Jeremiyah Love enters his rookie season with plenty of expectations because of the draft capital spent on him in April. Fantasy football managers are understandably skeptical after overprojecting Ashton Jeanty in a similar spot last season, but those who trust the rookie are likely to be rewarded.
Should You Draft Jeremiyah Love in Fantasy Football?
Love, the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, looked really good in the one preseason game he played, but unfortunately, he suffered a high ankle sprain. As of early September, his availability for Week 1 of the regular season is up in the air. His ADP in PFN’s Free Fantasy Mock Draft Simulator is right on the money at 25. PFN’s fantasy experts Jason Katz and Kyle Soppe have a consensus rank of 28 between the two of them. You’re looking at him as a third-round pick more often than not, depending on how many people you have in your league.
The big question is, do you take him? My answer to that, honestly, is that it depends. There are a lot of question marks with Love. There’s the injury, the fact that he’s a rookie getting into the NFL, and probably most importantly, the competition he faces.
Arizona has a pretty loaded backfield, and not just Love. James Conner is coming back from injury, and he’s shown he can be productive when he’s healthy. Tyler Allgeier played a pretty big role in Atlanta’s backfield even when Bijan Robinson came into the mix. You have three capable running backs. Love has the highest ceiling of the bunch, and the fact that they took him with a first-round pick makes you think they’ve got a high expectation for him. But at the same time, that’s a lot of mouths to feed. Naturally, Love might not have as much of a stake in that backfield, especially right out of the gate.
That said, there’s obvious upside with Love. He’s a tremendous athlete with big-play potential. He’s a really good receiving back. He wouldn’t have gone third overall if he wasn’t a true blue-chip draft prospect.
The reason I say it depends is that I think it comes down to your draft strategy in the earlier rounds. There are other running backs in that range who have been more consistent and, admittedly, safer, like a Kyren Williams from the Rams or Josh Jacobs on the Packers. Those are probably safer picks. Let’s say you go wide receiver with the first two picks, or you go wide receiver, tight end maybe, and you’re looking for an RB1. I would stay away from Love because there’s too much risk there to rely on him to be your top running back, especially in those first few weeks.
But let’s say in the first round you’re able to get a guy like Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, or James Cook even, and you want to take a shot on RB2. Love is going to have arguably the highest ceiling out of those guys. If you want to take that risk, and if you already have a good running back on your roster by the time Love is available, take that shot. But otherwise, if you’re taking Love to be an RB1, I think there are safer options. I’d stay away.
FANTASY RANKINGS: PFN’s FREE Fantasy PPR, Half-PPR, and Non-PPR Rankings
Jeremiyah Love’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
The ankle sprain in August will likely impact how the Cardinals roll out starters in August for years to come, but I don’t think it ends up mattering at all when we look back on the 2026 fantasy season.
The past nine running backs drafted as top-12 picks have dominated our game as rookies, and Love should fall in line with RB1 numbers.
The nine before him saw their scoring increase by 9.9% after September, another trend that I like to continue.
Love is going to be featured, and if Arizona wants to have any chance of keeping up, it’s Love early and often. We will see exactly what his usage (and the Cardinals’ confidence in his ankle) looks like, but the featured role isn’t in question, and that makes him a lock starter.
As long as he exits this week without injury, Love’s stock can’t take a real hit in my eyes in Week 1. If you don’t roster him and you feel that the manager with him is the panicky type, I’d send a 90-cents-on-the-dollar offer and enjoy your riches.
The Cards go bye-Jets-Saints-Raiders to round out the fantasy season: you’re going to want exposure, and if you can get it at even a minor discount after this tough spot, I think you have no choice but to do it.
START PREPARING: PFN’s FREE Fantasy Draft Simulator
Where Love Ranks Among 2026 Running Backs
- Chase Brown | CIN
- Derrick Henry | BAL
- De'Von Achane | MIA
- Kenneth Walker III | KC
- Omarion Hampton | LAC
- Jeremiyah Love | ARI
- Ashton Jeanty | LV
- Javonte Williams | DAL
- Travis Etienne Jr. | NO
- Breece Hall | NYJ
- D'Andre Swift | CHI
Check the full position group on PFN's 2026 PPR Running Back Board.
