Jeremiyah Love takes first carry at scrimmage

Head coach Mike LaFleur said earlier Wednesday that Love would have “no limit.” However, the rookie was indeed listed as limited for Wednesday’s practice report, likely as a formality. The ankle injury may limit him and prop up Tyler Allgeier for some work to open the year but the 21-year-old is a high-end RB2 for the full season. Love is trending in the right direction to play Week 1 against the Chargers.

LaFleur left the door open for Love to be listed as limited on the injury report, but it sounds like that would be nothing more than a formality. He wouldn’t comit to Love playing in Week 1 just yet, but it sounds like things are headed in that direction. Love will likely split work with Tyler Allgeier to start the year, though he remains a far better bet in all fantasy formats.

Seems unideal. The No. 3 overall pick in the draft is dealing with an ankle injury that may or may not have him in real trouble as far as playing in Week 1. Allgeier seems like he’ll at least have a real role in this backfield even if Love is healthy. This has not been a great early runout for those who picked Love early in fantasy drafts this offseason.

LaFleur said Love is “progressing” well from the high ankle sprain he suffered this preseason and said the rookie running back “was out there moving around today.” It was reported last week by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo that he had a 50/50 chance of playing in Week 1, but it sounds like he’s trending toward being ready for the season opener. The Cardinals will release their first official injury report on Wednesday, which should give us a better sense of Love’s availability before the weekend.

Love is still working his way back from a preseason high ankle sprain, and has been spotted doing some light practice work in recent days. The Cardinals will “have to see how he progresses” before they decided whether to make the rookie back active for Week 1. If Love is out for the season opener, Tyler Allgeier could see a heavy workload, as James Conner (ankle) begins the season on injured reserve.

Speaking to media Monday, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said running back Jeremiyah Love “took another step yesterday and he’ll take another step today,” with the goal of being ready for Week 1, when the Cardinals visit the Chargers to kick off the regular season. The high ankle sprain suffered in the team’s first preseason game has the potential to cost Love regular season games considering the timing, but it sounds as if there is at least a sliver of hope that Love will not miss any regular season time. That said, there is also the possibility that Love is active come Week 1 but not at full strength, something that could realistically influence his workload early in the season. Fantasy managers will want to monitor the situation closely as the regular season approaches.

Conner will miss at least four games to start the year as he continues to work his way back from the ankle injury that ended his 2025 season. The team can designate him to return after Week 4. With Jeremiyah Love also banged up, Tyler Allgeier could be in for a hefty workload early in the season.

Love is currently dealing with a sprained ankle he suffered in the preseason against the Raiders. Weinfuss said that, based on how he has seen Love used in training camp, Love might be used more as a feature back in “unique situations,” while also noting that Tyler Allgeier was signed to “be that short-yardage, bruising type of back.” This certainly isn’t what fantasy managers who invested third-round draft capital in Love want to hear. It also comes as a bit of a surprise given the 14 touches Love saw in Thursday’s preseason game. While it wouldn’t be surprising to see Allgeier vulture a few goal-line touchdowns, we would still expect Love to lead this backfield in touches by a wide margin while adding plenty of value in the passing game. Fantasy managers shouldn’t balk at whatever ADP slide he might see to his injury, as it could present a nice opportunity to scoop up the talented rookie at a discount price.

We suspected this might be the case when Schefter’s colleague, Jeremy Fowler, reported earlier today that the team is “hopeful” Love can play in Week 1 against the Chargers. This evening, Schefter echoed that phrasing, saying the team is “hoping” he can return in time for the season opener. Love has just under a month to get healthy. He remains a high-upside pick, but RB Tyler Allgeier should be targeted as a bench stash. The Cardinals surprisingly gave Love 14 touches in Thursday’s preseason game. One imagines they might be more conservative with his early-season touch count, assuming he is able to play, but only coach Mike LaFleur knows for sure.

The language regarding Love’s ankle injury continues to evolve. The team initially said the No. 3 overall pick could have re-entered Thursday’s preseason game if necessary. Coach Mike LaFleur later said Love would need at least a week off. On the plus side, Fowler referred to Love as the team’s “soon-to-be lead back,” furthering the notion that some of the training camp rotation hubbub was perhaps inaccurate. Love has time to recover and play productively this season. His recovery is simply worth tracking right now.