Should I start DK Metcalf or Kenny Gainwell in Week 8?

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on DK Metcalf, and the board ranks him 44th overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Kenny Gainwell, and the board ranks him 45th overall on the rest of his evidence.

The market-based projections

The market-based projection for DK Metcalf is 5.8 PPR points a game off 1 market across 2 market sources. That is 30 percent of what a wide receiver's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.

The market-based projection for Kenny Gainwell is 6.6 PPR points a game off 2 markets across 4 market sources. That is 40 percent of what a running back's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.

DK Metcalf's projection is not complete, so the two figures are not set against each other here.

This season through Week 7

Through Week 7, DK Metcalf has been on the field for 95 percent of PIT snaps, drawn 24 percent of the targets and had 9 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 19 of the offence's 58 third down targets, had 1 of its 7 chances inside the five and seen 5 of its 41 two minute targets.

His 58 targets have averaged 12.7 air yards.

In Week 5 against IND he carried 1 time for 11 yards, caught 3 of 4 targets for 12 yards and did not score.

In Week 6 against TB he caught 11 of 15 targets for 93 yards and did not score.

In Week 7 against NO he caught 2 of 6 targets for 56 yards and did not score.

Through Week 7, Kenny Gainwell has been on the field for 35 percent of TB snaps, taken 16 percent of the carries, drawn 9 percent of the targets and had 9 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 6 of the offence's 57 third down targets, had 0 of its 13 chances inside the five and seen 5 of its 44 two minute targets.

His 17 targets have come 2.3 yards behind the line of scrimmage on average.

In Week 5 against DAL he carried 4 times for 18 yards, caught 3 of 4 targets for 10 yards and did not score.

In Week 6 against PIT he carried 2 times for 17 yards, caught 1 of 1 target for 7 yards and did not score.

In Week 7 against CAR he carried 14 times for 88 yards and did not score.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 DK Metcalf played 15 games and scored 187.2 PPR points, 12.5 a game, finishing WR26.

He caught 59 of 99 targets for 850 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 13 red zone targets.

That came to 6.6 targets a game, a 60 percent catch rate and 14.4 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 87 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Kenny Gainwell played 17 games and scored 222.3 PPR points, 13.1 a game, finishing RB16.

He carried 114 times for 537 yards and 5 touchdowns, and caught 73 of 85 targets for 486 more yards.

That came to 6.7 carries a game at 4.7 yards a carry and 4.3 catches a game.

He was on the field for 49 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Kenny Gainwell was available for 2 games more.

Side by side

In 2025 Kenny Gainwell scored 13.1 PPR points a game and DK Metcalf 12.5, 0.6 a game between them.

DK Metcalf finished WR26 and Kenny Gainwell RB16, which are two different ladders.

DK Metcalf is a wide receiver and Kenny Gainwell a running back, so the question is which slot you fill first rather than which of them is better.

Byes and availability

DK Metcalf is off in Week 9 and Kenny Gainwell in Week 10, so either can cover the other's bye.

Kenny Gainwell is listed as questionable on the injury report.