Jeremiyah Love's crowded Cardinals backfield and unproven rookie role make him a risky reach in 2026 fantasy football drafts this year.
[Jeremiyah Love](https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/arizona-cardinals/cardinals-news-jeremiyah-love-contract-record-after-jahmyr-gibbs-bijan-robinson-deals) has never taken an NFL snap, yet fantasy managers are drafting him as if he's a proven RB1, and that gap between hype and evidence is exactly why he's the riskiest reach of the 2026 draft season. Rookie running backs are historically volatile fantasy assets, and Love's specific situation in Arizona adds even more red flags on top of the usual first-year uncertainty.
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Love was a dominant college back, no question, rushing for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on 6.9 yards per carry in his final season at Notre Dame, and the Cardinals made him the third overall pick, the highest a running back has gone since Saquon Barkley in 2018. But being drafted early doesn't guarantee an immediate workhorse role, and Arizona's backfield is nowhere near as clean as Detroit's was for Jahmyr Gibbs.
James Conner is still on the roster after producing a full workload in recent seasons, and the Cardinals also carry Trey Benson, Emari Demercado, and Zonovan Knight on the depth chart behind Love, meaning touches will likely be shared rather than handed over outright in Week 1. One draft-day grade even called the Cardinals' decision to take a running back that early a “C-” given the presence of two average-to-good backs already on the roster, arguing the pick was a reach for need over pure value. If Arizona's own front office is unsure whether Love should be the clear-cut starter immediately, fantasy managers drafting him as a locked-in RB1 are making a bigger leap than the team that drafted him.
**Rookie running backs have a rocky history in fantasy**
--------------------------------------------------------
History is not kind to first-year running backs being drafted as fantasy studs. Even elite prospects routinely need a half-season or more to acclimate to NFL blocking schemes, pass-protection responsibilities, and a much faster level of competition than college defenses provide. Love profiles as a home-run hitter, but Notre Dame's 6.9 YPC average came against a college slate, and translating that explosiveness behind an Arizona offensive line that is a question mark under new head coach Mike LaFleur with journeyman Jacoby Brissett at quarterback is far from guaranteed.
Article Continues Below
Love also missed zero college games, which sounds like a positive, but it also means he has zero experience handling an NFL workload, an NFL pass-protection assignment, or an NFL 17-game grind, all things that trip up even the most talented rookies in year one.
**The draft market is already pricing in more certainty than exists**
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the real problem: Love's current ADP sits around pick 19 to 20 across most platforms, generally in the RB7 to RB9 range, which means fantasy managers are spending a second-round pick on a running back one of the worst teams in the NFL and running behind a disastrous offensive line. There are projections for Love for 248 PPR points and 14.6 points per game; still, they rate him a full round below where the market has him going, essentially calling him overdrafted relative to his own realistic ceiling.
Compare Love's situation to Jahmyr Gibbs entering 2024, who was stepping into a clearly ascending Detroit offense with a proven, top-tier play caller and a defined role expanding around him. Love, by contrast, is stepping into a rebuilding Cardinals offense that just fired its head coach and quarterback situation, with a crowded backfield and a first-time NFL play caller in Mike LaFleur who has zero track record of featuring a rookie back.
Paying a top-20 pick for a running back who might not even lead his own backfield in touches is the definition of drafting hype over floor. Fantasy managers reaching for Love are betting on a best-case outcome, immediate workhorse touches, seamless transition to the pro game, and a competent rebuilding offense around him, when the far more likely outcome is a committee role, rookie growing pains, and a below-replacement floor for much of the season. There will be plenty of proven, lower-variance running backs and receivers still on the board when Love's name gets called, and that's where the smarter value lies this August.