Kenneth Gainwell is now entering his fourth NFL season. He’s seen three different starting running backs come and go.
Yet, at no point did the Philadelphia Eagles truly consider him the lead back. Is there any fantasy football upside for Gainwell?
Should You Select Kenneth Gainwell at His Current ADP?
PPR Industry Consensus ADP: 239th Overall (RB67)
- Role Consistency: Gainwell, a fifth-round pick, has managed to carve out a consistent role with the Eagles over three seasons. While this is impressive, it hasn’t translated into significant fantasy value.
- Limited Opportunities: Gainwell briefly flashed potential as the lead back in Week 1 of last season, scoring 11.4 fantasy points. However, an injury sidelined him, and D’Andre Swift quickly took over, effectively ending Gainwell’s chance at a lead role for the rest of the season.
- Solid but Unspectacular: Gainwell has shown efficiency, with a respectable 4.8 yards per touch last season, ranking 22nd in the league. However, the Eagles have never truly featured him, which limits his fantasy upside.
- Uncertain Role: With Saquon Barkley now the starter, Gainwell is likely the primary handcuff, but his role is far from secure. Rookie Will Shipley has also been getting first-team reps, further muddying the waters.
- ADP Analysis: Gainwell is currently being drafted around RB70, placing him well outside the range of players typically selected in standard-sized leagues. His limited standalone value and uncertain injury-contingent upside make him a risky pick.
- Final Verdict: While Gainwell has proven to be a reliable role player for the Eagles, his fantasy outlook is bleak. He’s not a player to target this season, even at his low ADP. With so much uncertainty around his role, it’s hard to justify drafting him, and he’s likely to remain off the radar in most leagues.
PFN Consensus PPR Fantasy Ranking for Kenneth Gainwell
Note that these rankings are the PFN Consensus Rankings and may not fully match my analysis. Since Gainwell is ranked outside the top 75 in the PFN Consensus Rankings, we’ve listed the consensus RB rankings instead.
61) AJ Dillon, RB | Green Bay Packers
62) Alexander Mattison, RB | Las Vegas Raiders
63) Keaton Mitchell, RB | Baltimore Ravens
64) D’Onta Foreman, RB | Cleveland Browns
65) Jamaal Williams, RB | New Orleans Saints
66) Kenneth Gainwell, RB | Philadelphia Eagles
67) Bucky Irving, RB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
68) Audric Estimé, RB | Denver Broncos
69) Braelon Allen, RB | New York Jets
70) Jeff Wilson Jr., RB | Miami Dolphins
71) Tank Bigsby, RB | Jacksonville Jaguars
Gainwell’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 Fantasy Season
Perhaps the most impressive part of Gainwell’s career is he’s a one-time fifth-round pick who has maintained a consistent role for three years. Typically, Day 3 running backs with his production profile end up released.
That’s great for Gainwell’s career, but it hasn’t done fantasy managers any favors. Nevertheless, Gainwell has been on fantasy rosters every year of his career.
Last season, Gainwell actually got a chance to be the Eagles’ lead back in Week 1. He wasn’t bad, either, posting 11.4 fantasy points. Unfortunately, he hurt his ribs, forcing him to miss Week 2. D’Andre Swift started, played quite well, and that was all she wrote for Gainwell in a potential lead-back role. He did not reach his fantasy-point total from Week 1 at any point the rest of the season.
The Eagles’ refusal to ever truly feature Gainwell isn’t surprising, given his draft capital. But it’s not as if Gainwell has been a bad player.
Last year, Gainwell’s 4.8 yards per touch was 22nd in the league and a very respectable 4.8% of his carries went for 15+ yards, 18th in the league. He averaged 5.4 yards per touch in 2022 and 2021, as well.
We can’t really say Gainwell wouldn’t be effective in a lead role because we don’t really know. We think Gainwell is the primary handcuff to the Eagles’ new starter, Saquon Barkley, but we can’t know for sure.
Rookie Will Shipley has been getting some reps with the first team in training camp. Head coach Nick Sirianni compared him to Danny Woodhead. That doesn’t sound like a guy who will be irrelevant if Barkley goes down.
We know Gainwell won’t have standalone value. Now, we’re not even sure if he has injury contingent upside. Suddenly, it’s getting very difficult to see a path for Gainwell to make any sort of meaningful impact in fantasy.
Is Gainwell a Good Value in Fantasy Drafts?
Gainwell’s ADP sits at RB70. He is well outside of the group of backs we can expect to be selected in standard-sized leagues.
I don’t consider Gainwell a player I specifically want to target, but it seems like I should. Gainwell is currently my RB65, which is above consensus, but still outside the number of backs typically selected in fantasy drafts. Gainwell is not someone to target this season.