Gunnar Helm or Kenny Gainwell: Who Should You Start?
Preliminary board2026 Week 3 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.
Verdicts sharpen as practice reports land.
Helm’s every-down role gives him the steadier edge over Gainwell
Helm gets the nod because his every-down role makes the nearly identical projection more dependable; at tight end, 82% of snaps versus 41% matters more than a 0.1-point gap. Gainwell has the better scoring environment and a receiving-based path, but CBS Sports 2026-09-20 shows that role has already eroded behind Bucky Irving. Helm’s risk is a modest Titans total and a short-area role that limits his ceiling, while Gainwell’s risk is disappearing workload; neither is a recommended start.
What flips it: A confirmed restoration of Gainwell’s prior passing-down role.
Sources: CBS Sports · Sep 20, 2026
AI editor
Gunnar Helm
4.25.97.7 Projected Points
Kenny Gainwell
5.36.47.6 Projected Points
Gunnar Helm’s market
Kenny Gainwell’s market
Why Gunnar Helm
SitStarting TE and volume underneath target. Reliable seam and checkdown option with developing in-line blocking.
Sit — bench-tier TE at consensus TE24: 16% target share, 7.7 PPR projected vs NYG.
- His seam-and-checkdown role can survive a muted Titans scoring environment.
- The Giants matchup offers no actionable edge, so Helm’s volume is doing the work.
Why Kenny Gainwell
SitRB2 and primary kick returner. Change-of-pace back with heavy passing-down usage and receiving production out of the backfield.
Sit — RB30 consensus, projects RB44 this week: MIN is the 9th-toughest matchup vs RBs, 8% target share.
- Trailing could revive his PPR value, but that passing-down role has not held recently.
- His superior team total helps, though a limited role leaves little margin against Minnesota.
Latest on Gainwell
Gainwell managed only two carries for 10 yards and three catches for five yards on four targets in Week 2, a far cry from his prior pass-catching role in Pittsburgh; Bucky Irving out-carried him 17-to-2 and out-targeted him 11-to-5 through two games.
CBS Sports · Sep 20, 2026Gabriel Kahaian joins Brianna Dix and Scott Smith this season in their weekly competition of predicting who the Bucs' brightest star will prove to be in the upcoming game, and two of three picks are players new to the roster in 2026
Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.
Head-to-head stats
| Metric | Gunnar Helm | Kenny Gainwell |
|---|---|---|
| Projected points | 4.25.97.7 | 5.36.47.6 |
| Consensus rank | TE24 | RB30 |
| Opponent vs position | NYG · 20 of 322-game sample | MIN · 9 of 322-game sample |
| Receptions | 27 of 32 | 6 of 32 |
| Receiving Yards | 19 of 32 | 17 of 32 |
| Receiving TDs | 15 of 32 | — |
| Targets | 24 of 32 | — |
| Anytime TD | 13 of 32 | 1 of 32 |
| Rushing Yards | — | 13 of 32 |
| Rushing TDs | — | 1 of 32 |
| Rushing Attempts | — | 18 of 32 |
| Target share | 16% | 8% |
| Reception share | 19% | 9% |
| Implied total · spread | 20.8+3.0 | 23.0-1.5 |
| Depth chart | TE1 | RB2 |
| Snap share | 82% | 41% |
| Start/Sit record | — | 0–0+1 toss-up |
Recent form
Gunnar Helm — last 2 weeks
| Week 2 | vs PHI | 1.32.33.3 |
| Week 1 | vs NYJ | 2.84.86.8 |
Kenny Gainwell — last 2 weeks
| Week 2 | vs CLE | 1.53.04.5 |
| Week 1 | vs CIN | 1.82.32.8 |
Signal breakdown
- 7.7 vs 7.6 projected PPR pointsGunnar Helm +
- Rank 24 vs 30Gunnar Helm +
- Opponent DvP rank 20 vs 9 (32 = softest)even
- Implied 20.8 vs 23.0 team pointsKenny Gainwell +
- No injury designationseven
- 82% vs 41% snap shareGunnar Helm +
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