Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Questionable for Week 8
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Gainwell (hip) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Falcons.
Gainwell progressed to a full practice Friday after starting the week DNP on Wednesday, but the full work wasn't enough to have the running back head into the weekend without an injury designation. Bucky Irving would be in line for even more receiving snaps and pass routes if Gainwell is unable to face Atlanta.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Upgrades to full practice
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Gainwell (hip) was a full participant in Friday's practice, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Gainwell has gone DNP-limited-full this week in practice, so he should be in line to handle his normal role for a handful of touches Sunday against the Falcons. Gainwell hasn't even come close to producing the same statistical numbers he did last season in Pittsburgh, as he's been firmly planted behind Bucky Irving on the depth chart for Tampa Bay. Gainwell can probably be dropped in 12-team fantasy leagues.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Limited at practice Thursday
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Gainwell (hip) was a limited participant at Thursday's practice, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Gainwell returned to practice after sitting out Wednesday's session, but he still faced some limitations Thursday. He'll have one more opportunity to upgrade to full participation Friday, and if Gainwell is able to do so, he would likely avoid an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Falcons. Bucky Irving remains atop Tampa Bay's depth chart at running back, followed by Gainwell and Sean Tucker.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Spotted at practice Thursday
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Gainwell (hip) returned to practice Thursday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Gainwell's participation level remains to be seen, but he has taken a step in the right direction after sitting out Wednesday's practice. The change-of-pace running back is coming off his heaviest workload of the season, as Gainwell handled 14 touches in the run-heavy Week 7 win over the Panthers after touching the ball no more than seven times in any of his first six games with the Buccaneers. Even if healthy, Gainwell is expected to cede the majority of backfield opportunities to Bucky Irving against the Falcons on Sunday, and Sean Tucker is also a candidate for usage.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Held out Wednesday
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Gainwell (hip) was held out Wednesday due to the injury he sustained against the Panthers, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Gainwell's hip issue cropped up in the win over the Panthers, but he was able to return later in the contest. Even so, he was held out of practice to begin prep for the Week 8 clash with the Falcons. His status will have an impact on the Bucs' running back rotation, seeing as Gainwell has played 35 percent of the offensive snaps thus far this season. Bucky Irving could have a larger role, and Sean Tucker could be more of a factor, if Gainwell is unable to play Sunday.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Returns to Sunday's contest
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Gainwell (hip) reentered Sunday's game at Carolina, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Gainwell missed some time at the start of the second half but was able to check back in with 7:15 remaining in the third quarter. He'll rejoin position mates Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker out of the Buccaneers backfield.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Handles three touches in loss
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Gainwell rushed two times for 17 yards in Sunday's 26-19 overtime loss to the Steelers. He caught his only target for seven yards.
Even with Sean Tucker (quadriceps) inactive, Gainwell didn't see any sort of increase in his offensive role, getting out-carried 19 to two by Bucky Irving, who also saw three targets. Gainwell has 122 total yards through six games and can be sent to waivers in 10- and 12-team redraft fantasy leagues.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Seven total touches in Week 5 win
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Gainwell rushed four times for 18 yards and brought in three of four targets for 10 yards in the Buccaneers' 24-16 win over the Cowboys on Thursday night.
Gainwell logged his highest carry total since Week 1 and parlayed it into a new season high in rushing yards. The veteran change-of-pace back also tied his season best in receptions and recorded multiple catches for the fourth straight game, but over his first five contests in Tampa Bay, Gainwell's overall role is markedly less robust than the one he filled during his lone Steelers season in 2025. As such, his fantasy value is undeniably capped heading into a Week 5 home matchup against Pittsburgh on Sunday, Oct. 18.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Struggles as rusher in Week 3 loss
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Gainwell turned three carries into minus-four yards and added two catches on five targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 23-16 loss to the Vikings. He also returned six kickoffs for 160 yards and added a tackle.
