Jeremiyah Love went No. 3 overall to the Cardinals in April, the highest a running back has gone since Saquon Barkley at No. 2 in 2018 and the first back Arizona has taken in the first round since Beanie Wells back in 2009. The pedigree is real: Love ran for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns last season at Notre Dame, averaging 6.9 yards a carry. But top-3 draft capital hasn't translated into a clear runway, and the fantasy world spent the week talking themselves out of the hype.
A rundown of Arizona's crowded backfield plans, with Love, Tyler Allgeier and James Conner all in the mix.
The problem is math, not talent. Allgeier signed with Arizona this offseason and has taken the bulk of first-team reps in camp, while Conner — RB1 on the depth chart as recently as last year — has been working back in. Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur has been blunt about why: no back is taking 65 snaps a game, and he's said he called both Allgeier and Conner personally after drafting Love to make sure they knew they were still part of the plan.
That's shown up on paper already — the Cardinals' initial depth chart actually listed Allgeier as the No. 1 back, with Love behind him at No. 2, even though Love has since been trading first-team reps with Allgeier in practice. For a player who came off the board 3rd overall, that's not the kind of workload security fantasy managers were banking on.
Matthew Berry questions whether Love's talent justifies a 2nd-round fantasy price given how many mouths Arizona has to feed in the backfield.
It's already bleeding into fantasy draft boards. Love is going off the board around pick 23-25 in early best ball drafts — a second or third-round investment — with some analysts projecting he won't even clear 50% of the running back touch share once Allgeier and Conner get theirs. Allgeier profiles as a short-yardage, goal-line bruiser at 225 pounds, which is exactly the kind of role that can quietly siphon Love's touchdown equity even if he wins the job on early downs.
None of that erases why Arizona spent a top-3 pick on him in the first place. Love's tape says three-down back with legit receiving juice, and LaFleur has made clear the plan is to feature him as the lead option while keeping Allgeier and Conner fresh for the grind of a 17-game season. But 'lead option in a committee' and 'workhorse RB1' are two very different fantasy profiles, and right now Arizona looks committed to the former.