Examining Seahawks Rookie Jadarian Price's Fantasy Football Value
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Seattle Seahawks running back Jadarian Price (8) catches a pass during the first training camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images [/caption]
It’s almost that time of year again. People meet at someone’s house after pouring over notes and rankings for weeks on end. They reminisce on last season’s good fortunes or bad breaks. They point and laugh one more time at their league’s biggest loser, who undoubtedly had to suffer public shame of some kind due to finishing last in the group.
Yes, fantasy football is nearly upon us. Not every football fan does fantasy football, but it can still give us a snapshot into how valuable a player is to their team. Last season, Seattle had a few fantasy darlings. Jaxon Smith-Njigba ranked seventh in the entire league in fantasy points and second among all receivers. Sam Darnold ranked as the 14th-best quarterback as well.
Kenneth Walker III certainly racked up fantasy points last year as Seattle’s main back. He ranked 21st among running backs for points, which is good enough for “RB2” status with 12-team leagues. Certainly, worth a starting spot in most fantasy leagues. Now, he’s gone to Kansas City. Zach Charbonnet is still working back from a torn ACL late in the season last year, which likely will see him return around Halloween.
All this is to say, the Seahawks needed a running back out of this past spring’s draft. They got one in the first round, drafting Jadarian Price out of Notre Dame, where he served as The Robin to Jeremiyah Love’s Batman for the Irish. As training camp begins, it’s looking like Price will at least share a main part of the load with George Holani to begin the 2026 season.
Most fantasy experts don’t want to touch Seattle’s backfield right now with a rookie running back and a new offensive coordinator in Brian Fleury. However, Price could come at a decent price in your fantasy draft, given the workload he may get behind a solid offensive line. ESPN ranks him as the 26th-best running back for fantasy. Field Yates ranks him as the 55th overall player.
For most people in 12-team leagues, Price is worth starting in your “RB2” slot. Being the 55th-best player in a 12-team league means he is likely picked in the fourth or fifth round. Fantasy players will be happy if they get Price after the third round, based on the workload he is set to get.
Earlier this week, second-year guard Grey Zabel told ESPN 710 Seattle, “[Brian Fleury] has come in and done an absolutely incredible job. We are going to run the ball first; I am excited about it. We are going to establish the run. We are going to move the line of scrimmage.”
It doesn’t take much of a leap of faith reading Zabel’s words to come to the conclusion Seattle will be a run-first offense once again. With Price set to take a lion’s share of the snaps early on, he is a fantasy sleeper ahead of 2026 in an offense well-suited for his strengths.
The Notre Dame product is certainly not in the “RB1” tier of Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian McCaffrey, or Jonathan Taylor. However, if you’re looking for a second starting running back after the third round, taking Price could make you look very smart later on in the season.
