2026 RB Rankings After the NFL Draft | Love, Price, Coleman + Veteran Winners & Losers (04/30 Fantasy Football Advice)

Summary

Fantasy Football Today Express – May 1, 2026

Episode: 2026 RB Rankings After the NFL Draft | Love, Price, Coleman + Veteran Winners & Losers

---

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the immediate impacts of the 2026 NFL Draft on fantasy running back (RB) rankings, focusing on top rookies Jeremiah Love, Jadarian Price, and Jonah Coleman. Host Adam Aizer and analyst Jamie Eisenberg discuss key rookie landing spots, veteran RBs who dodged competition, depth chart shakeups, and actionable advice for fantasy football drafters.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jeremiah Love’s Outlook & Ranking

Timestamp: 01:45 – 04:00

• Current Rank: Jamie Eisenberg has Jeremiah Love (Arizona Cardinals) ranked RB14 in early 2026 projections.
• Tier & ADP Expectation:
  • Love falls into a “jumbled” RB2 tier (late Round 2/early Round 3) alongside Ashton Genti, Amari and Hampton, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Ken Walker, Derrick Henry, and Kyren Williams.
• Cautionary Comparison:
  • Jamie urges caution, drawing on recent high-profile rookies who didn’t meet fantasy hype despite stellar college profiles:
    • Bijan Robinson averaged ~15.7 PPR points per game as a rookie (RB11)
    • Ashton Genti averaged 14.5 PPR points (RB15)
• Love’s Upside:
  • “Love is a borderline number one running back, [who] has top 10 upside. But we’ve seen the failures of these type of guys before, specifically Bijan and Genti.” – Jamie Eisenberg [03:31]
• Concerns:
  • Arizona’s offense may limit opportunities. “A lot of mouths to fill, not just in the run game but also in the passing game.”

2. Jadarian Price: Great Fit, Rising Opportunity?

Timestamp: 04:56 – 07:07

• Ranking & Role:

  • Price is ranked RB22, “a solid number two running back.”
  • Likely starter due to Zach Charbonnet’s expected injury absence (possibly missing first half of season).

• Opportunity Analysis:

  • Over 400 “vacated touches” left in backfield; Price’s upside tied to news on Charbonnet’s health heading into preseason.

• Draft Range:

  • Currently goes mid-Round 6 in early mocks—could be Round 5 or as high as Round 4 if Charbonnet’s absence is confirmed.

• Quote:

  • “Price could be amazing…If we get reports in August that Charbonnet is going to miss even more time, that could be a Round 4, potentially even a Round 3 pick.” – Jamie Eisenberg [06:18]

• Touches Outlook:

  • Over the past 11 years, 13 of 15 first-round rookie RBs averaged 15.5+ touches/game.
  • Jamie is optimistic about Price, saying, “I do [think he’ll get 15.5 touches per game].” [07:05]

3. Post-Draft RB Movement: Other Rookies & Depth Chart Shakes

Timestamp: 07:34 – 10:10

• Day 2/3 Rookies:
  • Denver’s Jonah Coleman could carve out short-yardage (possibly goal-line) work, but committee approach likely under Sean Payton.
  • Mike Washington (Las Vegas): Could see some opportunity but similarly limited.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “It was more about who didn’t get competition.” – Jamie Eisenberg [08:55]
• RBs Who Benefited from No New Competition:
  • Bashel Tutin (great situation);
  • Chuba Hubbard (no new competition in Carolina);
  • Jonathan Brooks (positive injury update);
  • Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears (Tennessee didn’t draft Love as rumored)
• Potential Late-Round Steal:
  • “Catron Allen could come in and maybe be the best running back [in Washington]. … Allen could be one of the better late round steals, especially if you do your drafts a little bit earlier.” – Jamie Eisenberg [09:28]
• Emergent Situations to Watch:
  • Kansas City’s Emmett Johnson (“Could he have the Kareem Hunt role?”)
  • Washington backfield still unresolved (Crosby Merritt, Catron Allen, Rashad White, Jerome Ford all in the mix)

