RJ Harvey is tough Fantasy start right now, but that’s almost bound to change. (Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)
This week, the Bengals traded for Joe Flacco to help stabilize their QB situation; we learned that the Giants refused a trade request from Saquon Barkley two years ago; and the Ravens, hoping to beef up their safety play, signed veteran C.J. Gardner-Johnson to their practice squad. Other Fantasy football stories we’re tracking include…
RJ Harvey Opening Eyes
Heading into the season, we expected the Denver Broncos to have a much better offense, and to some extent they do, ranking 10th in yards per game after finishing just 19th last year. The problem? It hasn’t necessarily translated into points yet as Denver is just 18th in scoring after ranking 10th in 2024.
But after a disappointing 1-2 start to the season, the Broncos have won their last two, including a statement win in Philadelphia in Week Five.
Led by newcomer J.K. Dobbins who is enjoying a stellar comeback season so far, Denver has boasted one of the NFL’s top run attacks. However, we all know about his extensive injury history, which makes rookie RJ Harvey such an intriguing player to track and ultimately start if (when?) Dobbins gets banged up again.
Denver’s second round pick this year, Harvey is showing tremendous promise, and it was apparent right from the start (see what he did in his NFL debut in the video below). In fact, he’s currently slotted 13th among all RBs that are getting at least five totes per game in yards over expectation per carry. That ought to have the attention of Fantasy owners.
In the blowout win over Cincy in Week Four, Harvey got plenty of work (season highs of 41 per cent snap share, 14 carries and five receptions, one for his first career TD), but was used sparingly against the Eagles (four rushes). Still, with 150 yards rushing in a reserve role through five games, his numbers are popping off the page.
Sure, he seemingly fell below Tyler Badie on the depth chart in Week Five, but Badie is dealing with an injury this week, and it seems almost inevitable that Harvey will be starting for Denver at some point. Also, the fact that Harvey is very active in the pass game (three straight games of at least three catches) makes him all the more appealing.
No, you can’t start him on your Fantasy team (yet), but he’s already shown potential to be a lot more useful than most thought when he came out of UCF. Harvey is a patient runner who can assess defensive coverage schemes on the fly, but doesn’t have elite speed.
Philly Doing Fine
In late-June, we wondered whether the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles would regress this season and if they were cap strapped enough to be forced to deal away a top defensive star like Reed Blankenship.
Okay, so as discussed above they lost to Denver in Week Five, but were undefeated previously, helped greatly by an improved pass defense (15th in yards allowed and seventh in passing TDs given up), a unit still very much featuring Blankenship.
So, clearly, rumours of this team’s demise were greatly exaggerated. In fact, at -650, no team currently has better odds than Philly to win at least 10 games as per FanDuel.
Despite having had their 10-game win streak snapped with this setback, the Eagles have only dropped two of their last 22 games.
The good news here is that WR DeVonta Smith shook off what’s been a slow start to the season with a huge game. A dude that’s generally a big help to Jalen Hurts and the Eagle pass attack, Smith had only managed to catch more than four passes once through four games before breaking out on Sunday with eight grabs for 114 yards.
Smith now has 25 catches on 30 targets, but a lower YPR than usual and just one touchdown. Still, with his snap share of over 90 per cent every game, it’s simply a matter of time before he starts hitting paydirt. In fact, we love Smith’s chances of building on this breakout game with the Giants and their 24th-ranked pass D on tap in Week Six.
The former Heisman Trophy winner only ranks 30th among wide receivers in Fantasy points, but he should outplay that this week, so consider him a very strong WR3 in Week Six.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
Dire Straits formed in London, England in 1977, remaining active until 1988, and then reforming in 1990 and hanging around for another five years. In 1985, they released their fifth album, Brothers in Arms, a major commercial breakthrough for the band. Among the military-related tracks on this album is “Ride Across the River.”