Who Should I Start? Kenneth Gainwell or Tahj Brooks

Sunday, August 3, 10:13 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin praised running back Kenneth Gainwell's versatility as both a rusher and a receiver, saying that Gainwell has a "well-rounded game." Mike DeFabo of The Athletic writes that Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has been deploying Gainwell "in a variety of roles, including outside at receiver." Gainwell signed a one-year contract with Pittsburgh this offseason after spending the first four years of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 17 games last year with Philadelphia, he recorded 406 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown on 91 total touches. Gainwell figures to be part of a Steelers' backfield committee that also features Jaylen Warren and rookie third-rounder Kaleb Johnson. Arthur Smith has shown a preference for utilizing multiple running backs in the past, and it sounds like Gainwell's usage could cut into the fantasy production for both Warren and Johnson.

Friday, August 8, 10:53 AM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Tahj Brooks ran for 26 yards off 10 attempts in Thursday's preseason loss to the Eagles. He added one catch (two targets) for three yards. Chase Brown began the contest with the rest of the starters. While Brooks handled the bulk of the touches, he only averaged 2.6 yards per carry. Despite the subpar showing on Thursday night, the 2025 No. 193 overall pick has looked good throughout training camp and appears to have earned the trust of the coaching staff. However, with Brown expected to get the majority of the snaps out of the backfield in 2025, there could be little room for Brooks to remain consistently involved, even if the rookie manages to secure the No. 2 spot on the depth chart over Samaje Perine. With the Bengals dropping their first game of the preseason, the team will look to get on track versus the Commanders on August 18.