Pondering some tough flex choices for your Week 16 fantasy football lineup? Adam Rank sorts through the running backs, receivers and tight ends to present his top 150 flex options, with some useful nuggets of analysis sprinkled in. The ranking is based on a 0.5 PPR scoring format.
NOTE: In a typical week, this ranking will be posted on Tuesday. Injury designations will be added, adjusted or removed as teams' official injury reports are made available. The following three designations will be reflected:
- (Q) -- Player is listed as questionable on his team's official injury report.
- (D) -- Player is listed as doubtful on his team's official injury report.
- (O) -- Player has been ruled out on his team's official injury report.
RANKING TIERS
FLEX RANKINGS: 1-50
1. Christian McCaffrey, 49ers (at Colts | MNF) | RB1
2. De'Von Achane, Dolphins (vs. Bengals) | RB2
3. Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions (vs. Steelers) | RB3
4. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks (vs. Rams | TNF) | WR1
5. Bijan Robinson, Falcons (at Cardinals) | RB4
6. Puka Nacua, Rams (at Seahawks | TNF) | WR2
7. James Cook, Bills (at Browns) | RB5
8. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions (vs. Steelers) | WR3
9. Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals (at Dolphins) | WR4
10. Travis Etienne Jr., Jaguars (at Broncos) | RB6
11. CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys (vs. Chargers) | WR5
12. Jonathan Taylor, Colts (vs. 49ers | MNF) | RB7
13. A.J. Brown, Eagles (at Commanders | Sat.) | WR6
14. Derrick Henry, Ravens (vs. Patriots | SNF) | RB8
15. Nico Collins, Texans (vs. Raiders) | WR7
16. Ladd McConkey, Chargers (at Cowboys) | WR8
17. Trey McBride, Cardinals (vs. Falcons) | TE1
18. Saquon Barkley, Eagles (at Commanders | Sat.) | RB9
19. Woody Marks, Texans (vs. Raiders) | RB10
20. Bucky Irving, Buccaneers (at Panthers) | RB11
21. Rashee Rice, Chiefs (at Titans) | WR9
22. RJ Harvey, Broncos (vs. Jaguars) | RB12
23. TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots (at Ravens | SNF) | RB13
24. Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins (vs. Bengals) | WR10
25. Javonte Williams, Cowboys (vs. Chargers) | RB14
26. Wan'Dale Robinson, Giants (vs. Vikings) | WR11
27. Terry McLaurin, Commanders (vs. Eagles | Sat.) | WR12
28. Chase Brown, Bengals (at Dolphins) | RB15
29. Michael Wilson, Cardinals (vs. Falcons) | WR13
30. Josh Jacobs, Packers (at Bears | Sat.) | RB16
31. Quinshon Judkins, Browns (vs. Bills) | RB17
32. Kyren Williams, Rams (at Seahawks | TNF) | RB18
33. George Kittle, 49ers (at Colts | MNF) | TE2
34. Tetairoa McMillan, Panthers (vs. Buccaneers) | WR14
35. Chris Olave, Saints (vs. Jets) | WR15
36. Courtland Sutton, Broncos (vs. Jaguars) | WR16
37. Blake Corum, Rams (at Seahawks | TNF) | RB19
38. Kimani Vidal, Chargers (at Cowboys) | RB20
39. Jameson Williams, Lions (vs. Steelers) | WR17
40. Justin Jefferson, Vikings (at Giants) | WR18
41. D'Andre Swift, Bears (vs. Packers | Sat.) | RB21
42. Ashton Jeanty, Raiders (at Texans) | RB22
43. Breece Hall, Jets (at Saints) | RB23
44. DK Metcalf, Steelers (at Lions) | WR19
45. Jaylen Warren, Steelers (at Lions) | RB24
46. Jakobi Meyers, Jaguars (at Broncos) | WR20
47. Zay Flowers, Ravens (vs. Patriots | SNF) | WR21
48. Brock Bowers, Raiders (at Texans) | TE3
49. Omarion Hampton, Chargers (at Cowboys) | RB25
50. Mike Evans, Buccaneers (at Panthers) | WR22
Takeaways:
- Don't worry about Jahmyr Gibbs. I know a lot of you want to freak out because he looked human on Sunday, being held to 9.8 fantasy points by the Rams. But you flush that performance and move on. He's going to bounce back this week against the Steelers. It's one of the things I love about the Lions. They do a great job of bouncing back after losses. And they also don't let their stars struggle in back-to-back weeks.