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Jeremiah Love:
  • “Love is a borderline number one running back, has top 10 upside. But we’ve seen the failures of these type of guys before, specifically Bijan and Genti.” – Jamie Eisenberg [03:31]
• On rookie RBs’ inherent risk:
  • “These guys don’t necessarily…get the workload that we hope for or…end up in the great situation…because of the team around them.” – Jamie Eisenberg [02:59]
• On Jadarian Price’s role:
  • “If we get reports in August that Charbonnet is going to miss even more time…that could be a Round 4, potentially even a Round 3 pick. I think Round 3 would be too soon, but I could see Round 4 and still be okay with that.” – Jamie Eisenberg [06:18]
• On late-drafted RBs and opportunities:
  • “It was more about who didn’t get competition.” – Jamie Eisenberg [08:55]
  • “Catron Allen could come in and maybe be the best running back that they have.” – Jamie Eisenberg [09:28]

---

Key Timestamps

• 01:45 – Episode focus on RB rankings post-draft; Jeremiah Love’s landing spot and comps
• 02:14 – Love’s ranking, Arizona context, and RB2 tier discussion
• 03:31 – Jamie’s cautionary stance and top 10 upside comment on Love
• 04:19 – Bijan and Genti rookie-year fantasy production for context
• 04:56 – Jadarian Price’s opportunity and ranking rationale
• 06:18 – Draft range for Price if Charbonnet misses time
• 07:05 – Jamie expects 15.5+ touches/game for Price
• 07:34 – Analysis of non-first round rookies’ situations and depth chart changes
• 08:55 – Discussion on veterans who dodged rookie competition
• 09:28 – Catron Allen’s sleeper appeal for early drafters

---

Summary for Listeners

This episode offered a deep dive into the 2026 RB landscape after the NFL Draft, providing actionable insight for fantasy managers. Jeremiah Love stands atop the rookie class but merits tempered optimism due to Arizona’s situation and cautionary recent rookie comps. Jadarian Price’s value is tied directly to injury news in Seattle, with major upside if the backfield remains his. The analysts stressed the importance of monitoring news on ambiguous situations, pointed out veterans and lesser-known RBs who quietly benefited, and highlighted several depth charts to watch as summer camp approaches.

Transcript

[A]

Hate shopping for pants. You're not alone. Jack Archer's Jetsetter Tech pants are basically the answer to every guy's closet struggles with their customizable fit, wrinkle free fabric sourced from Japan and all day comfort, these pants can take you from work to weekend without missing a beat. Seriously, these might be the only pants you'll ever need. Style them with the Jetsetter tee, legacy button down shirt or the buttery Legacy polo sweater and and you've got timeless staples to meet your everyday wardrobe needs. Jack Archer is just better For a limited time get 15% off using the code get [e-mail] again that's promo code [e-mail] for 15% off your entire order.

[B]

Buying pants shouldn't take this much effort. Too many options, inconsistent sizing and styles that don't work across your day. You want something comfortable, sharp and reliable without guessing, returning or buying five different pairs to that's why there's Jack Archer.

[C]

Ah yes. JackArcher.com simplifies everything with the jetsetter tech pant. One versatile pair designed to take you from work to weekend without missing a beat. Easy to wear, easy to style and easy to shop for. The Jetsetter Tech Pant is wrinkle free, stain resistant and built for all day comfort. They stretch, breathe and hold their shape, giving you a consistent fit and polished look every time. Backed by thousands of five star reviews, they're the dependable pants you'll reach for daily check.

[B]

Jack Archer ready when you are. For a limited time, get 15% off your first order with code [e-mail] again that's promo code getjack@jackarcher dot com for 15% off your first order.

