The Philadelphia Eagles are 3-0 on the season, but there’s still some uncertainty regarding the identity of their offense in 2023. In the backfield, we’ve seen a one-two punch of D’Andre Swift and Kenneth Gainwell, with Jalen Hurts doing his expected share of running.
At the moment, the Eagles appear to be a substantially better team on the ground than what their passing attack has shown, which means there will be a plethora of opportunities for the RBs once again when they take on the Washington Commanders defense in Week 4. Look for Gainwell to be an effective fantasy producer for his third-straight appearance.
Fantasy Football analysis: Philadelphia Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell
Gainwell was coming off an injury that sidelined him in Week 2, but he managed some strong yardage on 14 carries against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. While Swift was clearly the lead running back on the night (finishing with 16 attempts), Gainwell played the backseat role tremendously. He racked up 43 rushing yards and was the only other player at the position to make a contribution in the ground game other than Swift and Hurts. For now, Gainwell is seeing a double-digit workload, but he is definitely the RB2 on this team behind Swift.
Start or sit in Week 4 PPR leagues?
SIT. The Eagles should boast a ton of rushing upside against the ice-cold Washington defense in Week 4, but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee that Gainwell will be a main benefactor. With Rashaad Penny fully healthy, and Boston Scott still in the mix for snaps, there is some looming uncertainty over who head coach Nick Sirianni will throw into the game at running back in relief for Swift. No question, Gainwell’s numbers have been a separating factor to this point, but take it with a grain of salt since we’ve only seen the Philly offense for three weeks. Give him a chance if you are totally bereft of a FLEX option in 12-14 team leagues, but don’t be surprised if his volume suddenly dips.
Start or sit in Week 4 standard leagues?
SIT. There’s not much of a reason to trust Gainwell in standard formats. He’s projected 6.8 points which is far below that desired RB2 or FLEX numbers. At best, he might sneak his way into the end zone against Washington’s sluggish defensive line, but still there might be more volume spread around to Penny and Scott than what we’ve seen thus far.
Player(s) you would start ahead of Kenneth Gainwell
Gainwell ranks as the projected RB37 in Week 4, which means that there should be plenty of better options to consider in lineups. If you’re in a predicament between Ezekiel Elliott or Gus Edwards as FLEX RB in PPR, then go with Gainwell. However, he shouldn’t get the nod over Roschon Johnson or Tyler Allgeier.