Who Should I Start? Kenneth Gainwell or Brashard Smith

Tuesday, November 11, 4:11 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell has had a solid season while serving as the No. 2 back behind Jaylen Warren and could be in line for more opportunities moving forward. Head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Warren "simply cannot play every down" when asked if he should play more snaps. Gainwell has played mostly on pass downs with Warren healthy and actually outsnapped him 27 to 24 in Pittsburgh's Week 10 loss to the Chargers. The Steelers were trailing for most of the game, which led to the uptick in snaps for the 26-year-old, but he had only three receptions for four yards on four targets. Tomlin also pointed out that if the Steelers win more on third down, then Warren will get more touches. Pittsburgh was unable to sustain drives on Sunday night, going just two for 11 on third downs. Gainwell should continue to play a prominent role on late downs with the potential to fill in as the workhorse if Warren were to miss any time.

Tuesday, November 11, 12:38 PM

Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Brashard Smith played 20% of the offensive snaps and carried the ball only three times for seven yards while coming up empty on his only target in the 28-21 Week 9 loss to the Buffalo Bills before the team's bye with Isiah Pacheco (knee) out. It was a frustrating performance for fantasy managers hoping that the 22-year-old rookie might finally see more volume in KC's backfield. In his first NFL season, Smith has seen just 28 carries for 82 yards (2.9 yards per tote), but he's also added 14 receptions on 19 targets for 122 yards through the air in nine games. Nothing is official, but it sounds as though the Chiefs may hold Pacheco out this Sunday against the division-rival Denver Broncos. Veteran Kareem Hunt will remain the team's lead back, but Smith may have a bigger role as the change-of-pace back. He's only rostered in 8% of Yahoo leagues, and he'll be a hard sell as a flex RB this weekend against a strong Denver D, even if Pacheco is inactive.