Jeremiyah Love Has the Ceiling, But Tyler Allgeier May Be the Better Bet at Cost

Jeremiyah Love is the running back I expect to eventually lead Arizona.

That isn’t really my concern.

My concern is how much fantasy managers are willing to pay before we know exactly what that workload looks like.

Arizona selected Love third overall.

Then he showed why in his preseason debut, rushing 11 times for 58 yards and catching three passes for another 14 yards.

The talent is obvious.

Then came the ankle injury.

The Injury Adds Another Variable

Love injured his ankle during that preseason performance and has been held out while Arizona gives him time to recover.

The Cardinals still hope to have him ready for the regular season.

That doesn’t make me fade Love.

It does make me less willing to reach.

Love’s fantasy appeal is heavily tied to explosiveness.

When I’m investing an early-round pick in a rookie running back, I want as few uncertainties as possible.

Now we have one more.

Tyler Allgeier Is a Legitimate NFL Running Back

Allgeier isn’t just some temporary camp body getting extra snaps because Love is unavailable.

We already know he can produce.

As a rookie in Atlanta, Allgeier rushed for more than 1,000 yards.

Then the Falcons drafted Bijan Robinson.

Allgeier still remained part of the offense.

That experience is relevant now.

He already knows how to operate as the secondary back behind an elite young talent.

Arizona doesn’t need Allgeier to beat Love for the starting job for him to affect Love’s fantasy ceiling.

He just needs touches.

James Conner Adds Another Question

James Conner is also still in this backfield while working his way back.

That gives Mike LaFleur multiple backs he can trust.

Maybe by November this looks completely different.

Love could be dominating the workload by then.

But we draft in August.

And right now there are enough moving pieces that I don’t want to automatically project a massive workload from Week 1.

This Is About Cost, Not Talent

I want to make this clear:

I would rather have Love than Allgeier straight up.

That isn’t the argument.

The question is whether I want Love multiple rounds earlier.

That becomes a much harder decision.

If Love is expensive and Allgeier is almost free, I’m very interested in taking the cheaper piece of the backfield.

Allgeier has some standalone value and enormous contingent value if Love misses time or has his workload managed.

My Fantasy Read

Jeremiyah Love has the ceiling.

Tyler Allgeier may have the better price.

If Love falls because fantasy managers are nervous about the ankle, I’m interested.

What I don’t want to do is draft him like Arizona has already guaranteed 20 touches per game.

The Cardinals have Allgeier.

They still have Conner.

And Love is currently working back from an ankle injury.

None of those individually ruins his fantasy outlook.

Together, they make me much more price sensitive.

I love the player.

I don’t automatically love the cost.