Buccaneers' Kenneth Gainwell: Week 9 Waiver Priority List
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Tampa Bay is dominating on the ground right now, and Bucky Irving and Gainwell are playing at a high level. For Gainwell, he has 39 carries for 228 yards and no catches on one target in his past two games against Carolina and Atlanta, and he scored at least 8.8 PPR points in each outing. The Buccaneers won't have the same success against Chicago in Week 9, but Gainwell has the potential to be a flex option in most leagues. And he's a lottery ticket in case something were to happen to Irving. Gainwell is worth adding in all formats for at least 5 percent of your remaining FAAB.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Career-best rushing yardage total in win
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Gainwell rushed 25 times for 140 yards in the Buccaneers' 16-0 win over the Falcons on Sunday.
On a bizarre afternoon where the Buccaneers became the first team since 1974 to win a game without a single completion, Gainwell and backfield Bucky Irving carried the offense on their shoulders. Gainwell logged two fewer carries and gained 30 less yards than Irving, but the former's totals were both career highs. Gainwell showed no signs of the hip injury that had plagued him during the practice week, thanks to back-to-back contests with highly unusual game scripts, the change-of-pace back has rushed for 228 yards on 39 carries over that span. Nevertheless, Gainwell still projects to serve in a clear complementary role behind Irving most weeks.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Active as expected Sunday
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Gainwell (hip) is active for Sunday's Week 8 matchup against the Falcons, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.
Reports earlier Sunday indicated Gainwell was expected to play through his hip issue, and the veteran change-of-pace back's availability is now confirmed. Gainwell logged his two lowest snap counts of the season to date in Tampa Bay's first pair of victories in Weeks 6 and 7, but he's also coming off having generated a season-high 14 carries and 88 rushing yards in the rout of the Panthers last Sunday. Nevertheless, that elevated level of involvement in the ground game was largely the byproduct of a very favorable game script, so it's likely Gainwell sees a notable reduction in touches against the Falcons, especially considering he may not be at 100 percent.
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Buccaneers' Kenny Gainwell: Expected to play Sunday
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Gainwell (hip) is in line to play in Sunday's game against the Falcons, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
After missing a portion of last Sunday's win at Carolina due to a hip injury, Gainwell began Week 8 prep with a DNP on Wednesday, but he followed it up with a limited session Thursday and full practice Friday before the Buccaneers tagged him with a questionable designation. Tampa Bay has a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff on tap, so Gainwell's status will receive clarity about 90 minutes before that.
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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: 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.
