Should I start Kenny Gainwell or MarShawn Lloyd in Week 9?
Updated Nov 4, 7:16 AM ET. Week 10 answers post Tuesday.
Latest
- : Kenny Gainwell: Listed Questionable (Hip) (Sleeper injury feed)
Week 9 verdict
Start Kenny Gainwell over MarShawn Lloyd
Gainwell projects lower, 6.1 to 6.6, and still gets the call because it also weighs where drafters take each player: ADP 95 for Gainwell, 125 for Lloyd.
- Market projects
- 6.0
- recent weeks avg
- CHI D vs RB
- 17.8
- 3rd fewest to RBs (2026)
- Snap share
- 37%
- Through Week 8
- Target share
- 9%
- Through Week 8
- Market projects
- 6.6
- recent weeks avg
- NE D vs RB
- 18.9
- 6th fewest to RBs (2026)
- Snap share
- 35%
- Through Week 8
- Target share
- 6%
- Through Week 8
Start Kenny Gainwell: 30 percent of the snaps and 32 percent of the carries over their last 3 games, against MarShawn Lloyd's 31 percent of the snaps and 25 percent of the carries. No market projection is posted on either of them this week, so this is a usage call, and a lower confidence one than a call made on a projection. What follows is what each of them has done.
Should I drop MarShawn Lloyd for Kenny Gainwell?
Not on these numbers alone. MarShawn Lloyd projects 48 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (6.0 a game over 8 games) and Kenny Gainwell 49 (6.1 a game over 8 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it. For Week 9 the call starts Kenny Gainwell over MarShawn Lloyd.
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Your next move
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Neither man carries a season projection right now, so this is their usage this season and their last full season's numbers, side by side.
RB51 · TB · bye 10
2026 vs carries line 3-5
- Market-based projection
- 5.5 pts a game Wk 8 price
- Overall rank
- 145
RB53 · GB · bye 11
2026 vs carries line 4-4
- Market-based projection
- 4.9 pts a game Wk 8 price
- Overall rank
- 149
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The gap
- Board size306 draftable players
Draft data is not current for these two, so the figures that depend on it are left out. The call above comes from each player's usage.
Where the draft room stands
Live drafts hold no current pick on Kenny Gainwell, and the board ranks him 145th overall on the rest of his evidence.
Live drafts hold no current pick on MarShawn Lloyd, and the board ranks him 149th overall on the rest of his evidence.
In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 48.
The market-based projections
The market-based projection for Kenny Gainwell is 1.4 PPR points a game off 1 market across 9 market sources. That is 30 percent of what a running back's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.
The market-based projection for MarShawn Lloyd is 1.2 PPR points a game off 1 market across 3 market sources. That is 30 percent of what a running back's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.
Kenny Gainwell's projection is not complete, so the two figures are not set against each other here.
This season through Week 8
Through Week 8, Kenny Gainwell has been on the field for 37 percent of TB snaps, taken 22 percent of the carries, drawn 9 percent of the targets and had 8 percent of the red zone chances.
He has taken 7 of the offence's 60 third down targets, had 0 of its 14 chances inside the five and seen 5 of its 44 two minute targets.
His 18 targets have come 2.4 yards behind the line of scrimmage on average.
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.
In Week 8 against ATL he carried 25 times for 140 yards, caught 0 of 1 target for 0 yards and did not score.
Through Week 8, MarShawn Lloyd has been on the field for 35 percent of GB snaps, taken 35 percent of the carries, drawn 6 percent of the targets and had 19 percent of the red zone chances.
He has taken 1 of the offence's 88 third down targets, had 3 of its 21 chances inside the five and seen 3 of its 37 two minute targets.
His 17 targets have come 0.8 yards behind the line of scrimmage on average.
In Week 6 against DAL he carried 8 times for 10 yards, caught 0 of 1 target for 0 yards and did not score.
In Week 7 against DET he carried 6 times for 20 yards, caught 2 of 2 targets for 10 yards and did not score.
In Week 8 against CAR he carried 3 times for 7 yards, caught 1 of 1 target for 9 yards and did not score.
Their 2025 seasons
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.
The season feed carries no line for MarShawn Lloyd in the last completed season.
Head to head
This season Kenny Gainwell holds the bigger snap share, 37 percent against 35 percent.
This season MarShawn Lloyd holds the bigger share of the carries, 35 percent against 22 percent.
Byes and availability
Kenny Gainwell is off in Week 10 and MarShawn Lloyd in Week 11, so either can cover the other's bye.
Drop or keep
Should I drop MarShawn Lloyd for Kenny Gainwell?
Not on these numbers alone. MarShawn Lloyd projects 48 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (6.0 a game over 8 games) and Kenny Gainwell 49 (6.1 a game over 8 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it. For Week 9 the call starts Kenny Gainwell over MarShawn Lloyd.
Should I drop Kenny Gainwell for MarShawn Lloyd?
Not on these numbers alone. Kenny Gainwell projects 49 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (6.1 a game over 8 games) and MarShawn Lloyd 48 (6.0 a game over 8 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it. For Week 9 the call starts Kenny Gainwell over MarShawn Lloyd.
Both players in full
Week 9 on the board
- Is Kenny Gainwell playing Week 9?
- Is MarShawn Lloyd playing Week 9?
- Buccaneers depth chart
- Packers depth chart
- Week 9 RB rankings
- Week 9 fantasy rankings
- Week 9 start or sit
- Week 9 waiver wire
- Week 9 trade value chart
- Trade deadline buy low, sell high
- Fantasy football rankings
- Start 'em sit 'em Week 9
- Waiver wire pickups
- Fantasy sleepers
- Rest of season rankings
- Week 9 kicker rankings
- Week 9 defense rankings
