Will Jeremiyah Love Ever Be This Much Of A Bargain In Fantasy Football Drafts?

The fantasy community was justifiably disgusted when the Cardinals took Jeremiyah Love 3rd overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Seriously? Didn’t you guys just give the bag to Tyler Allgeier in free agency? Isn’t James Conner still there? Why couldn’t you guys trade down with like the Commanders or something? I mean, c’mon, can you imagine Love with Jayden Daniels?!

But the more I think about it—and the more I continue to see him in the early-third round of drafts—I can’t help but think this gross landing spot is the ultimate blessing in disguise.

Last year, we were tripping over ourselves to draft Ashton Jeanty, who went 6th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, in the FIRST round of fantasy drafts.

Of course, Jeanty (who was being drafted as the RB4 last year), ended up being one of the biggest busts in fantasy. The Raiders’ o-line was an abomination and he finished as the RB16 in both raw fantasy points and PPG.

Compare that with Love right now, who is currently being drafted as the RB13.

If Jeanty had been going in the same spot as Love, he would have only been a small miss at his ADP. But because of his lofty price tag, his performance single-handedly tanked your team. The RBs going around him—Jonathan Taylor (RB2) and James Cook (RB7)—smoked him and you had very little chance to recover.

What I’m getting at here is that we don’t need perfection from Love at his current ADP. We can deal with a slow start. We can deal with some vultured TDs. We just need him to pick up steam as the season progresses and ultimately outpace some of the players going around him—George Pickens, Breece Hall, etc.—a much more realistic task.

Love ranks No. 5 in Dwain McFarland’s Rookie Super Model going back to 2017. As he notes in his new RB tiers piece:

“He offers an every-down skill set with explosive playmaking ability. His closest comp in the model is Bijan Robinson, and 100% of his comparisons reached top-6 fantasy status by Year 3.”

It’s rare for us to get a superstar RB at these prices. Plug your nose and select a—don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it—generational talent in Round 3. It might not ever happen again …

A FANTASY STAR STAYS PUT

Draft With Celebs. Get FantasyLife+ Free at Sign-Up.

Join us Aug. 20-22 in Las Vegas for National Fantasy Football Draft Day alongside Adrian Peterson, Michelle Beadle, and the Fantasy Life crew of Pete Overzet, Kendall Valenzuela, Matthew Freedman and Dwain McFarland—drafting poolside at Circa's Stadium Swim.

Use code FANTASYLIFE for 25% off your ticket and 1 free year of a Tier 2 FantasyLife+ subscription.

LEARN MORE

Around the Watercooler

The latest fantasy and NFL gossip, news, memes and more from your favorite football nerds …

🤔 Trade Ja’Marr Chase for Malik Nabers? Just think about it.

🦸🏻‍♀️ When it comes to best ball drafts, we’re holding out for a Hero.

🤩 Is this a sure-fire WR1? Catch a rising star.

🏈 Talk about hoarding college players. These schools are brimming with first-round talent.

1️⃣ Bijan or Gibbs? Ah, those 1.01 problems.

🎯 This WR has almost no target competition. Target him in your drafts.

💪 All we’re asking is for 17 healthy games. Then break fantasy.

👀 Spend it all. But keep an eye on the others.

😆 An important PSA. B. Robinson time!

🐬 Due for a playoff win? Poor Dolphins.

👺 I’m sorry Mr. Verse … I don’t believe you!

🙈 He benched his dad in fantasy, then regretted it. One of us!

Freedman’s Favorites Got An Update, Baby!

Matthew Freedman is so back, and he had some time to reflect on all things fantasy football during his paternity leave. We can tell, because he made an update to Freedman’s Favorites, just in time for everyone’s prep for draft szn. There’s old and new faces, but the analysis is fresh. To have a little fun, here’s some clues on some of the players highlighted:

He’s another new daddy
Rhymes with “truck”
He’s been cookin’ for a couple seasons
Travis isn’t the only Swiftie in the league
Freedman’s real 1.01
He’s got a nose for the end zone.
Year 2 TE can be No 1 In his QB’s heart

BE EARLY ON THIS QB BREAKOUT

Who’s There At The End of Round 1?

Why is there a stigma about having the 1.12 in a fantasy draft? Instead of lamenting on not getting one of the top RBs or WRs, focus on the fact that Puka Nacua went in this range last season. That worked out pretty well, right?

Adam Pfeifer fired up our Draft Champion to take on the challenge to build his roster In a 12-team league from the 12th spot. His strategy was well thought out, with some picks that have definite upside. Did he find this year’s Puka?

ROBUST OR HERO RB?

Know The RB Tiers To Avoid Real Tears … From Losses

Dwain McFarland has published his seminal RB Tiers article, so it’s time to break it down on the air. Kendall Valenzuela and Pete Overzet team up with Dwain to talk through the first 10 tiers … So the only tears you shed are happy ones after hoisting your league’s trophy. Subscribe to the Fantasy Life Show YouTube channel and don’t miss an episode.

POWER TRIO IN TIER 1

Published Jul 16, 2026, 6:00 AM ETUpdated Jul 16, 2026, 3:10 PM ET