Expect Big Things From Broncos Rushing Attack In Week 13

The Denver Broncos return from their Week 12 bye with a 9-2 record, one of the best in the National Football League and atop the American Football Conference West division by two games.

Denver draws an easier matchup against the Washington Commanders without star quarterback Jayden Daniels. Washington has lost six straight games and has fallen to 3-8, pretty much eliminating the team from playoff contention in a tough National Football Conference.

This will be a good matchup for the Broncos’ offense to boom, especially on the ground, though Denver’s rushing attack has a different look and feel without star running back J.K. Dobbins. Dobbins suffered a significant ankle injury on a hip-drop tackle in Week 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders and has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a slim chance to return for the Super Bowl if the team advances that far in the playoffs.

Rookie RJ Harvey has assumed the starting role, but he is much more effective as a pass-catcher in the backfield. The Broncos ran as a committee in the lone game without Dobbins, with Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie getting touches. Given the Commanders’ ineffectiveness against the run, expect big things from Denver’s backfield.

ESPN’s Mike Clay believes Harvey is on RB2 watch in fantasy football this week.

“When we last saw Denver (Week 11), it was the team's first game of the season without J.K. Dobbins,” Clay wrote Saturday. “The RB deployment was as follows: Harvey (37 snaps, 11 carries, 3 targets), Jaleel McLaughlin (8 snaps, 6 carries, 1 target) and Tyler Badie (8 snaps, 0 carries, 1 target). McLaughlin scored the unit's only touchdown, but Harvey was the clear leader, handling 14 touches to a combined eight by the other two backs. Harvey, who has six TDs in 11 games, is on the RB2 radar this week in an excellent matchup against a Commanders defense that has allowed the fourth-most yards and fifth-most fantasy points to RBs this season.”

ESPN’s Seth Walder boldly predicts that the Broncos will average at least five yards per carry against a weaker Washington defense.

“Broncos RBs will average at least 5.0 yards per carry. Denver has averaged 2.9 yards before contact per carry (fifth-most), and the Commanders' defense has allowed 2.9 yards before contact per carry (fourth most).”

With a win, the Broncos will put even more pressure on the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs to be at their best.