Kenneth

Gainwell

Warren’s eight carries led the Pittsburgh backfield, as Kenneth Gainwell had four rushes for 15 yards and a touchdown. Gainwell was second on the team with six targets, but it was Warren who had a 38-yard screen pass touchdown in the second half. Warren remains the nominal lead back for the run-first Steelers, but Gainwell’s route running involvement and his red zone usage puts a damper on Warren’s weekly upside. Warren, averaging 13.8 rushes per game, will be a top-24 running back next week against the Dolphins.

Gainwell continued operating as the Steelers’ primary pass-catching back, seeing the second-most targets among Pittsburgh players behind DK Metcalf. Gainwell ran a pass route on 19 of the team’s 36 drop backs while Jaylen Warren had 16 routes and four receptions on four targets, including a touchdown. Gainwell entered Week 14 as the seventh-most targeted running back in the NFL. Gainwell’s role in the Steelers offense has kept him viable in PPR formats. He should remain a flex play in 14-team formats next week against the Dolphins, who have been generous to pass catchers out of the backfield in 2025.

It’s not exactly news that old-school Tomlin desires a return to old-school, run-based, low-scoring football as a way to get the Steelers out of the rut they find themselves in headed into Week 14 against the Ravens. But a real commitment to a tough nosed, presumably run-heavy offensive approach should mean more touches for Jaylen Warren and perhaps Kenneth Gainwell. It might mean more involvement for Darnell Washington, who is very large and physical. The Steelers rank 18th in pass rate over expected this season, and inside the ten yard line they are the 12th pass-heaviest team. Both Warren and Gainwell should be fantasy viable if Tomlin is serious about a reestablishment of physicality.

Gainwell also added 25 receiving yards on two catches, including a ridiculous one-handed catch on a poor throw from Aaron Rodgers that Gainwell had to nearly scrape off the turf. Gainwell looked explosive as a receiver, but was unable to get much going as a runner and was also stuffed on a crucial fourth-and-two that helped seal the win for the Bills. If the Steelers are playing from behind in Week 14 against the Ravens, which is possible, Gainwell could be a decent deep-league FLEX play.

With Aaron Rodgers (wrist) sidelined, the Steelers featured their backfield. Pro Football Focus charted Gainwell as out-snapping Jaylen Warren 37-36, though Warren narrowly won the touch battle. Gainwell had the most rushing yards thanks to a 55-yard gain to the Bears’ one-yard line on a trick play out of the “tush push” formation. Although that produced the bulk of Gainwell’s production, he was looking explosive and slippery most of the afternoon in Chicago. Rodgers’ status is a Week 13 wild card, Gainwell can probably be treated as a decent-enough second FLEX option for a home matchup with the Bills’ awful run defense.

Bears LB Tremaine Edmunds (groin) has also been ruled out. This is bad news for the Bears’ defense and good news for the Steelers’ rushing attack. If RB Jaylen Warren (ankle) is cleared to play, he should be ranked as a high-end RB2 at worst. In the meantime, No. 2 RB Kenneth Gainwell should be stashed.

Gainwell was bottled up on the ground but churned out a handful of big plays for the Steelers in the passing game on his way to two scores through the air. The fifth-year back hauled in an 11-yard score on the Steelers’ opening drive, and caught another pass for 28 yards on the team’s final drive of the game before hauling in a five-yard score two plays later. Gainwell saw a significant uptick in playing time after Jaylen Warren exited in the third quarter with an ankle injury, and would be the favorite to lead the Steelers’ backfield in Week 12 against the Bears if Warren is unable to go. Gainwell would be a volume-based RB2 next week if Warren is sidelined.

Tomlin said the only thing that stopped Warren from exceeding the 18 touches he saw in Week 10 against the Chargers was game script and the Steelers’ inability to convert third downs. With shortened drives, Warren’s workload was not nearly as big as it could have been, Tomlin suggested in his Tuesday press conference. “We win more third downs, Jaylen [Warren] will get more touches,” he said. Warren accounted for 41 percent of the Steelers’ offensive production in Week 10’s loss while losing out to Kenneth Gainwell on third down opportunities. That, Tomlin said, would continue. Warren will be a top-12 fantasy play in Week 11 against an abysmal Bengals front seven.

Gainwell “added” two receptions for one yard. Although PFF charted Jaylen Warren as out-snapping Gainwell “just” 37-22, Warren out-touched his backfield mate 20-5, out-gaining him 158-15. This, after they played to a usage standstill in Warren’s Week 6 return from his knee injury. Tonight should be much closer to the norm going forward, removing Gainwell from FLEX consideration in most 12-team leagues heading into Week 8 against the Packers.

Gainwell was relegated to backup duties after breaking out for 16-99-2 in Week 4 against the Vikings when Jaylen Warren was sidelined. Gainwell has now seen six targets in back-to-back weeks and has been targeted five or more times in three of the five games he’s appeared in. He gives the appearance of a potential PPR scam in the making, but his fantasy production will continue to remain low as long as Warren is healthy. He makes for a worthwhile stash in deeper fantasy leagues, but Gainwell shouldn’t be in Week 7 lineups when the Steelers take on the Dolphins.