Flex Strategy: It's All About Upside
Your flex spot is the wild card of your lineup, the place where you can take a calculated risk that pays huge dividends. While your starters in the early rounds should be a blend of high floor and high ceiling, the flex is where you hunt for pure upside.
You're looking for players in the middle-to-late rounds who have a plausible path to a much larger role than their Average Draft Position (ADP) suggests. This could be a running back whose starter is injury-prone, a receiver on an ascending offense, or a tight end with massive touchdown potential. The goal isn't just to find a guy who will get you 8-10 points; it's to find the player who could potentially give you RB2 or WR2 production from a flex spot, creating a weekly mismatch against your opponent.
Value Running Back: Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
In Pittsburgh, Jaylen Warren is once again shaping up to be one of the best value picks in fantasy drafts. With an ADP hovering around the 73rd overall pick, he's being drafted as a flex or bench player, but he has the potential for much more. Reports indicate he is expected to split the workload, but Warren has consistently proven to be the more efficient and explosive player in the Steelers' backfield. He excels as a pass-catcher, which gives him a high floor in any point-per-reception (PPR) format. While others reach for bigger names with more question marks, you can secure a running back who has a defined role, big-play ability, and the potential to take over the backfield completely if his counterpart falters. That's the definition of a perfect flex play with league-winning upside.
Value Wide Receiver: Stefon Diggs, Washington Commanders
It’s rare to find a player with a history of elite production available in the middle rounds, but that’s the case with Stefon Diggs. After signing with his hometown Commanders, his ADP has been slow to climb from the double-digit rounds. While Terry McLaurin is the established number one, Diggs is poised to be a high-volume 1B option for quarterback Jayden Daniels. Last season, Diggs posted an impressive 83.3% catch rate and showed he still has plenty left in the tank. In an offense that will need reliable targets, Diggs provides a veteran presence and polished route-running. Drafting him as your flex or fourth receiver is a low-risk, high-reward move. He offers a stable floor of targets with the ceiling of a top-20 receiver if he develops strong chemistry with his new quarterback.
Value Tight End: Chigoziem Okonkwo, Washington Commanders
If you miss out on the top-tier tight ends, Chigoziem Okonkwo presents a fantastic value opportunity. After being traded to Washington, he steps in as the clear TE1. His teammate Terry McLaurin has praised him, noting he "runs routes like a receiver." Okonkwo is projected to be the team's third pass-catching option, but he could easily command the second-highest target share. His current ADP has him going as the TE17, but many analysts project him to finish closer to the top 12. Quarterback Jayden Daniels has a history of supporting productive fantasy tight ends. Okonkwo offers elite athleticism for the position and could be a go-to target, especially in the red zone. He's an ideal late-round TE to target who you can comfortably play in your flex spot, capitalizing on his breakout potential.
