Kenneth Gainwell

Rookie Stock Report: Week 8

Rookie / By /

Elijah Mitchell continues to dominate the 49ers ‘backfield and is running as efficiently as any player should in this system. Trey Sermon has been relegated to a special teams player and doesn’t seem to be a threat, however, JaMycal Hasty has returned and received 34% of the snaps as the third-down back. This will cap Mitchell’s receiving production but the 49ers have a running scheme that gives its players a chance to score anytime they touch the ball. Mitchell lacks size but has the burst to replicate Raheem Mostert’s production and can actually stay on the field. So far anyway. Mitchell should be considered the second-ranked rookie running back behind only Najee Harris.

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Redraft Waiver Wire Grind: Week 8

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We know how valuable starting quarterbacks are in Superflex fantasy football because there are just so few of them, especially when the injuries and bye weeks start to pile up. Joe Flacco just got traded to the Jets after it appears that Zach Wilson is going to be down for a few weeks. Flacco isn’t as great of an option as Newton and Geno because his rushing ability simply does not exist, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be putting some FAAB to acquire a starting quarterback.

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Rookie Stock Report: Week 7

Rookie / By /

Philadelphia’s game against Tampa Bay was strange all-around and DeVonta Smith had one of his worst games of the season. The Eagles have a banged-up offensive line and all but abandoned the run game and pass inefficiently without it complimenting the play-action. It should also be noted that Zack Ertz, who lead the team in targets for the game, is now gone. DeVonta Smith should arguably be in the ‘To the Moon’ category, but the rookie’s value may be cheaper as we head into byes and his bad game. Teams will be evaluating if they’re ready to win or not and may want to sell for something more certain.

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Rookie Stock Report: Week 6

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Khalil Herbert is set to be Chicago’s RB1 for Week 6 after an injury to David Montgomery and Damien Williams being placed on the Covid list. Fortunately enough Herbert has looked like a better prospect than his draft stock would indicate and has made the most of his touches. Herbert is an explosive downhill runner that is a better backup to Montgomery than Williams. If I could get him for cheap he’s a stash I’d love to have stashed on my roster.

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Week 6 Waiver Wire Grind

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We’ve hit on some running backs on the waiver wire whose production has helped boost their value since we picked them up. If you haven’t been keeping up with the series we’ve been hitting on players like Elijah Mitchell, Kenneth Gainwell, Brandon Bolden, and more. As the season trucks along, the waiver wire continuously seems to be more sparse with options. This week we are going to look at players who have more short-term production value but are still worth the waiver wire stab.

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Rookie Stock Report: Week 5

Rookie / By /

Kenneth Gainwell is going to be annoying for everyone, but now is not the time to sell him. The Eagles are clearly running with a two-headed approach like most of the NFL and any week can be huge with his high receiving floor and red zone usage. Gainwell is a flexy starter that will be a boom or bust option every week but the receiving work has him already ranked ahead of “starter” Miles Sanders in all formats. Sanders was a product of the old regime and it appears the new staff has more trust in Gainwell to handle two-minute drill and scoring work. Running back is too thin for you to give up a young rookie with upside.

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Rookie Stock Report: Week 3

Dynasty / By /

Elijah Mitchell is RB1 in San Francisco if he’s healthy. Sermon didn’t enter the game until Mitchell left it with a shoulder injury, then he left with a concussion. The entire offense struggled against an Eagles’ defense that looks legitimate against the run once again, so the 17 carries with limited efficiency are still encouraging to see. Mitchell will be a must-start in all formats while healthy until Sermon does enough to take over, or Jeff Wilson comes back to take the starting role. Most coaches stick with the younger hot hands over veterans back from injury.

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Rookie Stock Report: Week 2

Rookie / By /

Nothing has changed for Justin Fields since last week. He got his own package to get a few plays just like Trey Lance, and completed two for two passing for 10 yards, and running it in for his first real touchdown. The current Bears starter still looks like a competent backup and not the guy you want starting when you’re an HC on the hot seat. Chicago’s rushing attack looks fantastic and will relieve pressure off the rookie once he takes the reins. I can’t wait to see more RPO play-calls with him and David Montgomery. The time for Fields to start is any day now, so buy now before he gets even more expensive than he is.

