Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Jeremiyah Love

Tuesday, August 18, 8:19 AM

Arizona Cardinals rookie first-round running back Jeremiyah Love (ankle) does not need surgery on his high-ankle sprain, head coach Mike LaFleur told Tyler Drake of Arizona Sports. Love, the third overall pick in April from Notre Dame, suffered a high-ankle sprain in Thursday's preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders and is unlikely to play in the team's final two preseason contests. The good news is that the 21-year-old do-it-all back will not need surgery, and the Cardinals are hopeful that he will be ready to make his regular-season NFL debut in Week 1 versus the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 13. Arizona's RB room is pretty banged up right now with Love, James Conner (foot), and Trey Benson (knee) all nursing injuries, leaving more work for Tyler Allgeier to close out training camp and the preseason. Love easily has the most short- and long-term upside of all the Cardinals' RBs, but reports have suggested that he might be more of a featured back in his rookie season instead of an every-down one. Still, he is going to come off the board in the early rounds of most fantasy drafts as at least a high-end RB2 in what is expected to be a run-heavy offense in 2026 under LaFleur.