Coming off a mixed rookie year, Kenneth Gainwell’s ADP for fantasy football reflects the uncertainty in his role this year with the Philadelphia Eagles. In a crowded backfield, can Gainwell return value on his current ADP, or is he a player that will frustrate managers that select him in fantasy drafts?
Kenneth Gainwell ADP | Is he worth his current price in fantasy drafts?
Gainwell’s current ADP in redraft leagues is around 120th as the RB43 in non-PPR formats and 145th as the RB47-50 in half- and full-PPR. There is a pretty wide discrepancy in his ADP, with some sites having his ADP closer to 100th overall and others all the way down in the 180s or 190s. It is important to know where he is valued on the specific site you are drafting to adjust accordingly.
In a 12-team league, the 120th selection is at the end of the 10th round. Gainwell is largely being selected as a fringe starter or first bench option in 12- and 14-team leagues. In 16-team leagues or deeper, he is going in the region of being a weekly Flex option.
Gainwell’s projected fantasy value in 2022
Pinning down the roles in the Eagles’ backfield is difficult. Miles Sanders has been dealing with a hamstring injury, leaving Gainwell and Scott the opportunities in training camp and preseason. Gainwell and Scott have both been listed as second on the Eagles’ depth chart, behind Sanders, this preseason.
That has made it extremely tough to judge what role each of them is going to have this season. Neither played in the first preseason game when Sanders took snaps with the starters. Then, without Hurts in Week 2 of the preseason, Scott took the first drive before Gainwell took the second. Both were used in the run game, passing game, and in the red zone.
Again, all that has done is cloud the situation regarding their usage in 2022. However, when we look back to last season, their roles were pretty well defined. Gainwell was the back who rotated in throughout the season with more of a pass-catching role. Meanwhile, Scott saw limited playing time when Sanders was healthy, taking over as the starting back further down the line.
Gainwell did it all at college
In his second season at Memphis, Gainwell was a complete back. He carried the ball 231 times for 1,459 yards, finding the end zone 13 times. He added 51 receptions for 610 and a further three touchdowns. He proved he was a multi-dimensional back who could take handoffs as well as catch the ball out of the backfield.
The indications coming out of camp have been that Gainwell is likely to be more heavily involved in the offense this year. However, when you look back at Gainwell’s athletic testing coming out of college, his results are significantly below that of both Sanders and Scott. While that is not everything, his lack of agility in those drills could be part of the reason he has not earned a three-down role that would give him significant fantasy value.
Should you draft Gainwell in 2022?
Gainwell’s ADP does not make sense, given his role last year was more as a pass catcher than in the run game. He ended the year with a similar value in both non-PPR and PPR, so seeing him selected higher in non-PPR does not quite sit right. In PFN’s consensus 2022 RB fantasy rankings, he is the RB55 in non-PPR and just inside the top 50 in full and half-PPR.
Therefore, based on his current price, Gainwell is going a touch too high in non-PPR but is valued right in the PPR formats. If we had more clarity on him seeing more carries or being the direct handcuff to Sanders, his non-PPR value would certainly rise. However, as it stands, he could be stuck in this middling role, where he has touches every week but never has consistent enough volume to be a player you can trust to start.