Kenneth Gainwell - Fantasy Points Outlook

Basic Stats

RB PHI

#65 Running Back

56 Projected Points

ADP: Not Available

Bye: 14

Experience: 0 Yr(s)

Age: 22

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 195

40 Time: 4.47

Weekly Outlook

Low Floor

DS Projection

4.5

Consensus

38 other sites
4

High Ceiling

Rest of
Season

7.5

Week 7 Projections

Rush Yds	Rush TDs	Rec	Rec Yds	Rec TDs	Fantasy Pts
13.3	0.1	2.5	20	0.1	4.5

Weekly Writeup

Gainwell's playing time has dipped the past 2 weeks. He drew just 2 looks in the Week 6 loss to Tampa Bay.

Rest Of Way Outlook

Rush Yds	Rush TDs	Rec	Rec Yds	Rec TDs	Fantasy Pts
27	0.2	2.5	20	0.1	6.5

Week 4
Gainwell drew 8 targets and caught 6 passes in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs. Each number doubled his previous high (each et the week before at Dallas).

The rookie has run fewer pass routes than Miles Sanders in each game, but he’s earning targets on a greater percentage of his snaps. According to Pro Football Focus’ Dwain McFarland, Gainwell has been targeted on 25% of his routes over the past 3 games, compared with 12% for Sanders.

Gainwell has also factored into the red-zone offense, notching his 2nd rushing score of the year in that area against the Chiefs (from 7 yards out).

The rookie’s touch totals have gone just 11, 8, 4 and 9, making him tough to use in most fantasy formats. But his role is similar in size to what Nyheim Hines got under then-OC Nick Sirianni with last year’s Colts. Gainwell is well worth rostering in all leagues of 12+ teams (and some 10-teamers) as a bye-week option and high-upside handcuff.

Week 1
Apparently we can forget about Boston Scott. He played 0 offensive snaps against the Falcons, while Gainwell played 35% of them (25 total).

Gainwell’s 1st touch came midway through the 2nd quarter, a catch for minus-3. Next, though, we saw him operating as Philly’s 2-minute back. The rookie handled all 3 RB carries on the final drive of the 1st half, which started with 1:44 left on the clock. Gainwell also drew 2 targets in that series, including a TD from 4 yards out. But a flag for illegal man downfield nullified that play.

Gainwell would later score on the ground from 8 yards out, relieving Miles Sanders after a 25-yard scamper late in the 3rd quarter.

In all, Gainwell rushed 9 times for 37 yards (4.1 per tote) and garnered 3 official targets. That marked a 37.5% share of both RB carries and RB targets.

Given how involved Scott appeared to be in preseason, this was a terrific debut for Gainwell -- especially with the inclusion of red-zone touches and the 2-minute role. The Philly rookie shouldn’t be a free agent in any league of 12+ teams.

Preseason Player Analysis

What You Need to Know:

Gainwell delivered in his lone season of meaningful college action. He ranked 4th in the nation in total scrimmage yards in 2019, behind Chuba Hubbard, Jonathan Taylor and J.K. Dobbins and checked in 6th in scrimmage yards per game.
During that season, Gainwell became the 1st player since 1997 to rack up 200+ receiving yards and 100+ rushing yards in a single game.
Gainwell ranked 2nd on that Tigers team in receptions, beating Antonio Gibson by 13 in that category and dominating him in carries.
Gainwell took a redshirt as a 2018 freshman after appearing in 4 games. He joined a backfield that included Darrell Henderson, Tony Pollard and Patrick Taylor (Packers practice squad) that year.
Philadelphia ranked 8th in RB target share in 2020 and basically added only 1st-round pick DeVonta Smith to the pass-catching corps. Perhaps more importantly, the Colts -- with new HC Nick Sirianni as OC -- threw the 5th-most targets at RBs.

Draft Sharks Bottom Line:

Lingering until the 2nd round of Day 3 certainly didn’t help Gainwell’s outlook, but he couldn’t have found many better landing spots. Miles Sanders returns as the clear top bet in the Philly backfield, but he also comes off a 2020 decline in receiving performance. Gainwell’s route-running experience could also make him a slot factor in an offense that saw the limited Greg Ward lead in targets from that spot. At the right (later) price, Gainwell looks like a solid option for both rookie drafts and redraft benches.

Recent Shark Bites View All Shark Bites »

Eagles insider Rueben Frank expects RB Kenneth Gainwell to play "a lot" this year. He got off to a slow start in camp but has seemingly gotten rolling lately. He had a nice preseason, capped by a 5-32-1 rushing line and 4-27 receiving line in Friday night's finale. We'll see exactly how Gainwell fits in a backfield that also includes Miles Sanders and Boston Scott. The rookie is just a late-round flier in drafts but could be a drain on Sanders' fantasy production.

View all Kenneth Gainwell Shark Bites »

The Eagles have selected RB Kenneth Gainwell in the 5th round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Before opting out for COVID concerns in 2020, Gainwell posted a huge sophomore campaign at Memphis. He ran for 1,459 yards and 13 TDs on 6.3 yards per rush, adding 51 receptions for 610 yards and 3 more scores. Gainwell finished that season 12th in the nation in rushing yards and 6th in scrimmage yards per game. Gainwell played at just 190 pounds but still clocked a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, at 201. His college tape shows a player with run strength and experience running WR routes. Gainwell’s size figures to limit his touch upside, but he could prove nicely efficient on a per-play basis. His slide to Round 5 also doesn't speak well of his status with NFL decision makers. Landing in Philly not only limits Gainwell's upside, it also challenges the touch volume for Miles Sanders. At worst, Gainwell is a good-looking pass-catcher.

View all Kenneth Gainwell Shark Bites »

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