Gainwell remains irrelevant in Week 6 loss to PIT

His absence would free up more work for Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. Presumably Gainwell will play after logging a full practice on Friday. Either way, with an injury also nipping at him, he’s an unenviable FLEX option at best against the Falcons.

Gainwell missed Wednesday’s session with the hip issue. He will likely be listed as limited today, but that still puts him on track to play in Week 8 against the Falcons. Gainwell racked up 14 carries in a blowout win over the Panthers last week, but that hasn’t been the norm for him. Gainwell is averaging 6.4 touches per game and has topped out at three receptions in a week. He is buried in the RB4 ranks for Week 8.

Gainwell suffered the hip injury while logging a season-high 14 rush attempts in Week 7. The Bucs blew out the Panthers and racked up 49 carries as a team. Bucky Irving would be in line for more work on passing downs if Gainwell is out for Week 8. Sean Tucker could also see an uptick in snaps, though his normal role has very little overlap with what Gainwell does. Per usual, Irving looks like a high-end RB2 this week.

Gainwell was not targeted in the passing game, but that’s because Baker Mayfield attempted only 11 throws. That in turn was due to the fact that Tampa road paved Carolina on the ground as the Panthers committed four turnovers. It’s why Gainwell rushed for a season-high 88 yards after never perviously reaching 20. He was still out-carried 24-14 by Bucky Irving, who found the end zone twice as Sean Tucker hit pay dirt once. We are sure this is a formula the Bucs would like to replicate moving forward, but it is not going to be doable most of the time. It does at least make Gainwell a slightly more realistic FLEX option heading into Week 8 against the Falcons.

Gainwell wasn’t awfully involved in the Bucs’ game plan, but he took the field for almost as many routes as Bucky Irving and cashed in with a 10-yard score in the second half. It was his first touchdown as a Buccaneer. Gainwell is still averaging just 5.3 touches per game, but this performance could earn him more work going forward, specifically on passing downs. He will be a low-end RB4 for Week 5 against the Cowboys.

The Buccaneers are 0-3, so if trailing game scripts aren’t the ideal setup for a receiving specialist, we aren’t sure what is. Robinson said he would like to get Gainwell more involved, but also added that Gainwell has to earn those reps by being more productive. Robinson said he also wants to get RB3 Sean Tucker more involved during the same presser. It sounds like this backfield still belongs to starting RB Bucky Irving, who is dealing with a glute injury, but changes are at least being considered.

Robinson described Tucker as being “special with the ball in his hands,” and said that it’s on the coaching staff to find spots to mix him in. Whether this impacts starting RB Bucky Irving basically comes down to how and when — and if — the Buccaneers get Tucker involved. Taking a few snaps away from RB2 Kenneth Gainwell would be no big deal. Utilizing Tucker in the red zone would be consequential for Irving. Hopefully, Robinson provides more insight before his team’s Week 4 game against the Packers. Stay tuned.

Irving was spotted on the sideline for the majority of the fourth quarter. It’s possible that Irving just did something that irked Bowles rather than actually suffering an injury, but given how Irving’s injuries quickly manifested last season, we’re going to want to see that on the official injury report on Wednesday before we dial the status down to “unconcerned.” This news does seem to leave Kenny Gainwell as a lower-priority waiver claim.

Gainwell was once again inefficient with his limited opportunities. He operated as the team’s lead back, however, when Bucky Irving exited with a lower body injury. If Irving misses any time, Gainwell would profile as a top-24 PPR option, even if he loses touches to Sean Tucker. Tampa could be without Baker Mayfield (thumb) for a while. That would dampen the prospects of everyone in the offense.

Gainwell saw some pass-catching involvement once the Bucs fell behind Cleveland, but it was once again Bucky Irving who worked as Tampa’s clear No. 1 back, seeing 19 touches, including most of the early-down opportunities. Irving’s domination of the Bucs backfield through two weeks means Gainwell is nothing more than a bench stash in 12-team formats for now.