The Arizona Cardinals shocked the world when they decided to take a running back at No. 3 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. Jeremiyah Love became the highest-drafted RB since Saquon Barkley in 2018. The pick may not help them win football games in 2026, but that doesn’t mean Love can’t be a highly productive player that fantasy football managers need to invest in.
Should You Draft Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love in Fantasy Football?
We can debate the merits of taking a running back No. 3 overall all we want. Okay, no we can’t. The pick was terrible. But for fantasy football, it’s not our job to care. Our job is to accept that the Cardinals made this decision and figure out what it means for Love’s fantasy value.
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Love enters the NFL as an early declare coming off two stellar seasons at Notre Dame. While Love never reached 200 carries in a collegiate season, he probably would have had he not been ripping off big run after big run every time he touched the ball. Here were Love’s sophomore and junior stat lines in college:
- 2024: 163 carries for 1,125 yards and 17 TDs
- 2025: 199 carries for 1,372 yards and 18 TDs
Love was also a capable pass-catcher, adding a total of 55 receptions for 517 yards and 5 TDs as well. While not quite generational, Love is an excellent prospect and should be viewed as a player who can make an immediate impact.
Love’s Redraft Fantasy Football Value
The fantasy community has long been infatuated with rookies and frequently willing to spend premium draft capital on players who have never played a down of professional football. Historically, rookies have been great investments. But just because something works out more often than not doesn’t mean it works out every time.
Last season, Ashton Jeanty was the latest running back to earn top 10 draft capital in the NFL Draft. Like most top 10 drafted RBs, this earned him a borderline first-round ADP in fantasy football. It did not work out with Jeanty, who averaged 14.3 fantasy points per game, falling well short of his 16-17 PPG ADP expectation.
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Jeanty’s performance last year is highly relevant to Love because it is a major reason Love isn’t going where Jeanty went last year. Instead, Love’s ADP is at RB13 and closer to the end of the second round. A six-to-eight pick difference within the first 24 picks is significant.
There are similar concerns with Love that fantasy managers largely ignored when it came to Jeanty. It goes without saying that teams in a position to spend a high draft pick on a running back are in that spot because they weren’t very good the previous season.
The Cardinals’ starting quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, started 12 games last season and lost 11 of them. The team’s offensive line graded out as the No. 23 OL in PFSN Impact Score. The defense was even worse, grading out at No. 29. If the Cardinals can’t sustain drives and constantly fall behind on the scoreboard, that’s not great for their running back’s fantasy value.
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Complicating things further is that Love was never really the plan. Arizona restructured James Conner’s contract to bring him back for another year. They signed Tyler Allgeier away from the Falcons to presumably be their lead back. They also roster Trey Benson and Bam Knight, who each had a stint as the lead back from last season.
Love clears them all in talent and then some, but it stands to reason that at least one or two of these players will get some burn.
Despite all of the above, Love is still a pretty good redraft bet. It all comes down to price.
If Love was going at the same spot as Jeanty last season, I’d be out. Love is the RB11 in our consensus rankings, which means we’re expecting him to hit roughly 16.0 PPG as a rookie. Here’s why that’s a bet worth making.
The following is a list of every running back drafted inside the top 10 of the NFL Draft since 2012 and their rookie season PPG:
- 2012 Trent Richardson: 17.0 PPG
- 2015 Todd Gurley: 16.0 PPG
- 2016 Ezekiel Elliott: 21.7 PPG
- 2017 Christian McCaffrey: 14.3 PPG
- 2017 Leonard Fournette: 17.7 PPG
- 2018 Saquon Barkley: 24.1 PPG
- 2023 Bijan Robinson: 14.5 PPG
- 2025 Ashton Jeanty: 14.4 PPG
Obviously, these names span almost 15 years, multiple eras of fantasy football, and had varying ADPs. But what do they have in common? Not one of them was a disaster.
Yes, anyone who drafted Jeanty last season wasn’t thrilled with his production. The same goes for Robinson three years ago. While both of those players certainly underwhelmed, neither destroyed your season. They failed to live up to ADP expectations, but didn’t totally bust.
READ MORE: 2026 Controversial Fantasy Football Running Back Depth Charts: Who To Draft In These Confusing Rooms
Based on this historical data, Love’s floor is roughly 14 PPG. Based on his ADP, he is being drafted much closer to his floor than his ceiling. We should almost always be drafted for upside and even on a bad Cardinals team, Love’s ceiling is 2018 Barkley.
That 2018 Giants team was terrible. They went 5-11 and ranked 16th in points scored. Bad team. Mediocre offense. Barkley got there by catching 91 passes and scoring 15 touchdowns. In a best-case scenario, why can’t Love do something similar?
Rookie running backs with top-10 NFL Draft capital never completely fail. Love’s downside is that he falls maybe a point or two below expectation. His upside is he’s a top-five fantasy back on volume and good touchdown variance. That’s a bet worth making as long as his price doesn’t rise.
Preseason Fantasy RB Rankings
- Bijan Robinson | ATL
- Jahmyr Gibbs | DET
- James Cook III | BUF
- Jonathan Taylor | IND
- Ashton Jeanty | LV
- Christian McCaffrey | SF
- Saquon Barkley | PHI
- Chase Brown | CIN
- De’Von Achane | MIA
- Derrick Henry | BAL
- Kenneth Walker III | KC
- Jeremiyah Love | ARI
- Omarion Hampton | LAC
- Javonte Williams | DAL
- Breece Hall | NYJ
- Kyren Williams | LAR
- D’Andre Swift | CHI
- Travis Etienne Jr. | NO
- Josh Jacobs | GB
- Cam Skattebo | NYG
- David Montgomery | HOU
- Bhayshul Tuten | JAX
- TreVeyon Henderson | NE
- Quinshon Judkins | CLE
- Jaylen Warren | PIT
- Bucky Irving | TB
- Jadarian Price | SEA
- Rhamondre Stevenson | NE
- Chuba Hubbard | CAR
- Kenny Gainwell | TB
- Tony Pollard | TEN
- Jordan Mason | MIN
- Rico Dowdle | PIT
- Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS
- Blake Corum | LAR
- RJ Harvey | DEN
- Kyle Monangai | CHI
- Rachaad White | WAS
- Chris Rodriguez Jr. | JAX
- Zach Charbonnet | SEA
- Aaron Jones Sr. | MIN
- Jonathon Brooks | CAR
- J.K. Dobbins | DEN
- Tyler Allgeier | ARI
- Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG
- Isiah Pacheco | DET
- Woody Marks | HOU
- Tyjae Spears | TEN
- Nick Singleton | TEN
- Brian Robinson Jr. | ATL