Gainwell is now averaging just 2.1 yards per carry through the first three games of the regular season. He was utilized heavily as a pass catcher with the Steelers in 2025, but so far he has only six receptions (on 10 targets) for 22 yards. His 32 snaps on offense was slightly fewer than Bucky Irving (36), but the scoring floor of Gainwell and the rest of the Buccaneers' skill players will likely be lower for at least the next three weeks without Baker Mayfield (thumb) at the helm. Undrafted free agent Jalon Daniels will be the Bucs' QB1 in Mayfield's absence, starting with a Week 4 home tilt against the Packers this Sunday.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Totals 15 yards in loss
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Gainwell rushed two times for 10 yards in Sunday's 23-19 loss to the Browns. He added three catches for five yards on four targets.
The 27-year-old's role through two games with Tampa Bay has been a far cry from his elite pass-catching role alongside Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh last season. Bucky Irving out-carried Gainwell 17 to two against Cleveland, and he's been out-targeted 11 to five by Irving through two contests. Gainwell has shown no chance at a ceiling performance with Baker Mayfield and has devolved to RB4 territory until he shows up more in the box score.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Six touches on offense in loss
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Gainwell rushed five times for 15 yards and brought in his lone target for three yards in the Buccaneers' 33-27 loss to the Bengals on Sunday. He also returned one kickoff for 22 yards.
Gainwell worked in the No. 2 role as expected, and with Sean Tucker (hamstring) unavailable Sunday, the former saw a sizable share of the Buccaneers' 13 running back touches. The ground attack took a back seat overall due to game script, but next Sunday's Week 2 home matchup against the Browns could certainly see pretty drastic change for the better in that regard, a development that would particularly benefit Gainwell if Tucker remains sidelined.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: One carry in team debut
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Gainwell rushed once for no gain in the Buccaneers' 16-15 preseason win over the Chiefs on Saturday.
Both Gainwell and Bucky Irving logged their touches for the night on the opening possession. Gainwell wasn't targeted Saturday during his brief time in the game, but the veteran pass-catching back is ticketed to play a major role in that capacity come the regular season, albeit while likely taking only a modest amount of rushing touches from Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. Gainwell will likely next see the field in a Week 1 road matchup against the Bengals on Sunday, Sept. 13.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Impresses Mayfield at camp
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Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield said Tuesday that he's been "completely overwhelmed with the amount of talent" that Gainwell has, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Dramatic language and all, Gainwell apparently has a very important fan on his new team. While Bucky Irving remains the presumed lead runner, Gainwell should get a lot of the work on passing downs while also maintaining a small role in "pony" packages with two halfbacks on the field. New playcaller Zac Robinson used those double-RB looks on a league-high 95 plays (9.1 percent of total snaps) with the division-rival Falcons last year.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Idle for Friday's exhibition contest
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Gainwell did not play in the Buccaneers' 24-16 preseason win over the Jets on Friday.
Both Gainwell and Bucky Irving, the Bucs' top running backs on the depth chart, observed Friday's game in street clothes while Josh Williams, Sean Tucker and Kadarius Calloway all saw action. Gainwell is coming off a breakout 2025 season with the Steelers, when he accumulated 1,023 yards from scrimmage on 187 touches across 17 regular-season games. He caught 73 passes (on 85 targets) last year with Pittsburgh, and he figures to see a sizable role in Tampa Bay's passing game for the upcoming season.
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Buccaneers' Kenneth Gainwell: Getting receiving work in camp
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Gainwell has been utilized primarily as a receiver out of the backfield in training camp while Bucky Irving has handled most of the rushing workload, Adam Silvon of Pewterreport.com reports.
Irving is likely to get the majority of rushing opportunities in the regular season, and the Buccaneers also have Sean Tucker, who was used prominently in the red zone in 2025. Gainwell's niche is expected to be passing situations, so it's good to see him building early rapport with quarterback Baker Mayfield. Gainwell led the Steelers with 73 catches in the 2025 regular season, while Tampa Bay's running backs combined for 78 receptions last season.
