Saquon Barkley vs Jeremiyah Love
2026 draft comparison · half-PPR
Updated Aug 19, 2026
Should you draft Saquon Barkley or Jeremiyah Love?
Last season — 2025, per game
Full game log & past seasons
| WK | OPP | FPTS | RANK | ATT | YD | TD | TGT | REC | RYD | RTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | DAL | 16.4 | RB7 | 18 | 60 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 0 |
2 | KC | 16.4 | RB10 | 22 | 88 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
3 | LAR | 7.5 | RB31 | 18 | 46 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
4 | TB | 15.4 | RB17 | 19 | 43 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 0 |
5 | DEN | 16.3 | RB10 | 6 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 58 | 1 |
6 | NYG | 7.7 | RB21 | 12 | 58 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
7 | MIN | 4.7 | RB38 | 18 | 44 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
8 | NYG | 31.4 | RB4 | 14 | 150 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 1 |
9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
10 | GB | 11.6 | RB20 | 22 | 60 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 41 | 0 |
11 | DET | 9.5 | RB27 | 26 | 83 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
12 | DAL | 8.9 | RB24 | 10 | 22 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 52 | 0 |
13 | CHI | 5.6 | RB43 | 13 | 56 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
14 | LAC | 18.2 | RB6 | 20 | 122 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
15 | LV | 16.2 | RB10 | 22 | 78 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
16 | WAS | 21.2 | RB10 | 21 | 132 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
17 | BUF | 6.8 | RB29 | 19 | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Earlier seasons (2024)
| WK | OPP | FPTS | RANK | ATT | YD | TD | TGT | REC | RYD | RTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GB | 32.2 | RB1 | 24 | 109 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 1 |
2 | ATL | 15.6 | RB11 | 22 | 95 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 0 |
3 | NO | 31.6 | RB1 | 17 | 147 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
4 | TB | 12.6 | RB21 | 10 | 84 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 32 | 0 |
5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
6 | CLE | 6.4 | RB32 | 18 | 47 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
7 | NYG | 25.7 | RB3 | 17 | 176 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 0 |
8 | CIN | 11.6 | RB25 | 22 | 108 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
9 | JAX | 31.4 | RB1 | 27 | 159 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 40 | 1 |
10 | DAL | 8.3 | RB25 | 14 | 66 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
11 | WAS | 32.8 | RB2 | 26 | 146 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 52 | 0 |
12 | LAR | 44.2 | RB1 | 26 | 255 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 47 | 0 |
13 | BAL | 18.7 | RB7 | 23 | 107 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 0 |
14 | CAR | 14.4 | RB16 | 20 | 124 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
15 | PIT | 8.4 | RB30 | 19 | 65 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
16 | WAS | 27.0 | RB4 | 29 | 150 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
17 | DAL | 17.9 | RB6 | 31 | 167 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
No NFL stats yet · draft capital unavailable
Latest takes
“There is a healthy trove of data showing regression for players the year following such a wildly busy season — as recently as last year, we saw Saquon Barkley ‘s production drop off steeply from 2024, when he led the league with over 2,000 rushing yards.”
Kyle Lesti· Aug 11“I think Barkley could have a bounce-back year, and he is being underrated. After he was going 1.01 in drafts, most fantasy owners will rightfully feel burned by him this year.”
Jason Kamlowsky· Aug 11“After an insane 2024 season, Saquon Barkley was poised to come back down to earth some in 2025.”
FantasyPros Staff· Aug 7
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“If anything were to happen to Saquon Barkley , Bigsby would be a huge beneficiary for fantasy.”
Kurt Mullen· Jul 29“31 10 21 James Cook 13 5 8 Josh Jacobs 7 15 -8 Saquon Barkley 2 13 -11 Bucky Irving 10 33 -23 In past years, so many top RBs have gotten hurt that the Zero (or hero) RB draft strategies have become popular.”
Jordan Pullett· Jul 29“Likely everyone’s biggest question around the Eagles is, can Saquon Barkley bounce back in 2026? The simple answer is yes; it is in the range of outcomes. However, the reality is that Saquon is 29 and getting older.”
Maggie Thraen· Jul 25“For 2025, Saquon had an 8% greater success rate running Outside vs Inside Zone .”
Vernon Meighan· Jul 21“While a minor post-Super Bowl efficiency dip was baked into 2025 projections, Saquon Barkley ’s drop from RB4 draft capital to an RB14 positional finish exposed severe infrastructure cracks.”
Vernon Meighan· Jul 21“After finishing last year as the RB14, fantasy players should avoid drafting Barkley as a mid-range RB1.”
Mike Fanelli· Jul 20“Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI) After running laps around the position in 2024, Saquon Barkley’s finish of RB14 was a shock. Despite only missing one game, he scored 214 fantasy points compared to the 339 points he scored in 2024.”
