Josh Jacobs vs Kenneth Gainwell: Who Should You Start?
Josh Jacobs and Kenneth Gainwell are both viable fantasy running backs heading into 2026, but their 2025 production tells two different stories. Josh Jacobs averaged 14.6 PPG across 15 games with the Green Bay Packers, while Kenneth Gainwell posted 10.9 PPG in 17 appearances for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A 3.7-PPG gap gives Josh Jacobs the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
Kenneth Gainwell is the receiving back in this matchup, turning 73 targets into 486 yards, while Josh Jacobs profiles as a more traditional rusher with 929 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. In PPR and half-PPR formats Kenneth Gainwell carries the higher weekly floor. In standard leagues the gap tightens considerably.
Josh Jacobs has his bye in Week 10, and Kenneth Gainwell rests in Week 11. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at running back for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