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Buccaneers' Kenneth Gainwell: Headed to Tampa Bay
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Gainwell is signing a two-year, $14 million contract with the Buccaneers on Monday, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports.
Gainwell's contract reportedly includes $10 million in guarantees, positioning him as the clear No. 2 backfield option alongside Bucky Irving and foreshadowing the departure of Rachaad White from Tampa Bay in free agency and potentially also Sean Tucker. After the versatility and efficiency Gainwell demonstrated during his career year with the Steelers in 2025 in which he emerged as one of the most productive pass-catching backs in the NFL with a 73-486-3 line on 85 targets, he projects as an ideal complement to Irving's physical, bruising rushing style. Gainwell also logged 537 yards and five touchdowns on 147 carries (4.7 YPC) across his 17 regular-season appearances in 2025. Especially in fantasy formats that feature PPR scoring, Gainwell's landing spot is one with a solid floor and the potential for increased touchdown upside.
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Steelers' Kenneth Gainwell: Leading receiver for PIT
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Gainwell took five carries for 10 yards and a touchdown while adding eight receptions on nine targets for 64 yards in Sunday's 26-24 win over Baltimore.
Starter Jaylen Warren (14-66-0) continued to lead Pittsburgh's rushing attack, but it was Gainwell who produced the superior fantasy score after vulturing a rushing touchdown while also leading the team in receiving Sunday. The veteran backup emerged as a legitimate threat out of the backfield in 2025 after setting new high-water marks in receptions (84), receiving yards (486) and total touchdowns (eight). Gainwell should remain productive in DFS formats that award points for receptions when the Steelers take on the Texans in the wild-card round of the playoffs next Monday.
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Steelers' Kenneth Gainwell: RBs to Start
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I thought Gainwell would play well in Week 17 at Cleveland, especially with DK Metcalf (suspended) out, but Gainwell struggled with seven carries for 26 yards and three catches for 12 yards on four targets. That snapped a three-game streak where he scored at least 16.2 PPR points, as well as catching at least five passes in three games in a row. He should rebound in Week 18 against Baltimore, and Gainwell had four carries for 15 yards and a touchdown and six catches for 27 yards on seven targets against the Ravens in Week 14. Baltimore is tied for third with the most receptions allowed to running backs this year with 81, and seven times this season a running back has caught at least five passes against the Ravens. Gainwell remains a solid No. 2 PPR running back in Week 18.
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Steelers' Kenneth Gainwell: Improbable TD catch
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Gainwell rushed the ball nine times for 50 yards in Sunday's 29-24 win over the Lions. He added five receptions on seven targets for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Gainwell maintained his key role as a pass catcher in the Pittsburgh offense, finishing second on the team with seven targets. The Lions did a good job containing him for most of the game, though Gainwell managed an improbable 45-yard touchdown grab just before the end of the first half when he made the initial catch from the ground before popping up without being touched to reach the end zone. While overshadowed by Jaylen Warren on the ground, Gainwell also chipped in a long rush of 18 yards to help him reach 100 yards from scrimmage for the third time in his last five games. He's also reached the end zone twice in that span.
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Steelers' Kenneth Gainwell: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Jaylen Warren is worth using as a low-end No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues in Week 15 against Miami, and he has scored at least 12.4 PPR points in three games in a row. But I also like Gainwell as a flex, and he has scored at least 16.2 PPR points in two of his past three games. He has at least six receptions in three of his past four outings, and he should continue to be a popular target for Aaron Rodgers. The Dolphins run defense has improved as the season has gone on, and no running back has scored double digits in PPR against Miami in three games in a row against Washington, New Orleans and the Jets. But Warren and Gainwell are playing well coming into this matchup, and I expect both to be quality Fantasy options on Monday night.
