Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or Kenny Gainwell
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.2 | 60.3 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 18.7 | 0.1 |
Travis Etienne Jr. News
Monday, August 17, 10:51 AM
New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne Jr. has not exactly been handed the backfield, but his redraft case is holding up. Alvin Kamara has been getting the first call on third downs and in passing situations, while Etienne has handled most of the first-team work on early downs. That's the split that matters more than an unofficial depth chart listing both as co-starters. Etienne is coming off 1,399 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns in Jacksonville, with 1,107 of those yards on the ground over 260 carries. He has gone over 1,000 rushing yards in three of his four seasons on the field. At a 41.9 ADP, the price is still sitting in the fourth round. Kamara hanging around takes some catches off the table and probably keeps Etienne from seeing a true workhorse load. Fine. He doesn't need one. If the early-down split sticks, Etienne should still get enough carries to make that fourth-round cost work.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.5 | 28.1 | 0.2 | 2.8 | 19.8 | 0.1 |
Kenny Gainwell News
Monday, August 17, 6:59 AM
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell has the potential to be a value pick at his current ADP of 88.9. He's being selected in the eighth round of fantasy drafts as the 32nd running back off the board. 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. It doesn't seem like the Bucs signed Gainwell to be solely a third-down back. Yes, he'll fetch plenty of targets, but he'll also get some early-down and goal-line work to offer a change of scenery and keep Irving fresh. In this type of role last year, Gainwell ranked as the RB16 in PPR leagues. He's the RB37 in RotoBaller's redraft rankings for 2026, but we wouldn't be shocked to see him finish as a top-24 fantasy back in PPR leagues for the second year in a row.
Travis Etienne Jr. vs. Kenny Gainwell
Still trying to decide between Etienne Jr. and Gainwell? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Travis Etienne Jr. is projected to score 13.2 points this week while Kenny Gainwell is projected to score 9.5 points.
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