Week 1 hasn’t even begun yet, but we already have our first backfield controversy of the new NFL season. The Arizona Cardinals drafted Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 overall this past April, and by all means, the young star should step in as one of the best running backs in the league. However, the team has listed offseason signing Tyler Allgeier as the RB1 on the official depth chart, creating what many fans believe to be a competition for touches.
Heading into the season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers and Week 1 fantasy football matchups, should managers start Love or Allgeier in this backfield?
Start Tyler Allgeier or Jeremiyah Love in Week 1?
The Cardinals brought Tyler Allgeier in via free agency this past offseason, giving the halfback a two-year, $12.5 million contract. With Trey Benson and James Conner both coming off serious injuries, it seemed that deal would make Allgeier the team’s top running back from the get-go heading into 2026.
After all, he’d impressed when given opportunities as a member of the Atlanta Falcons over the four prior seasons. As a rookie, Allgeier took over the starting job and ended up with over 1,000 yards and four total touchdowns despite the offense largely struggling. While he was usurped by Bijan Robinson the following year, he still produced around 500-600 yards in each of the last three seasons and scored a career-best eight touchdowns in 2025.
Given chatter in the fantasy community that suggested Allgeier deserved to be freed from second-string duties and put in a featured role with another team, hype began to pick up over the offseason once he signed with Arizona. That era was short-lived, though, as it seemed like a cruel twist of fate when Arizona drafted a stud first-round talent at his position roughly a month later.
Of course, you can’t really blame the Cardinals for taking Jeremiyah Love, who was far and away one of the best players in his draft class, even regardless of positional value. The former Notre Dame standout racked up a ridiculous 2,497 yards and 35 touchdowns via the ground game alone over his last two collegiate seasons; he added 55 receptions for 517 yards and five more scores in the passing game. He’s an incredible talent who should emerge as one of the best players in the league at his position sooner rather than later – which is why the latest development is creating confusion.
One might assume that Love would immediately become the Cardinals’ lead back in Week 1 given his versatile skill set and pedigree as a prospect, not to mention that the $53 million guaranteed by his rookie contract is the most paid to any running back in NFL history. Yet, Arizona has now listed Allgeier as the RB1 on its unofficial depth chart ahead of Love, who slots in as the RB2. With kickoff on the regular season approaching this weekend, who should fantasy managers start in their own lineups?
That answer is arguably murky at the moment, but there’s important context to consider. Love suffered a high ankle sprain in the preseason, and while he’s expected to play in the season opener, that kind of injury can cause lingering effects for weeks. It’s possible that the depth chart listing is simply due to the fact that Love hasn’t practiced with the team since suffering the injury back on August 13, setting him back in terms of his integration with the offense.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that the unofficial depth chart is just that – unofficial. Remember when the Minnesota Vikings listed a rookie Justin Jefferson as a backup behind Bisi Johnson back in 2020? He went on to finish as a top-12 wideout in both per-game and overall production.
This development in Arizona doesn’t doom Love to fantasy irrelevance by any means. So long as he’s healthy enough to play, he’s the kind of talent you just cannot keep on the bench thanks to the game-changing ability he flashed as a Heisman candidate back in college. There’s a reason he became the highest-drafted halfback this millennium, and while his rushing workload may be somewhat managed this week as he comes back from injury, he’s a far better weapon in the receiving game than Allgeier and could make an impact in that way.
In short, trust the talent if you roster Love and fire him up in fantasy football, even in a tough matchup against the Chargers. If you have Allgeier, this might be one of few chances to slot him into a FLEX spot and feel somewhat solid about it before he eventually sees Love overtake him as well. We know who the better back is, though, so don’t let an unofficial depth chart force you into any drastic moves.