Ellis Johnson· Jul 17“Given the season he had in 2024 and the expectations created for gamers, Barkley may have produced the most disappointing 1,413-yard, 9-touchdown season in history. Regression was certainly expected coming off his historic run the year before, and a lot went wrong for this offense.”
Rich Hribar· Jul 7“Add this all up — plus another 300+ projected touches — and Barkley could be looking at another top-five season at running back at a significant discount on Fantrax. He has a realistic path to another 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 10+ touchdowns.”
Ryan Kirksey· Jul 7“With a new offensive coordinator and a healthy offensive line, it's not hard to start seeing the positives for Barkley. The Eagles running back is the undoubted No. 1 RB on an offense that will score points.”
Tom Strachan· Jun 30“Barkley had an absurd number of touches in 2024 and ran hot on explosive runs. Once he and the Eagles were hit with regression, it was no wonder things crashed back to Earth.”
Tom Strachan· Jun 30“Over the last two seasons, Barkley has averaged just 35 receptions for 275 receiving yards and two touchdowns. A decline in per-touch efficiency, as he nears 30, is also working against him, as he has steadily transitioned away from being a big-play threat and into more of a volume-based option at running back.”
Evan Tarracciano· Jun 25
“Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love is expected to miss the rest of the preseason after suffering a high ankle sprain in the team’s preseason opener over the weekend. Following the game, head coach Mike LaFleur told reporters that Love “could have returned” following his injury, but with this new diagnosis, Love’s availability for Week 1 is in question.”
Tucker Bagley· Aug 18“Jeremiyah Love went top five in the NFL Draft to the Arizona Cardinals, who already have Tyler Allgeier and James Conner on the depth chart. With that type of draft capital investment, I think Love will be Arizona’s lead back in 2026, but he could have his workload eaten into by Allgeier and/or Conner.”
FantasyPros Staff· Aug 11“You could also add a running back such as Breece Hall or Jeremiyah Love .”
Tom Strachan· Aug 11
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“That’s not likely to happen again after the team drafted a running back, Jeremiyah Love , No.”
FantasyPros Staff· Aug 5“Draft Jeremiyah Love , Jordan Love and Colston Loveland . Name your team “Love Island” after the popular reality show.”
Frank Ammirante· Aug 4“com/gbdOyXuR12 — Fantasy Footballers (@TheFFBallers) July 6, 2026 Jeremiyah Love is entering a situation very similar to the one Ashton Jeanty faced last year.”
Jordan Pullett· Jul 29“The question will be how much Tyler Allgeier gets involved in that role versus Jeremiyah Love having all of that work.”
Rich Hribar· Jul 24“Sleeper: Jeremiyah Love, Running Back (RB13, Pick 24 Overall) It’s hard to call the number three overall pick in the real-life NFL Draft (the highest since Saquon Barkley went second in 2018) a sleeper, but here we are. Jeremiyah Love isn’t the prospect that Ashton Jeanty was last season, but Jeanty’s fall from grace has folks hesitant about clicking the button on Love earlier than the second or third round.”
Jeff Krisko· Jul 22“Jeremiyah Love (ARI) and a future 2027 1st for Gibbs comes out to a fair price in the current market.”
Jonathan Lange· Jul 21“The Cardinals kept Conne r on a reworked deal, signed former Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier to what is pretty decent money for a free agent back, then topped it all off by drafting first-round RB Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 pick. I’d say that’s pretty telling about where Benson stands in Arizona.”
Logan Ulrich· Jul 19“Love has all the talent in the world, and sure, maybe his receiving ability will pay huge dividends, but this is going to be a tough offense to work within to achieve the goals of being a top-10 fantasy football running back. The depth chart includes talent like Tyler Allgeier, who signed a sizable contract, as well as James Conner and Trey Benson.”
Richard Janvrin· Jul 12“Elite rookies like Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love offer early volume, but managers often overpay for youth or wait multiple seasons for clarity.”
Lawrence Iacona· Jul 9“Love was outstanding in college, averaging 6.9 yards per rushing attempt in back-to-back years, totaling at least 17 rushing touchdowns in both seasons. According to PFF, he averaged 4.5 yards after contact and a 32.7% forced missed tackle rate during his two years as the starter.”
Mike Fanelli· Jul 8“Jeremiyah Love enters 2026 with the clearest path to immediate fantasy relevance among rookie running backs. The Cardinals spent premium draft capital to make him the centerpiece of their backfield. Love enters the league with three-down credentials. He forced 22% missed tackles, posted a 16% explosive run rate and averaged 3.92 yards after contact at Notre Dame, while adding legit receiving chops that give him a built-in PPR floor.”
Dennis Sosic· Jul 6“Love is currently ranked as the RB13, ahead of players like Kyren Williams, Breece Hall and Josh Jacobs. All three veteran alternatives have proven they have what it takes to be elite NFL players.”
Evan Tarracciano· Jun 30