Jadarian Price Isn't Worth the Hype? | DO NOT Draft These 7 Running Backs (Ep. 2123)

This episode of the FantasyPros Football Podcast is a "do not draft" list built around a single organizing idea: a bust isn't about disliking a player, it's about disliking the price relative to touchdown equity, receiving role, offensive line quality, and backfield competition. Alfredo Brown, Pat Fitzmaurice, and Derek Brown ("D-Bro") work through seven running backs whose current ADPs outrun their realistic ceilings, repeatedly separating "talented player" from "bad fantasy price."

The arguments

Devon Achane's receiving ceiling is shrinking, not growing. All three hosts agree he's overpriced as a mid-range RB1 because Miami projects as one of the league's worst offenses, and Malik Willis's checkdown rate (5.7% last year, 1.9% in 2024, among the lowest of any qualifying QB) suggests Achane won't approach his 78 and 67-reception seasons. D-Bro frames it as a ceiling problem: even hitting RB9 value doesn't make him a top-three back, so the risk-reward at his cost doesn't work.

Jadarian Price is a name-and-draft-capital play without a real workload guarantee, says Fitzmaurice. He notes the Seahawks ran a committee with a proven Kenneth Walker last year under this same coaching staff, and Price will face Zach Charbonnet's return, George Holani's passing-down role, and free-agent addition Emmanuel Wilson. Fitzmaurice specifically objects to Price going ahead of receivers like DJ Moore, Mike Evans, Christian Watson, and Jameson Williams at the fifth-to-sixth-round turn.

Jeremiah Love's talent isn't in question, but Arizona's target competition and quarterback situation are, according to D-Bro. He points to Jacoby Brissett/Gardner Minshew/Carson Beck at QB and a crowded pass-catching room (Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Kendrick Bourne) as reasons Love may not get enough targets or red-zone work to justify RB13. Fitzmaurice pushes back hard, citing historical top-12 rookie running backs averaging 1,474 yards and 10.9 touchdowns regardless of playing for bad teams, while D-Bro counters with Nathaniel Hackett's track record of committee usage (Melvin Gordon over Javonte Williams, Breece Hall, Fournette/Ivory, Jones/Williams) — they land on a soft disagreement, with D-Bro not hating the price if Love goes in round three.

Rhamondre Stevenson is undervalued relative to Tyrone Tracy... er, Trevion Henderson's explosiveness, per Fitzmaurice, but D-Bro disputes the efficiency gap. Fitzmaurice argues Henderson's superior big-play ability (four 50-plus-yard runs last year to Stevenson's three 40-plus-yard runs in five seasons) and Stevenson's fumbling issues (2% of career carries) make a late-sixth/early-seventh-round price too aggressive. D-Bro counters with Stevenson's better explosive run rate (6.9% vs. 5.6%) and the coaching staff's stated preference for him, calling it a legitimate toss-up that could flip either direction.

Travis Etienne's per-touch efficiency doesn't match his box-score production, D-Bro argues. He cites bottom-third rankings in explosive run rate (37th), missed tackle rate (31st), and yards after contact per attempt (34th), plus Alvin Kamara's continued presence as the better passing-down back. Both Fitzmaurice and Alfredo agree, framing the concern as conflating an improved Saints offense with guaranteed Etienne fantasy production, especially since Etienne himself has said he wants to share the workload.

Jalen Warren is simply the better player than Rico Dowdle in Pittsburgh, Fitzmaurice and D-Bro agree emphatically. Fitzmaurice runs through career splits favoring Warren in yards per carry, yards after contact, broken-tackle rate (every 9.2 carries vs. Dowdle's 16.9), and pass-blocking grade (72.0 PFF vs. 24.6), arguing an immobile, hit-averse Aaron Rodgers needs Warren's skill set. D-Bro adds per-route efficiency data reinforcing that Warren has been quietly elite for three seasons, making Dowdle's seventh/eighth-round price the outlier.

Quinshon Judkins' touchdown dependence collides with an unproven offensive line and inefficient tape, both hosts agree. D-Bro cites his weeks 2-15 RB26 finish, bottom-third rankings in explosive run rate, missed tackles, and yards after contact, plus a brand-new offensive line that needs time to gel. Fitzmaurice adds the added uncertainty of Cleveland's unresolved quarterback competition (Shedeur Sanders trade rumors, Deshaun Watson struggling in camp) as further reason to avoid him at his round four-to-five cost.

What it means for your roster

• Fade Achane as a top-15 pick: treat him as a low-end RB1 at best, not a target if he's going mid-second round; his touchdown and reception upside is capped in Miami's offense.
• Avoid Jadarian Price around the fifth/sixth-round turn: prioritize wide receivers like DJ Moore, Mike Evans, Christian Watson, or Jameson Williams instead given the crowded Seattle backfield.
• Treat Jeremiah Love as a late-round-three ceiling play, not an RB13: D-Bro won't pay the price; Fitzmaurice sees it as fair given historic rookie-RB outcomes — reasonable to split the difference and target him only if he falls.
• Rhamondre Stevenson is a "not actively targeting, not grossed out" late-third-round dart: monitor camp/Week 1 usage before committing, as this backfield could flip toward Trevion Henderson.
• Bench expectations for Etienne as a WR2/flex-only RB2: don't draft him as a fourth-best-player building block in the fourth round; Kamara still eats into his passing-down role.
• In Pittsburgh, prioritize Jalen Warren over Rico Dowdle: both hosts would rather roster Warren given his efficiency and pass-game fit with Rodgers, even amid reports of a camp edge for Dowdle.
• Avoid Quinshon Judkins as a top-24 back in the round four/five range: the unresolved Cleveland QB competition and unproven offensive line make him a touchdown-dependent asset without a clear path to touchdowns.