The Denver Broncos are placing running back J.K. Dobbins on injured reserve, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Not having Dobbins, No. 14 in PFSN’s RB Impact Score, in Week 11 is like walking out of the house without your cell phone. You probably need it, but can survive without it.
Let’s see what missing Dobbins means for the Broncos. Spoiler alert: Starter round pick RB RJ Harvey has entered the chat.
How the Broncos Will Look Without J.K. Dobbins
Rapoport first reported the news on Twitter. He wrote, “The Broncos are, in fact, placing (J.K.) Dobbins is on Injured Reserve with a significant foot injury, per me and Tom Pelissero. Dobbins has a ligament issue and will need season-ending surgery.”
If Dobbins is your cell phone, Harvey is your Apple Watch. Dobbins leads the Broncos’ offense with 772 rushing yards, while Harvey has six touchdowns on 75 total touches heading into Week 11.
In other words, the latter has been waiting for more work to come in. Drafted in the second round, 60th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, Harvey is a positional surplus waiting in the wings.
The #Broncos are, in fact, placing JK Dobbins on Injured Reserve with a significant foot injury, per me and @TomPelissero. Dobbins has a ligament issue and will need season-ending surgery. pic.twitter.com/aAuZG7z6oE
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 15, 2025
For this week, it’s going to be smooth sailing for the Broncos’ rushing offense, as the Broncos are No. 14 in run block win rate, and the Chiefs are dead last in run stop win rate. It’s an opportunity to prepare for Harvey’s meeting.
In Week 12, though, the Broncos have their bye week. This is when they’ll plan out what to do without Dobbins for the rest of the season. Expect No. 4 RB Jaleel McLaughlin to get dusted off heading into Week 13 vs. the Washington Commanders. He’ll spell Harvey.
Coming out of the bye, however, the Broncos’ pass-to-run ratio likely balloons. As of this writing, the Broncos have a 56.5:43.5 pass-to-run ratio. In other words, quarterback Bo Nix will take on more responsibility after Dobbins’ injury. This is a sneaky time to buy low on wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin in fantasy football.
If the Broncos were going to make Harvey a bellcow for the entire season, they would’ve already done so. Cue to this legendary “The Social Network” scene.
Elsewhere, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph explained how he prepared for the Chiefs all week. The Broncos’ defense is No. 1 in PFSN’s Defense Impact Score, while the offense is No. 14 in PFSN’s Offense Impact Score.