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Six Shares to Watch After Week 1

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Unless we’re analyzing workhorse running backs or alpha wide receivers, a player’s usage can fluctuate from week to week, some will shine and some will ruin your week. Remember, targets and opportunities are earned. In this series, I will provide weekly target shares, rushing attempt shares, and snap shares of SIX players (or group of players) to help you understand the value of each of them and decide whether to start ‘em, roster ‘em, or trade ‘em.

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DFF Redraft League: Drafting From the Fourteen Spot

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For this NFL season, a collection of 14 DFF analysts took their talents to a new Redraft league. As the analyst with the 14th pick, I knew it would be an uphill climb to add value. Despite this being a redraft league, I decided to go with my favorite dynasty strategy, the zero-RB. Knowing that this is a 14-team league, we had to adjust compared to the standard 12-team leagues in which elite positional players hold even more of a premium.

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Fantasy Outlook: Cardinals Running Backs

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Last week, the Arizona Cardinals signed James Conner to a one-year deal worth $1.75M fully guaranteed. After playing his first four seasons in the league with Pittsburgh, he will now join a backfield that includes: Chase Edmonds, Jonathan Ward, and Eno Benjamin. Below, I will be digging deeper into Conner’s and Edmonds’ fantasy outlooks for the 2021 season. I will also explain why the Cardinals should look into drafting a running back in this year’s draft.

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2021 Rookie RB Comps

Dynasty, Rookie / By /

In this series, we are going to do a deep dive into the top 2021 NFL Draft Class running backs, and see who they compare to historically. We are going to build them out from the standpoint of their physical acumen, their athletic abilities, and then bring it full circle by looking into their college production. Combining these three components we will settle on a final comparison that I believe most accurately outlines each player’s potential range of outcomes in the NFL. In this article, we will make comparisons for the top five running back prospects in the draft.

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Dominating Your Rookie Draft: 2021 Rookie Tiers

Dynasty, Rookie / By /

The Rookie 1.01 Draft pick always holds a premium in dynasty fantasy football. Rookie draft picks also vary in value based on the current time of the year that we are in. In the second part of this article, we are going to explore how to dominate the 2021 Rookie Drafts and revisit the value of how rookie pick values change at different parts of the season.

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Kenneth Gainwell is an Onion

Dynasty / By /

Kenneth Gainwell was the “onion” in Memphis’s offense; he served as their leading rusher and lined up in many different alignments. At his 2021 Pro Day, Gainwell measured in at 5’8” and 201 lbs. He ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, benched 225 lbs. 21 times, executed a 35” vertical jump, and ran a 4.46-second short shuttle. After his performance, Gainwell had some kind words to say about himself: “My skill set is very, very different. I can play between the tackles, I can play outside the tackles, I can line up at the slot. So my position is very, very different than these other running backs in the draft.”

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The 2021 RB4: A Case for Kenneth Gainwell

Dynasty / By /

Among running backs in the 2021 rookie class, three players have clearly risen to the top: Najee Harris, Travis Etienne, and Javonte Williams. All of these players are likely coming off the board in the first round of rookie drafts. The next RB to come off the board is where the questions start to come up. Who is the best of the rest? In this series, several members of the DFF staff will try to make a case for who they think answers that question. Today, I’ll be making the case for Kenneth Gainwell.

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Navigating Your Rookie Draft- 2021 Running Backs

Navigating Your Rookie Draft: 2021 Running Backs

Dynasty, Rookie / By /

Whether the running back position “matters” in football can be debated, and likely will continue to be debated as analytics become more commonplace, however, it cannot be argued that running backs are ultimately the lifeblood of a fantasy football roster. In this segment, we will be looking at the hit rate of rookie running backs based on the inputs of draft capital, and age. Using DLF’s trade finder tool we will look at the market value of some of the top running backs in the league. For this exercise, to stay uniform with the quarterback segment, we are using values based on superflex leagues.

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Thinking Ahead: 2022 Pick Value on the Rise

Devy / By /

2020 has been a year unlike any other. The COVID-19 virus has changed the way the world operates. The United States with over 160,000 deaths and over 5,000,000 cases has been affected in ways we as a society have not seen. One of the most impacted ways of our community has been sports. High school, collegiate, and professional sports have been devastated. One of the most impacted organizations is the NCAA.

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