[D]

Jamie Eisenberg's updated running back rankings right now on Fantasy Football Today Express. What's up everybody? Welcome to our show and obviously we had two first round rookies and we had later rounds than that. We had only one on on day two. Probably doesn't factor in too much Kalon Black to the in the running back rankings. But let's hear from Jamie and see where Jeremiah Love with the Arizona Cardinals ended up. We'll start with that. Where's Jeremiah Love right now?

[E]

He's 14. We'll see if there's any personnel changes in Arizona that could bump them up a spot or two. But I think I mentioned this on the full length episode on Thursday. Like you get to that really second half of the top 12 guys. So let's just say we we'll extend it to the top 15 guys. You get to that group and I think it's, it's going to be jumbled. It's going to be all the guys drafted in similar range and we're talking about really kind of post James Cook post Chase Brown post for me, Devon Hn So that group of Ashton Genti, Amari and Hampton, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Ken Walker, Derrick Henry and Jeremiah Love. You want to put Kyron Williams in there too. He's, he's at 15 for me. As we saw in our mock draft, if you watched or listened to Tuesday's episode and the the story on the draft is on the site cbsports.com those guys all went late round two, early round three and I think that's the range for these guys. So I'm excited about Love. You know it I, I think it should be a little bit of a cautionary tale to get over excited about him because as we saw with Bijan Robinson, who was a very touted profile, touted running back coming out of college with a great profile very similar to Love. Same thing last year with Ashton Genti. Like these guys don't necessarily either A get the workload that we hope for or B, end up in the great situation that we see because of just the team around them. And so I think with Love there should be, if everything stays the same, competition for targets, it's not going to be a great team. There are a lot of mouths to fill, not just feed, not just in the run game but also in the passing game. And so I think Love is a borderline number one running back has top 10 upside down. But we've seen the failures of these type of guys before, specifically Bijan and Genty. And I think you just want to be a little bit more cautious than we were with those two guys on draft day.

[A]

Yeah, let's see.

[D]

So Bijan Robinson averaged about 15.7 PPR fantasy points per game as a rookie. If you take out that game, the migraine game, right? So the games that he actually played, basically 15.7. So that would have made him right around RB11 per game.

[A]

Let's see what Genti averaged last year.

[D]

Genti was at 14.5 PPR fantasy points per game, which made him RB15 per game. So that's the kind of player that would be drafted around the 2, 3 turn. I would say just in, in retrospect, you knew they were going to average say around 15 fantasy points, be a borderline top 12 guy. You'd probably be looking in the 2, 3 turn range. Yeah, certainly he could do better than that because a lot of the top 10 picks at running back have been much better than that. But, you know, obviously it doesn't always work out. How about Jadarian Price?

[E]

So I, I struggle with him a little bit just because I like the fit, I like the situation. I think it could be great if Zach Charbonnet is going to miss the majority of the season, which is what it seems like. So this could change depending on the reports we get once training camp starts. But if you're going on the assumption that Charbonnet is going to miss a significant portion of the season, maybe the first half. And I think Price belongs in the early 20s as a solid number two running back. So for me, it's after that group of Cam Scatterboo and Breece Hall, Deandre Swift, Quintean Judkins, he's in that next, you know, group of running backs. They have him at 22, right before David Montgomery and Basil Tootin and Tony Pollard, Chuba Hubbard. So you kind of get the range of guys that, you know, at least for right now, feel like they're going to be starters, feel like they're going to be workhorses, feel like they're going to get, you know, good opportunities. I mean, Price could be amazing just because you're, you're removing Ken Walker and whatever, you know, of Zach sharpening, that's over 400 vacated touches. And so his profile with the lack of receptions at Notre Dame is a little concerning. And I think we'll still see multiple running backs used even though it's no longer Clint Kubiak calling plays, it's going to be, I forget his name, but the run game coordinator from San Francisco who's got an opportunity to, you know, sort of reshape this offense and maybe reshape the backfield, maybe have more of a feature guy. But I like the situation for Price, so I, you know, he went in round six in the latest mock draft that we did, I was picking on the end with the number one overall pick. If I was in the middle, I probably would have taken him in that round five range. I just think that that's a good spot to target somebody like him because the upside could be great. And again, if we get reports in August that Charbonnet is going to miss even more time, like we don't see him until November, that could be around 4, potentially even around 3 pick. I think round 3 would be too soon, but I could see round 4 and still be okay with that?

