Jeremiyah Love: Fantasy Impact as Cardinals’ Top RB in 2026

Jeremiyah Love was the top running back prospect heading into the 2026 NFL Draft. Now he will begin his career with the Arizona Cardinals. Love joins a backfield with Tyler Allgeier, the former Atlanta Falcons running back who joined the team during free agency this offseason. Then there’s James Conner, who adjusted his contract to remain on the roster for the 2026 season. And finally, there’s Trey Benson, who has yet to pan out in the Cardinals’ backfield.

Despite the number of running backs on the current roster, Love is still expected to be the front man for the Cardinals in 2026 after the team invested the third overall pick to draft him. A draft move that caught plenty in the NFL off guard. There was no reported interest from the Cardinals in Love before the draft, as he was linked to teams like the Titans and Giants.

Now that Love is with the Cardinals, what can fantasy managers expect from him during his rookie season? Can the new rookie running back thrive in a backfield and offense that is under new management with Nathaniel Hackett as the new offensive coordinator?

Jeremiyah Love’s Fantasy Outlook in 2026

One thing fantasy managers won’t have to worry about is Jeremiyah Love’s role in the Arizona Cardinals’ offense in his rookie season. The Cardinals invested a hefty draft price when they pulled the trigger and drafted him with the third-overall pick. That move should signal to fantasy managers in all formats that Love is “the guy” in the backfield now. But what kind of running back did the Cardinals actually invest in?

Love averaged over 1,200 yards over his last two seasons with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and rushed for a combined 35 touchdowns. Love also showcased his receiving skillset as he averaged 10.4 yards per reception in 2025 and finished with 280 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. Love is what you want in an “every-down back” at the NFL level. With minimal tread on his wheels as he finished with fewer than 200 attempts in both his sophomore and junior seasons, Love is ready to carry the mail at the NFL level.

The Cardinals’ rushing attack needed a bit of a facelift after finishing 31st in rushing yards last season. James Conner and Trey Benson ended the season on injured reserve, and the Cardinals’ run game wasn’t the same afterward. Love gives the Cardinals a much younger option who can move the run game back to its former glory. Nathaniel Hackett and Mike LaFleur will be charged with bringing out the best in what Love offers as a heavily invested prospect. Hackett’s last stop as an offensive coordinator didn’t help the Jets much as they finished 31st in rushing yards with Breece Hall as the lead back.

Despite the fuster cluck that was going on in New York during the 2024 season, Breece Hall was still solid for fantasy managers as he finished with just over 800 rushing yards, five touchdowns, and a 4.2 y/a. Hall also added a 15.1 fantasy points per game average, ranking him as the RB17 in FPPG. Hall also added 483 receiving yards on 76 targets and three additional targets. What also works in favor of Love, in case fantasy managers were worried about a committee breaking out, is that Hall led the Jets’ backfield in Snap Percentage at 67.5.

The Wrap Up

According to Underdog’s ADP chart, Jeremiyah Love is being projected as the 13th-best running back coming off early draft boards. That puts him between running backs like Bengals’ running back Chase Brown and Packers’ running back Josh Jacobs. That’s not a bad place to start coming into your rookie season. The Cardinals have some offensive weapons like Marvin Harrison and Mike Wilson. And you can forget about their top tight end, Trey McBride. With the expectation of Jacoby Brissett returning as the QB1, the offense should be able to pick up where it left off from last season.

Speaking of Brissett, having him as the starting QB for the Cardinals should have a positive impact for Love. Last season, Brissett was second in the NFL in Check Down Rate to running backs at 12.6%, according to KyleM_FF at Fantasy Points.

Having a rookie running back as your RB1 on your fantasy team is a little risky. Fantasy managers may want to tailor their draft strategy to include a top-end running back to pair with Love, drafting two running backs in the first two rounds. If you are going to attack the draft with Love as your RB1, consider adding other viable running back options who can balance out production on your roster overall. Love is being drafted in the back of the second round, so there are still some significant names to target heading into the later rounds.