Currently sitting as RB26 in ADP, Jadarian Price has a realistic path to easily beat that valuation. No team in the NFL logged more running back carries or red-zone running back carries than Seattle last season, and given the state of the position right now, they have one player to trust in that regard.
Should You Draft Jadarian Price in Fantasy Football?
Let’s start with Price’s ADP, which is 63.4 on PFN’s Free Fantasy Mock Draft Simulator. My colleague Kyle Soppe and I have his consensus rank at RB24, and we have him projected at 12.43 fantasy points per game.
Price is a very interesting player. He comes with first-round draft capital, which on the surface should seem like a good thing. But there was once another running back that the Seattle Seahawks took number 32 overall in the draft, and his name was Rashaad Penny, and he barely played at all as a rookie. I wouldn’t assume that just because Price was taken number 32 overall, he’s locked into any sort of guaranteed volume.
But the more concerning issue for me is his production profile. Price, and I say this without exaggeration, has the worst production profile of a first-round running back in the history of the NFL. There is no denying that he was efficient on his touches last year and in general in college. And I understand that he played behind Jeremiyah Love. When you play behind the number 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft at the same position, there’s not going to be that much for you to do. You’re going to have fewer touches. It happens.
But when it happens, typically that backup doesn’t really do well in the NFL. We saw this a few years back. I know the draft capital wasn’t the same, but there were excuses made for Roschon Johnson for playing behind Bijan Robinson, and it turns out Roschon Johnson just isn’t that good. My fear with Price is the same. He has not had a single game in his entire college career with more than 15 carries. He had 295 total touches in college. That is such a low number to enter the NFL.
He joins a Seattle Seahawks offense where presumably the runway is open for him with Zach Charbonnet coming off his torn ACL. But are we really that excited about this running game? They just lost Klint Kubiak, and it really wasn’t that great last year to begin with. Both Kenneth Walker and Charbonnet averaged 11.3 fantasy points per game. What are we really expecting from Price here?
Plus, the typical rookie arc is that the running back starts a little bit slow and surges over the second half. But we have an impending Charbonnet return around midseason that could put a damper on what Price does over the second half. So we may be getting a guy who is most effective in the first half, depending on how much he shares the load with George Holani, who the team seems to like.
Ultimately, I am a data guy, and the data is telling me to fade Price. I do think his cost in fantasy drafts is reasonable. If you want to take him and you’re wrong, it’s certainly not going to torpedo your season. But for me, I’m looking elsewhere at the spot where Price goes in fantasy drafts this year.
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Jadarian Price’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
There are going to be a ton of storylines that emerge from this first week of action, but Price’s production is currently sitting atop my watch list.
His work was limited at Notre Dame due to Jeremiyah Love owning the featured role, and that naturally gives us reason for pause.
In April, however, the Super Bowl champs selected him to be their Kenneth Walker replacement and “the guy” from the jump with Zach Charbonnet nursing a knee injury.
In one week, we are going to get a feel for how this kid can do for a team with tremendous expectations, against the reigning AFC champions, in a featured role.
No pressure.
I think the skill set is real. I also think the pressure to produce is real.
Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton were first-round picks last season, and neither was efficient off the bat.
Jeanty: under 4.0 YPC in each of his first three games (47 carries, zero 20-yard runs)
Hampton: under 4.0 YPC in each of his first three games (42 carries, zero 20-yard runs)
We didn’t care. We knew that they were going to be trusted with work all season, and that allowed us to stay the course and benefit from them finding their footing with time.
If Price struggles, who is to say he doesn’t get the Walker treatment when Charbonnet is healthy? That wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it would be underwhelming given his asking price this summer, especially if you constructed some rosters under the assumption that he would be getting 15+ touches all season long.
I know someone who did that.
I am that someone who did that.
The skill set and opportunity are too much for me to overlook in an offense built with the identity that the ‘Hawks have, though it is nerve-racking. The Pats allowed a league-low 40 red-zone drives last regular season (3 fewer than any other team), and that’s why I have Price ranked as a flex option this week, not an RB2.
I’m staying patient. We knew this touch matchup was coming. If you were operating under the same train of thought as me, you’re projecting big numbers in Weeks 2 to 3 (Cardinals and Commanders) that give this staff confidence in Price as their bellcow.
I’m staying patient.
I’m staying patient.
Repeat it to yourself. It’s going to be easy to panic if this week doesn’t look good, but if you believe in Price enough to spend a fifth-round pick on him, you’re confident that he can take advantage of the upcoming matchups and earn a role that slides him into the RB2 tier when it matters most.
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Where Price Ranks Among 2026 Running Backs
- Kyren Williams | LAR
- Cam Skattebo | NYG
- David Montgomery | HOU
- Bhayshul Tuten | JAX
- Quinshon Judkins | CLE
- Jadarian Price | SEA
- Bucky Irving | TB
- Jaylen Warren | PIT
- Rhamondre Stevenson | NE
- TreVeyon Henderson | NE
- Chuba Hubbard | CAR
Want to dive in more? PFN's Complete PPR Running Back Rankings are updated weekly.