[D]

Yeah. I've given this stat before recently, so apologies for being a broken record, but over the last 11 seasons, 15 running backs drafted in the first round, not including Travis Etn who missed this entire rookie season. Thirteen of those 15 running backs averaged 15.5 or more touches per game. Do you think Jadarian Price will get to 15.5 touches per game?

[E]

I do.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

All right. We will come back after this and see if the other rookies drafted in

[D]

last week's draft had any shakeup at all in the rankings. We'll be right back on Fantasy Football Today Express.

[F]

There's never been a better time to get outside and experience the benefits of nature, discover nearby trails and explore the outdoors with all trails. Download the free app today and find your outside.

[A]

Okay.

[D]

So did the running backs drafted after the first round change your rankings in any way?

[E]

Not dramatically. A little bit concerned about the Denver guys because I think Jonah Coleman could have a role that was reported in the Athletic. You read that report on one of our shows that he could be a guy that works at the goal line, get some touchdowns.

[A]

So it was, it was said short yardage.

[D]

I feel, I know that goal line is technically short yard is short yardage, but I don't think the report actually said goal line. I don't know.

[E]

Okay, so short yards, opportunities that could potentially be touchdown opportunities that could just be annoying because we know Sean Payton not afraid to use multiple running backs. Really though it wasn't so much about the rookies ending up in in spots that could be concerning. You know, like I think Mike Washington going to Las Vegas last season. If I have it correctly, there were 41 combined carries for non Ashton Genti running backs.

[D]

That's amazing.

[E]

The second guy was raheem Mostert with 22. So now you're talking about who I think is a decent running back in this class. Again, we know this class is great but a decent running back in this class and so that's something to keep an eye on there. Especially since it is Clint Kubiak who was very prone to using multiple running backs in Seattle when he had two good ones in Ken Walker and Zach Charvin. So that's something to keep an eye on there. Dan talked about this on our full length episode on Thursday. Not that it's going to scare me, but something keeping on Emmett Johnson, another good, you know, running back in this class going to Kansas City. Could he have the Kareem Hunt roll? That could be something to keep an eye on there. Really though Adam, it was more about who didn't get competition and Bashel Tutin did not get competition. So I think that's a great situation for him. I think the fact that Chuba Hubbard did not get competition, that's great for him. And, and also Jonathan Brooks, who we know had a positive injury update this week, I think you also look at, at least for now, I know Nicholas Singleton could have an opportunity in Tennessee and he's a bigger back by comparison to Tony Pollard and Tajai Spears. But I think it was a good situation for Pollard and even Spears that they didn't get Jeremiah Love with the fourth overall pick, which was a potential destination for Love. So a lot of the, not a lot, but a few of the guys you know benefited. Corey Crosby Merritt, another guy you know, benefited. I know Catron Allen could come in and maybe be the best running back that they have. You know, we're Talking about a 6th round pick in Allen versus a 7th round pick in Crosby Merritt and they added a couple veterans, Rashad White being the more prominent of the two, but also Jerome Ford. Like that's a backfield you want to keep an eye on. Allen picked up potentially be one of the better late round steals, especially if you do your drafts a little bit earlier in the process. You know, once we get to the middle of camp, end of camp, we may know who the starter is in Washington, but that's a spot you want to keep an eye on.

[D]

Okay, good stuff from Jamie Eisenberg. We'll have more updated rankings for you next week on Fantasy Football Today Express. See ya.

[F]

Paramount podcasts.