Kenny Gainwell
Gainwell is Tampa Bay's clear backup to Bucky Irving, not the complementary passing-down weapon his offseason contract and hype suggested. Through Week 1 he's been buried on snaps, routes, and targets, leaving him without a defined path to fantasy relevance in the current game plans.
Heading into Week 1, shows like The Audible, Rotoworld, FantasyPros, and Late-Round Fantasy Football all pushed Gainwell as a sneaky PPR play who'd siphon passing-game work from Irving, some even picking him to outscore Irving outright. That thesis collapsed fast: Fantasy Focus, Yahoo & Hayden, and FantasyPros all flagged Gainwell being out-snapped 36-25 and out-routed 21-13 by Irving with just one target, prompting outright drop calls. Dynasty Nerds is the lone holdout still floating hope that his receiving skill could chip into the workload, but even they admit the early numbers are ugly.
The line: Drop or bench Gainwell in most formats — Irving has clearly won the passing-down role the offseason hype promised him.
▶ Fantasy Focus Football: Snap share dropped from 50% to 44% despite being a good insurance option behind Jaylen Warren; hosts are confused why he isn't getting more touches and are benching him. listen ↗
▼ Fantasy Life Show: Downgraded to RB4 in PPR and viewed as mostly a handcuff with little standalone value given Bucky Irving's workload. listen ↗
▼ Fantasy Focus Football: Named a biggest faller; has only 7 rushing attempts and 5 targets through two weeks despite offseason hype as a receiving complement to Bucky Irving. listen ↗
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