The Seahawks caught most of us off guard when they selected Jadarian Price 32nd overall in the 2026 draft. This was widely considered a weak running back class as a whole. After Jeremiyah Love, there were major question marks surrounding all of the prospect profiles. Speaking of Love, he was the All-American running back who kept Price in a reserve role for the past two years at Notre Dame. Due to his position on the depth chart, we only saw 280 total carries throughout Price’s collegiate career. Is Jadarian Price ready to start for the defending Super Bowl champs?
Can Jadarian Price Play the Lead?
Celebrate Good Times!
It doesn’t get much better than the season the 2025 Seattle Seahawks had. They cruised under the radar to a 14-3 finish and the number one overall seed. They went on to defeat the New England Patriots to win the franchise’s second Super Bowl title. The team won’t be overlooked again coming into this season. Defenses will be looking for ways to stop reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba and company. Kenneth Walker led the run game, exploding in the playoffs on his way to a Super Bowl MVP. He signed a deal to join the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency, so now the team is left with some big shoes to fill in their backfield.
Be sure to check our fantasy football preview of Jadarian Price and the 2026 Seattle Seahawks!
How Good can Price be?
There’s not much volume to evaluate in Price’s profile, so the best we can do is look at his efficiency. Over his 280 rushes in college, he managed a respectable 6.0 yards per carry. Since 2016, here are the other running backs to average 6+ yards per carry in college and get taken in the first two rounds of the NFL draft:
- Ezekiel Elliott
- Derrick Henry
- Leonard Fournette
- Christian McCaffrey
- Rashaad Penny
- Nick Chubb
- Jonathan Taylor
- Bijan Robinson
- Ashton Jeanty
- Jeremiyah Love
Penny had his flashes before injuries derailed his career, but the rest of the list is filled with fantasy superstars (or young players we project as such going forward). Admittedly, Price is more of a projection since the other players on the list had far more touches, but it’s a good sign of his talent.
Notre Dame RB Jadarian Price gets free for a 70-yard TD run right before halftime.
Notre Dame 42, Purdue 0.pic.twitter.com/0bMSFd0hlh
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) September 14, 2024
Jadarian Price 2026 Fantasy Outlook
Price’s tricky profile gets even more complicated when you look at Seattle’s running back depth chart. Zach Charbonnet operated behind Ken Walker for three years, but tore his ACL last December. Then Walker decided to take his talents to Kansas City. The typical timeline would expect Charbonnet to miss the majority, if not all, of the 2026 season. However, there have been reports of his possible return as soon as September. Now, he isn’t participating in any camp activities, so it would be a shock to see him back anytime soon, but his progress will have a major impact on Price’s value in redraft leagues.
The other two backs on the roster are George Holani and Emanuel Wilson. Even though they don’t have high NFL pedigree, they are still reliable veterans that coaches tend to trust over rookies, especially early in the season. We could see an uphill battle for Price to establish a significant role that will allow him to be a consistent fantasy producer.
Another mystery surrounding Price heading into the season is his skill level as a receiver. He only had 15 receptions over his three years at Notre Dame, but just because he wasn’t utilized as a receiver in college doesn’t mean he lacks the necessary skill set. The Seattle coaches have raved about what they have seen from him catching the ball out of the backfield so far in camp. His target share will be essential to his fantasy success, especially as a player who is expected to split snaps with multiple other backs.
HC Mike Macdonald on rookie RB Jadarian Price:
“Nobody has covered him yet.” pic.twitter.com/HTv1HdeuH1
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 6, 2026
According to FantasyPros, Price sits at an ADP of 62nd overall (RB26), which makes him around a sixth-round pick in most drafts. It’s certainly not a high price for the potential lead running back of a projected top-half offense, but there are many unknowns in play, including his involvement in the passing game and the return of Zach Charbonnet. If you end up drafting him, hopefully you are in a spot where you won’t have to rely on him in your starting lineup right away.
Looking for your favorite team? This link will take you to the rest of our 2026 Look Inside team previews.
A Look Inside the Seattle Seahawks
Editor’s Note: While this article focused on Jadarian Price in fantasy football, we don’t want to leave you hanging on the rest of the team. Here is a quick look at the other fantasy-relevant Seahawks from Ryan Weisse.
Sam Darnold
Darnold was good for Seattle, but a letdown for fantasy managers after a career year in Minnesota. He finished as the QB14 and was the QB28 in points per game. Now you have a new OC and no proven RB. There are not a lot of signs that Darnold will be better in 2026. He is off my radar in one-QB leagues.
Zach Charbonnet
The reason this entire article is about Jadarian Price is that Zach Charbonnet got hurt in the playoffs. Charbbonet was the heir apparent to Walker for three years. Walker leaves, and Charbs gets hurt; it’s just terrible timing. Reports are all over the place on when Charbonnet will be ready. It might be Week 1. It might be Thanksgiving. The good news is that you can draft him late if you want to gamble.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
What a leap in 2025. Darnold may have been mediocre, but he helped raise JSN to elite. He led the NFL in receiving last year with 1793 yards on 119 receptions. The world is screaming regression, and they are probably right to a point, but Smith-Njigba is still by far Seattle’s best player and should be a lock for a top-10 season.
Rashid Shaheed
It was a bit of a surprise that Shaheed stayed in Seattle and did not follow his OC to Las Vegas. He was familiar with that offense, but he also did next to nothing after his mid-season trade to the Seahawks. Maybe his role expands in the new scheme? The team could certainly use a complementary receiver. Shaheed has shown an ability to score from anywhere, so he may be worth a late-round flyer.
AJ Barner
Barner put together a decent season in 2025, scoring six TDs on just 68 targets. If you believe his role grows, he is a fun late-round target if you waited on TE. If you believe last year’s rookie Elijah Arroyo could cut into his work, Barner is nothing more than a streaming option. When there are questions about the run game, TEs get interesting in the redzone. Barner could see his TDs rise in 2026.
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