It's been a whirlwind few days for Kenneth Gainwell's fantasy football value. Many viewed him as the Eagles' third-string RB as recently as Sunday morning, but after Rashaad Penny's surprise deactivation and D'Andre Swift's two touches in Week 1, Gainwell suddenly became one of the top waiver-wire pickups heading into Week 2. Now, just two days later, he's in danger of missing Philadelphia's Thursday Night Football matchup against the Vikings because of a rib injury, creating a start 'em, sit 'em headache that no one anticipated a week ago.
We'll continue to update this article with news on Gainwell until the official active/inactive report comes out on Thursday around 6:50 p.m. ET.
MORE THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Betting pick | Best props | Start/sit
Is Kenneth Gainwell playing Thursday night Week 2?
UPDATE (9/13): Gainwell is reportedly "trending toward" not playing on Thursday, according to Eagles' beat writer Jeff McLane.
UPDATE (9/13): After not practicing again on Wednesday, Gainwell is officially OUT for Thursday's game.
Gainwell was an estimated "DNP" on both Monday and Tuesday, which is never a good sign for a player's availability leading into a Thursday night game. Gainwell could still suit up if he gets in even a limited session on Wednesday, but he'll almost certainly be "questionable" for Philadelphia's Week 2 matchup against Minnesota.
WEEK 2 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Gainwell racked up 74 total yards on 18 touches against a tough Patriots' defense in Week 1. Perhaps most important, he out-touched D'Andre Swift 18 to two and out-snapped him 41 to 19. Philadelphia might have been extra cautious with the injury-prone Swift given the quick turnaround this early in the season, but Gainwell clearly seems like the "lead back" in Philly's potent offense right now.
WEEK 2 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
An injury would obviously change that, though, and even if Gainwell is active, it's reasonable to expect more playing time for Swift this week. We'd still view Gainwell as a flex in all formats if he's active, but he definitely comes with more risk. We wouldn't chance it with Swift if Gainwell is playing, but if he's out, Swift would profile as a boom-or-bust flex, at least in PPR leagues. Boston Scott, who played eight snaps last week, and Penny would also be involved, but we have to think Swift would see the bulk of the touches.
Then again, what do we -- or anybody -- know? The Eagles' backfield could easily be a frustrating guessing game all season, and Gainwell's injury only complicates matters. Ideally, you won't need to start any of these guys, but if you do, Gainwell remains the best bet if he's active.
Which Eagles' RB is the best fantasy play in Week 2?
Ultimately, we favor D'Andre Swift with Gainwell out. Eagles' coach Nick Sirianni gave a cryptic answer earlier this week about whether Swift will be featured more, saying some games he could "[carry] the load" and other games he could "be in the role ... like last game" when he had two touches. As we said before, Swift saw 11 more snaps than Boston Scott last week, and Rashaad Penny wasn't even active. While we expect all three to see playing time on Thursday night, Swift is in prime position to lead the backfield in snaps and touches.
Given his explosiveness and receiving ability, he's worth a flex spot in 12-team leagues. Penny and Scott are much riskier, but we wouldn't be surprised if either snuck in a TD. However, in a week with few RB injuries and every team in action, you shouldn't need to chance it with either.
