Should Fantasy Football Owners Start Jadarian Price In Week 1?

Despite being selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the defending champion Seattle Seahawks, Jadarian Price is not getting the respect a first-round running back generally receives. There are some concerns that there could be some sort of committee in Seattle, but they are also projected to be one of the most run-heavy offensive attacks in the league. While Sam Darnold played well enough last season, their offense is still built on a tough defense and a superior rushing attack. Rookie RB Jadarian Price may not get 20 carries per game, but he'll reportedly be a "big factor" even in a 2-3 back committee, per @JFowlerESPNpic.twitter.com/1JsqBxu2vb There are some talks that this could be a three-man committee with Price handling the first two downs. That would leave the majority of the passing-down work to George Holani and Emanuel Wilson, who looked great with the Green Bay Packers last season, to work in as well. That sounds concerning for Price's fantasy value. However, based on his ADP, he was generally drafted to be a low-end RB2 or flex option. In that offense, he should still see more than enough work to make him a fantasy-viable flex option or RB2. We expect him to step into the same role Kenneth Walker III has held in recent years, but Price also doesn't have a healthy Zach Charbonnet to steal touchdowns. There is no locked-in goal-line option for him to deal with, and it's not safe to assume that there will be. If we are forced to make a decision on Price in Week 1, we would love to have the opportunity to plug him in as a flex option, and would be willing to start him as our RB2 depending on what our roster looks like. At the end of the day, he is a first-round rookie running back who doesn't have a clearly better option in front of him. There is no way that we are going to let Holani scare us off from starting a back with the sort of talent and upside that Price possesses. There is also no way that we would be considering starting either Holani or Wilson as anything more than a cheap DFS flier as a contrarian start in GPP tournaments. They just don't hold enough value. Both would be low-floor options with even lower upside. Don't get cute in Week 1 when the majority of your team is healthy and no one is on a bye week. It would be an unnecessary risk. Fantasy Sports On SI News This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Should Fantasy Football Owners Start Jadarian Price In Week 1?. Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved. This story was originally published September 7, 2026 at 2:39 PM.