somewhere before then given the Chargers already have plenty of options in the backfield. The Chicago Bears appear to be a decent landing spot for Dobbins or Nick Chubb. The Bears need to add another complimentary back alongside D'Andre Swift. Between the two, Dobbins appears to be the safer bet given he's coming off a strong 2024 campaign. Dobbins nearly rushed for 1,000 yards while in a committee role with the Chargers. The 26-year-old would give the Bears more depth and another viable option in the backfield.

The Los Angeles Chargers placed the unrestricted free-agent tender on running back J.K. Dobbins on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The veteran remains eligible to sign with any team, but the Chargers will retain his exclusive negotiating rights if he does not. If he doesn't sign with a new team, he would be due $3.428 million in 2025. After coming back from a torn Achilles last season, Dobbins rushed for 905 yards and nine touchdowns. Surely, the former Baltimore Ravens second-round pick would prefer to play somewhere else after the team added Najee Harris via free agency and former North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. This is a situation worth monitoring for fantasy football purposes.