The Arizona Cardinals opened the season with a crowded backfield. Jeremiyah Love was set for a large role as the rookie adjusted to the NFL, and Tyler Allgeier was the depth behind him.
That depth chart lasted a few weeks. Love is on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain, and Bam Knight is in the concussion protocol, which leaves Allgeier as the healthiest back on the roster.
Cardinals RB One of Fantasy Football’s Best Waiver Pickups
Tyler Allgeier Could Become More Than a Week 9 Fantasy Waiver Play
Love is expected to miss 4-5 weeks. He cannot return until Week 13 at the earliest, and the Cardinals have a Week 14 bye that could push his next appearance later still. Arizona has to plan for that gap.
NFL.com ranked Allgeier No. 4 among its Week 9 waiver targets for fantasy football. Week 10 matters more than Week 9.
He earned the ranking against the Dallas Cowboys. Allgeier ran 11 times for 147 yards and one touchdown in the overtime win, and he caught five passes for 44 yards with another score, finishing with 191 scrimmage yards on 16 touches.
Jeremiyah Love’s Injury Creates a Longer Window
Arizona needs more than a one-week fill-in. The Cardinals cannot replace Love for one Sunday and move on.
That window gives Allgeier a run at the lead job. Knight could return from the protocol and cut into the work, though Knight was in a secondary role before Love went down.
Allgeier could keep enough touches to stay usable after Knight clears. The earlier split in Arizona supports that.
The schedule is the harder part. Arizona faces the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9 and has difficult matchups after that. One game against Dallas does not promise another 191 yards.
Volume decides his value. At 15-20 touches a week, Allgeier stays useful without repeating that efficiency, and his receiving work gives him a second path to points when the run lanes close.
Allgeier’s Role Could Outlast Week 9
Arizona has previously paired Allgeier with Knight. Earlier in the season, Love’s absence forced the coaching staff to split backfield touches between them. In one October game against the Los Angeles Rams, Allgeier took 18 carries and Knight took 15.
That split shows the staff will hand Allgeier a real rushing load. It also shows the staff trusts Knight with touches when healthy.
Knight’s return is the main threat to the role. Once he clears the protocol, Arizona could go back to the committee split instead of leaving Allgeier at 20 carries, which pulls him toward the 15-touch end of that range.
Love’s timeline still buys time. He is out until at least Week 13, which gives Allgeier several weeks to hold the job before the staff picks a side.
Week 9 Is Only the Starting Point
Allgeier is available on waivers in roughly half of Yahoo fantasy football leagues. NFL.com reported that he was rostered in 46% of leagues for Week 9, which means the opportunity to add him without spending a waiver claim will close quickly.
He already has the touches to help for one week. Sixteen in an overtime game is starter work, and Arizona handed it to him with the backfield thin. The next choice is whether it will keep feeding him once Knight returns.
If it does, Allgeier holds value as an RB2 or flex while Love recovers. Fantasy managers should plan on starting him for more than one week.
The Last Word
His recent 191-yard performance attracted a lot of attention, but the extended absence of Love is the main reason to add Allgeier to your roster.
Since Love is expected to miss four to five weeks and Knight must still clear the concussion protocol, Allgeier will serve as the primary running back for Arizona for several weeks.
The recent game against Dallas proved that the coaching staff will give him a heavy workload when the team lacks depth. Although the upcoming match against Seattle in Week 9 might lower his efficiency, his high volume of touches should keep his fantasy floor secure.
If Knight returns quickly, the division of carries will become more difficult to predict. However, if Allgeier maintains the primary role, he will remain a viable starting option until Love is eligible to return in Week 13.
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