Fantasy Football Week 13 Waiver Wire Debate: Kenneth Gainwell vs Kareem Hunt

Kenneth Gainwell and Kareem Hunt have both carved out meaningful roles on their offenses. One has much better future value to be owned in Fantasy Football.

Nov 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) rushes the ball past Chicago Bears linebacker D'Marco Jackson (48) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Your time to find Waiver Wire Gems is beginning to run out. We have just two weeks last in the regular season of most Fantasy Football leagues. If you are going to make a run, and you do also find your time thin at one position, you must find a replacement as soon as possible. Luckily for you, we thrive in finding those players (or so I like to think). Today, we will analyze Kenneth Gainwell and Kareem Hunt.

The Case for Kenneth Gainwell

Gainwell has played in all 11 Games this season. He has 71 Attempts (27% Share), 336 Yards (4.7 Yards per Carry), and 3 Touchdowns. In the receiving game, Gainwell has 47 Targets (15% Target Share), 42 Receptions, 234 Yards, and 2 Touchdowns. In PPR formats, Gainwell is the RB22, which marks him as a low-end RB2.

In terms of the entire offensive output, Gainwell does touch the ball on 19% of all snaps. He is a poor mans Christian McCaffrey.

We'll see how the backfield shakes out down the stretch, but right now,

It looks like Kenneth Gainwell > Jaylen Warren pic.twitter.com/I7eCgmFQec

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) November 23, 2025

It is amazing to me that Gainwell is owned in just 57% of leagues (ESPN). For some time this season, Troy Franklin was in this same boat. For about a month, Franklin was owned in 50-60% of leagues while playing as a clearcut WR2. Finally, people caught on.

Gainwell is a player that must be rostered. Most weeks, he should be started, especially in PPR formats. He does have a tougher upcoming schedule, but we can work with it.

The Case for Kareem Hunt

Hunt is in a more interesting situation. He is averaging 17.5 Attempts per Game over his last four games, but he is going to be back to sharing this backfield with Isiah Pacheco in due time. Regardless, I will show off his output thus far this season.

Hunt has played in all 11 Games this season. He has 116 Attempts (39% Share*), 457 Yards (3.9 Yards per Carry), and 7 Touchdowns. Hunt also has 15 Targets (4% Target Share), 13 Receptions, 92 Yards, and 1 Touchdown. Hunt is the RB26 in PPR, but he is better in Non-PPR formats where he is the RB24.

We did analyze the Hunt vs Pacheco situation, so be sure to check that out for a deeper analysis.

The Chiefs listed WR Rashee Rice as limited with a hamstring injury on today's estimated injury report.

RB Isiah Pacheco (knee) was listed as a full participant.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 24, 2025

Hunt is going to be a volatile asset going forward. At his best, he is a high-end RB2, especially if Pacheco does not return this week. Pacheco did practice in full on Monday. At his worst, Hunt could be a bench player with 20-30% of rushes. Luckily for you, that floor would not even show up for weeks, if at all. I expect that, on average, Hunt will split carries around 50% by the time the playoffs come around, with 60-65 upside.

Hunt is owned in 60% of leagues (ESPN), and he should absolutely not be.

Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Kenneth Gainwell vs Kareem Hunt

Fantasy Football is a lot simpler than many people think. It is about risk versus reward. Does the reward outweigh the other, and by how much?

Gainwell commands little risk. His role has been proven, even while competing with Jaylen Warren and, to a minor extent, Kaleb Johnson. Nothing is likely to change as so you have a very reliable player in Gainwell.

Hunt has a higher ceiling than Gainwell with his RB1 upside, but those days are numbered with Pacheco due back here. That adds a ton of risk and volatility that is hard to predict. Especially in PPR, Hunt is not better than Gainwell in the long-term.

Pickup Kenneth Gainwell for more proven output going forward and much less risk.