Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell cleared for Week 3 vs. Buccaneers

Update, Sept. 23 — Gainwell got in another full practice and was removed from the team’s final injury report for Week 3 Monday Night Football against the Bucs.

Update, Sept. 22 — Gainwell practiced in full on Friday and appears to be trending toward playing against the Buccaneers on Monday Night Football.

The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3 of the NFL season. The Eagles are 2-0 and are coming off a win against the Minnesota Vikings. The highlight of the game was D’Andre Swift dominating on the ground, but Kenneth Gainwell was sidelined with an injury. He is expected to return to practice on Thursday and could be back on the field ready to go on Monday.

Fantasy football implications for Week 3

Gainwell returning creates a predicament for Philadelphia. When both he and Swift were active in Week 1, Gainwell dominated the touches 18 to two. When Gainwell missed last week, Swift was the featured back and had 31 total touches, including 28 carries for 175 yards and two touchdowns.

There is now risk in starting either running back because you don’t know how Philadelphia will handle their usage. If Gainwell is active, I’m leaning toward preferring him over Swift because when both were available in Week 1, it was the Gainwell show, and Swift felt like an after thought. If Gainwell is inactive though, you can start Swift because Rashaad Penny only touched the field late in the game when Boston Scott and Swift were on the sidelines with injuries.