Who Should I Start? Damien Harris or J.K. Dobbins

Monday, March 25, 9:07 PM

Former New England Patriots running back Damien Harris announced his retirement from professional football on Monday at age 27. The Patriots selected Harris in the third round (87th overall) in the 2019 NFL draft out of Alabama, and he had 449 rushing attempts for 2,094 yards and 20 touchdowns in his four years in New England in 38 regular-season games (34 starts) while adding 40 receptions on 51 targets for an additional 281 receiving yards. Harris spent the 2023 campaign with the Buffalo Bills but played in only six games before suffering a season-ending concussion/neck injury that saw him be taken off the field in an ambulance. He'll end his NFL career after just five seasons, recording 2,188 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on 427 carries with the Pats and Bills.

Monday, July 28, 5:06 PM

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said that running back J.K. Dobbins' transition to the offense has been "swift." It appears that the Broncos' decision to sign Dobbins in early June so that he could enter the offseason break with the playbook was a good move. Dobbins is going to share the backfield with rookie second-rounder RJ Harvey in his first year in Denver, but so far in training camp, the 26-year-old former Raven has seen most of the work with the first-team offense. Harvey could easily take over the early-down role for the Broncos sooner than later in 2025, but if Dobbins can stay healthy, he should be in play in PPR fantasy leagues as an RB3/flex option. Dobbins played in just nine games from 2021-23 due to injuries and also missed four games in 2024 with the Chargers due to an MCL sprain, so the lengthy injury history is certainly concerning.