Start Kenny Gainwell or Jaleel McLaughlin? Week 1
Locks at kickoff, graded after.
Start Kenny Gainwell over Jaleel McLaughlin
- CIN D vs RB
- 23.1
- 16th most to RBs (2026)
- JAX D vs RB
- 12.6
- 8th fewest to RBs (2026)
Our Week 1 call
Start Kenny Gainwell over Jaleel McLaughlin in Week 1.
Neither player has a posted player market for this week, so this call is ADP and news based rather than priced against the betting market. Drafters take Kenny Gainwell at ADP 91.2 overall and Jaleel McLaughlin at 97.8.
What the books imply
No sportsbook posted a player market for Kenny Gainwell in Week 1.
No sportsbook posted a player market for Jaleel McLaughlin in Week 1.
Week 1 matchups
Kenny Gainwell and TB visit CIN.
CIN allowed 23.1 fantasy points to RBs in its one game this season, the 16th most in the league.
Running backs ran for 60 yards and a touchdown against CIN and caught passes for 51 more yards.
Jaleel McLaughlin and CLE visit JAX.
JAX allowed 12.6 fantasy points to RBs in its one game this season, the 8th fewest in the league.
Running backs ran for 34 yards and no touchdowns against JAX and caught passes for 42 more yards.
By points allowed to the position, Kenny Gainwell has the softer matchup.
Injury status
Kenny Gainwell was not on the injury report when the call was made.
Jaleel McLaughlin was not on the injury report when the call was made.
Their 2025 seasons
In 2025, Kenny Gainwell played 17 games for PIT and scored 222.3 PPR points, 13.1 a game, finishing RB16.
He ran 114 times for 537 yards and 5 touchdowns, and caught 73 of 85 targets for 486 yards.
He was on the field for 49 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.
Kenny Gainwell, Week 18 of 2025 against BAL: 5 carries for 10 yards, 9 targets and 8 catches for 64 yards, 1 touchdown, 21.4 PPR points.
Kenny Gainwell, Week 17 of 2025 against CLE: 45 of 66 snaps, 7 carries for 26 yards, 4 targets and 3 catches for 12 yards, 6.8 PPR points.
Kenny Gainwell, Week 16 of 2025 against DET: 40 of 74 snaps, 9 carries for 50 yards, 7 targets and 5 catches for 78 yards, 1 touchdown, 23.8 PPR points.
In 2025, Jaleel McLaughlin played 8 games for DEN and scored 31.4 PPR points, 3.9 a game, finishing RB82.
He ran 37 times for 187 yards and 1 touchdown, and caught 4 of 6 targets for 27 yards.
He was on the field for 15 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.
Jaleel McLaughlin, Week 18 of 2025 against LAC: 6 carries for 41 yards, 2 targets and 1 catch for 17 yards, 6.8 PPR points.
Jaleel McLaughlin, Week 17 of 2025 against KC: 16 of 72 snaps, 7 carries for 40 yards, 0 targets and 0 catches for 0 yards, 4.0 PPR points.
Jaleel McLaughlin, Week 16 of 2025 against JAX: 10 of 66 snaps, 5 carries for 37 yards, 0 targets and 0 catches for 0 yards, 3.7 PPR points.
Their other Week 1 calls
The board cards are draft figures, not the week's call. Locks at kickoff, graded after. When the start/sit engine grades week 1, the call and the result appear on the public record, wrong ones included.
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