Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love is expected to carry one of the largest workloads among rookies, putting him in contention for 2026 Offensive Rookie of the Year. Love looked the part with a strong performance in his preseason debut vs. the Raiders on Thursday, but he sustained an ankle injury in the contest.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Love is battling a high ankle sprain—which is often a nagging injury that can lead to prolonged absences.
Let’s look at the latest Jeremiyah Love injury update, breaking down when he could return and what a potential absence would mean for the Cardinals, fantasy football, and payouts on PrizePicks—including the Offensive Rookie of the Year race.
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Jeremiyah Love Injury Update: Cardinals RB Suffers High Ankle Sprain
Following the Cardinals’ 27-14 preseason win over the Raiders on Thursday, Love’s injury was initially tabbed as an ankle issue. That status then escalated, with reports claiming he suffered a high ankle sprain.
Love had a solid workload in his preseason debut, as Pro Football Focus credited the rookie with 24 snaps, 11 rushing attempts, and 3 receptions. He took advantage of the opportunity by logging 72 all-purpose yards, including 5.3 yards per carry and an elite 4.36 yards after contact per rushing attempt.
Head coach Mike LaFleur discussed why he gave Love a notable role in his first preseason game.
Frankly, it’s easy to criticize LaFleur for the rookie’s workload now, but 24 snaps is still minimal. Yet, that’s undoubtedly come back to bite Arizona, as even a Grade 1 high ankle sprain can often lead to missing three to four weeks.
The Cardinals open the regular season with a Week 1 matchup vs. the Chargers on September 13. That’s firmly now in question, with reports claiming Love is likely done for the preseason.
For now, the grade of his injury is unknown. When asked if it was a high ankle sprain, head coach Mike LaFleur said, “It’s an ankle, so we’ll keep it at that.” Following Thursday’s game vs. the Raiders, LaFleur confirmed Love would be out this upcoming week.
Arizona’s No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft will likely miss the remainder of the preseason, putting his Week 1 status in question. For now, keep a close eye on the latest Love injury news, as a more severe grade could mean an absence extending past four weeks.
As one of the most anticipated players to participate in the preseason, Love’s injury shifts player projections for the NFL preseason on PrizePicks. Considering a high ankle sprain’s nagging nature, this could even extend to the regular season, impacting the Cardinals’ season outlook as well.
Impact of Jeremiyah Love Injury News on Cardinals, Fantasy Football
According to PrizePicks, Love has 774.5 projected rushing yards for the 2026 season. Users can select More or Less on the projection, and right now, Less could be the enticing pick.
Backed by his 72 scrimmage yards vs. the Raiders, the former Notre Dame tailback looked every bit capable of flirting with 1,000 yards in the upcoming season.
However, in July, LaFleur alluded to splitting the workload in the backfield, “Not one running back can take all 65 snaps.” Furthermore, the Cardinals’ current depth chart lists RB Tyler Allgeier as the starter, followed by RB Jeremiyah Love and RB James Conner.
Arizona possesses a deep backfield, putting the squad on track to likely feature multiple halfbacks. While Love certainly boasts the highest ceiling, a potential absence shouldn’t rewrite the Cardinals’ season.
Expectations are not very high to begin with, as PrizePicks Team Picks gives Arizona a 1.63x payout to reach 4+ wins and a 2.38x payout to total 5+ wins, with the higher payout suggesting a lower probability. Further, the Cardinals have the highest payout among all 32 teams to qualify for the playoffs in the upcoming season (9.09x).
With that said, few wins are likely ahead for Arizona, regardless of Love’s injury status. His setback makes the most notable impact on player projections, overshadowing most team-level predictions.
For example, Allgeier would become a clear pivot as the current starting running back. He provided quality depth for the Falcons from 2022 to 2025, totaling 719.0 rushing yards per season alongside an efficient 4.3 yards per carry.
Of course, Conner is a familiar face who was Arizona’s feature back from 2022 to 2024, racking up 972.0 rushing yards per season and 4.7 yards per rushing attempt. He’d likely see a significant boost in usage if Love is out for Week 1 of the regular season.
If you’re preparing for fantasy football drafts, FantasyPros’ consensus fantasy football draft rankings currently rank Love as RB13 compared to Allgeier coming in as RB44 for PPR (point per reception) leagues. If Love ends up missing multiple games, Allgeier could easily surpass that ranking.
In addition to Allgeier potentially benefitting from Love’s injury, his Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign would surely be impacted if he were to miss regular season games. As of this writing, PrizePicks Team Picks lists Love as the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year (4.76x).
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For now, we’ll have to keep close tabs on how Love progresses over the coming weeks. He will be out this week and will likely miss the remainder of the preseason.
If the rookie is available in practice as the regular season draws near, then we’d have clear optimism for Love suiting up for the Cardinals in Week 1.
The NFL regular season begins on September 9, and users can make NFL predictions for the upcoming 2026 season, such as the Super Bowl winner, divisional winners, and win totals, on PrizePicks Team Picks—available in 36 states!
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