Who Should I Start? Baker Mayfield or J.J. McCarthy

Tuesday, August 18, 7:17 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell has emerged as a potential sleeper to draft in fantasy football this year, and now, quarterback Baker Mayfield is singing his praises. "He's much more than a gadget guy," Mayfield said about Gainwell, who signed with the Bucs this offseason after a year in Pittsburgh. "I've just been completely overwhelmed with the amount of talent that he has." The veteran quarterback also made a point to shout out Gainwell for his versatility on offense, where he contributes as both a receiver and ball-carrier. The stats back up that claim, too, as Gainwell caught 73 passes for 486 receiving yards in Pittsburgh last season. The Bucs signed Gainwell to join a backfield that also features Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. While Irving is the clear No. 1 running back here, we expect to see Gainwell get plenty of volume, similar to his role with the Steelers in 2025. In Pittsburgh, he handled 114 carries and 73 receptions (187 touches) while teammate Jaylen Warren had 211 carries and 40 catches (254 touches). When all was said and done, the two backs combined for 441 touches, but Warren only had 67 more than Gainwell. Don't be surprised if we see Gainwell support Irving in the same way he did with Warren, which could allow him to rank as a top-24 running back in fantasy football once again. For now, he ranks as the RB37 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football draft rankings.