James Conner (ankle) to begin the season on IR

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 suffered a season-ending ankle injury early in the 2025 season. He avoided the PUP list to start training camp but has yet to participate in 11-on-11 drills. With the season nearly two weeks away, it certainly doesn’t look like Conner will be available for Week 1. Trey Benson is on injured reserve and Jeremiyah Love is on the mend with an ankle issue of his own. It’s possible Tyler Allgeier earns a three-down role to open the season, making him a priority target for ZeroRB drafters.

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.

It doesn’t sound like Conner has a great chance of being available for Week 1, and if he’s not yet able to fully practice it’s certainly on the table for Conner to start the year on injured reserve or the reserve/PUP list. Conner took a paycut this offseason and is due $2.35 million guaranteed in 2026 after suffering a season-ending injury in Week 3 last year.

Love came out of the Cardinals preseason game on Thursday with an ankle injury. HC Mike LaFluer said after the game that Love could have returned. On Saturday morning, he changed his tune. LaFluer told reporters Love’s ankle is a “little more sore” and that he’ll be out for at least week. He didn’t commit to Love returning for the Cardinals third preseason game, only that the 21-year old running back will be re-evaluated in a week. Love totaled 73 scrimmage yards and looked like the clear-cut starter against the Raiders on Thursday, but Tyler Allgeier could end up being the de facto starter if Love’s ankle injury lingers into the regular season.

Love apparently also picked up a minor ankle injury, but coach Mike LaFleur said he could have played through it were it the regular season. Whew. Love looked powerful and explosive against the Raiders tonight, at one point showing off a leaping spin move and later a hurdle. The first-round rookie running back out-snapped RB Tyler Allgeier 8-3 on the first drive with QB Jacoby Brissett. The two running backs continued rotating through the second drive, helmed by backup QB Gardner Minshew. Allgeier hung up his cleats after that, while Love played on 8-of-10 snaps on the third drive. If the first-drive snap count is any indication, Love may already have earned the clear-cut starting role in Arizona. His continued participation on the third drive clouds the picture. Hopefully we learn more next week.

NFL teams have begun hosting training camp scrimmages to give fans a glimpse into elements like play calling, starters and so on. Does this development mean Love has secured the Week 1 starting role? Not necessarily, no, but this is certainly encouraging. At worst, he seemingly has decent odds of rising to the Cardinals’ RB1 role early in the year. He remains a worthwhile pick at his current ADP.