Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft is in the books! Let’s dive into the fantasy football outlook for a few of the top NFL rookies selected in Round 1: Jadarian Price, Jeremiyah Love, Kenyon Sadiq.
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Fantasy Football Outlook: Jadarian Price, Jeremiyah Love, Kenyon Sadiq
No player will see a bigger rise post-draft than Jadarian Price. Rumored to be a potential late first-round pick at 32 by the Seahawks, that’s exactly how the board shook out in Round 1.
It was the perfect storm for Price. The lack of talent in the RB class and Seattle’s lack of picks (failed to trade back) forced them into the RB with the final selection on Thursday night.
Circumstances boosted Price up the draft board, and I am just concerned his price will continue to skyrocket to unrealistic expectations. The “first-round” draft capital seems a tad fabricated, given the Seahawks were very open about wanting to trade down.
Zach Charbonnet is coming off a very poorly timed ACL injury on January 19th (surgery a month later on February 20th). Although the discourse surrounding Charbonnet’s injury has been generally positive.
He carved out a role alongside Kenneth Walker, and I’d imagine he would do the same when he returns to the field.
Seattle also signed Emanuel Wilson this offseason, who I presume will mostly be viewed as a complete afterthought. After all, he did sign just a one-year, $2.1 million contract (yikes).
Wilson is 5-foot-10 and 226 pounds, providing the “thunder” to Price’s “lightning” at 5-foot-11 and 203 pounds.
And more importantly, he does dirty work that coaches LOVE. I thought pre-draft that he would be a thorn in the side of whichever rookie RB landed in Seattle. I still feel that way.
Full acknowledgment that Price hit the lottery landing spot – but overvaluing the situation in Seattle (in a new offense post-Klint Kubiak) feels somewhat risky.
The hit rate of RBs drafted late in Round 1 has also not been kind in recent years (especially compared to the first half of Round 1 RBs.
From a dynasty context, I understand you might just have to pay the premium “price”. RBs with this draft capital are a dime a dozen.
But in redraft…Price feels like he will be way too expensive.
Jeremiyah Love (RB – ARI)
We have the potential of looking at another Ashton Jeanty 2.0 situation after the Arizona Cardinals selected Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick. Of all the places he could have gone (Titans, Giants, Commanders, etc.), I think Arizona is the worst of the bunch.
First off, Tyler Allgeier isn’t just going to disappear. He is an effective power back and carved out a role alongside arguably the best RB in the NFL during his time in Atlanta. And where does he often see the majority of his touches? The red zone.
I’ve always been a strong believer in Allgeier since his days at BYU. He produced over 1,000 rushing yards as a fifth-round rookie, and just fell victim to circumstances with the Falcons taking Bijan Robinson in 2023.
According to the Athletic, Allgeier is sixth in the NFL in rushing success rate (42 percent) and 11th in EPA per rush (0.01) among all running backs, according to TruMedia. He is also one of three running backs with more than 500 carries in the last four seasons who have not fumbled the ball. He has zero career fumbles. In 2025, he made his biggest impact in the red zone with eight rushing TDs. At 221 pounds and just 737 total NFL touches on his resume, the 26-year-old RB still projects for decent volume in 2026.
Allgeier has been the epitome of health throughout his four-year NFL career. Worth noting that last year’s goal-line RB, Zonovan Knight, signed a one-year deal to return to Arizona.
Not good.
Second, Arizona has QB problems. Jacoby Brissett is holding out. Gardner Minshew is the next man up. Ty Simpson is a Ram. The offense could struggle with Brissett and/or Minshew under center if they aren’t attempting 45-plus passes a game.
Third, the offensive line. They still have a major hole at right tackle.
Now the majority of these are Year 1 issues (hence the comp to Jeanty in 2025). And now things look much better for Jeanty entering his second season. So there’s time for Love, so I’m not ready to move off him as the 1.01 in rookie rankings.
Keep in mind that one of Breece Hall’s best seasons came with new Cardinals OC Nathiel Hackett as the Jets’ OC in 2023 (Hall was fantasy’s RB2).
And as I noted in my “How to Value Rookie RBs in Fantasy Football: Pre-NFL Draft (2026)” article, RBs with this elite draft capital possess very high floors.
78 percent of top-12 RBs finish top-12 in Year 1.
2026 probably won’t be the ceiling for Love. That is for certain. But it’s not enough to completely adjust priors and dramatically decrease his dynasty rank (even if he needs to be knocked down a few spots in the overall and RB dynasty rankings).
Kenyon Sadiq (TE – NYJ)
I tried to be open to the possibilities of Kenyon Sadiq being in an “okay” spot with the New York Jets after being selected 16th overall. Then, the team drafted WR Omar Cooper Jr. late in Round 1 (30th overall), creating a very crowded situation for the former Oregon tight end to make an immediate impact.
Garrett Wilson is the entrenched alpha, and last year’s second-round pick, tight end Mason Taylor, is a player that Aaron Glenn is excited about taking a step in Year 2.
Just makes it hard to find where Sadiq fits into this offense for Year 1. Not to mention, the tight end coach, Alfredo Roberts, is coming over from Pittsburgh, where they used so many TEs that none could be viable fantasy football assets. Also hardly got the most out of Jonnu Smith this past year (often compared to Sadiq).
And if the Jets do what we all expect to happen (fire Glenn, hire a new offensive-minded HC), we are back at level 1 with Sadiq.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see Sadiq have a Terrance Ferguson-like rookie season behind two WRs and a veteran TE for targets. Somebody gave a comparison of Buffalo’s Dawson Knox/Dalton Kincaid.
The redraft appeal is low, and the dynasty appeal is strictly player-based (first-round draft capital is excellent) because the outlook no longer projects favorably. Sadiq has to fall considerably in rookie rankings. But there’s a case to buy if the price fall becomes too dramatic. Because a lot of the time, we overreact to a “bad” landing spot.
The Jets offense can be average with a good offensive line. I think Geno can sling it. He’s not one of these older guys coming off a torn Achilles. Smith was seventh in completion rate from a clean pocket in 2025. The situation crumbled around him last year. Brock Bowers and OL gutted by injuries.
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