- How great has James Cook been this season? He had three scrimmage touchdowns against the Patriots on Sunday. The Bills showed a lot of heart in that win over New England. Feels like too many of you rushed to social media in the first half to proclaim that the Patriots were back.
- Amon-Ra St. Brown now has two games with 39-plus fantasy points this season after scoring a season-high 41.4 against the Rams. Yes, THE RAMS, who hold the No. 1 seed in the NFC (for now). St. Brown is the first player in NFL history with at least 90 receptions in each of the first five seasons of his career. And as good as St. Brown looked against Los Angeles, it felt like Jameson Williams was the better receiver. Williams finished with seven catches for 134 yards and a TD.
- Travis Etienne is back, baby. He scored 31.5 fantasy points against the Jets despite rushing for just 32 yards. The dude had three receiving touchdowns. That's the kind of stuff we saw from Marshall Faulk in his prime.
- My best fantasy teams this season had Trey McBride in the lineup. He scored a career-high 37.4 points on Sunday against the Texans. We are going to have a real conversation about whether McBride is a first-round fantasy draft pick. We can talk about it later, but I'm not quite there yet.
- Jawhar Jordan scored 13.8 fantasy points as he burst onto the scene against the Cardinals while filling in for Woody Marks, who left the game with an ankle injury. However, I want you to keep in mind that he was playing the Cardinals, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy PPG to running backs this season. Jordan was amazing, gaining 101 yards on just 15 rushes, but Texans coach DeMeco Ryans did say Marks could have reentered Sunday's game, which leads me to believe his ankle injury isn't a major concern.
- TreVeyon Henderson continues to be amazing. When all of you wanted to jump off the hype train, I stayed true! I love that he rushed for 148 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Bills. He has the most rushing TDs of 50-plus yards in franchise history (4).
- Courtland Sutton has now posted 100-plus receiving yards and a touchdown twice this season. Should be a fun matchup with the Jaguars this week.
Tiers: Nos. 1-50 | Nos. 51-100 | Nos. 101-150
FLEX RANKINGS: 51-100
51. DJ Moore, Bears (vs. Packers | Sat.) | WR23
52. DeVonta Smith, Eagles (at Commanders | Sat.) | WR24
53. Stefon Diggs, Patriots (at Ravens | SNF) | WR25
54. Jauan Jennings, 49ers (at Colts | MNF) | WR26
55. Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars (at Broncos) | WR27
56. Deebo Samuel Sr., Commanders (vs. Eagles | Sat.) | WR28
57. Chris Godwin, Buccaneers (at Panthers) | WR29
58. George Pickens, Cowboys (vs. Chargers) | WR30
59. Rico Dowdle, Panthers (vs. Buccaneers) | RB26
60. Troy Franklin, Broncos (vs. Jaguars) | WR31
61. Adonai Mitchell, Jets (at Saints) | WR32
62. Dallas Goedert, Eagles (at Commanders | Sat.) | TE4
63. Emeka Egbuka, Buccaneers (at Panthers) | WR33
64. Aaron Jones, Vikings (at Giants) | RB27
65. Kyle Pitts, Falcons (at Cardinals) | TE5
66. Harold Fannin Jr., Browns (vs. Bills) | TE6
67. Kyle Monangai, Bears (vs. Packers | Sat.) | RB28
68. Tyrone Tracy Jr., Giants (vs. Vikings) | RB29
69. Colston Loveland, Bears (vs. Packers | Sat.) | TE7
70. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Commanders (vs. Eagles | Sat.) | RB30
71. Chuba Hubbard, Panthers (vs. Buccaneers) | RB31
72. Travis Kelce, Chiefs (at Titans) | TE8
73. Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks (vs. Rams | TNF) | RB32
74. Khalil Shakir, Bills (at Browns) | WR34
75. Jordan Addison, Vikings (at Giants) | WR35
76. Michael Pittman, Colts (vs. 49ers | MNF) | WR36
77. Dalton Kincaid, Bills (at Browns) | TE9
78. Michael Carter, Cardinals (vs. Falcons) | RB33
79. Mark Andrews, Ravens (vs. Patriots | SNF) | TE10
80. Brenton Strange, Jaguars (at Broncos) | TE11
81. Luther Burden III, Bears (vs. Packers | Sat.) | WR37
82. Jerry Jeudy, Browns (vs. Bills) | WR38
83. Tyler Warren, Colts (vs. 49ers | MNF) | TE12
84. Jake Ferguson, Cowboys (vs. Chargers) | TE13
85. Jayden Higgins, Texans (vs. Raiders) | WR39
86. Theo Johnson, Giants (vs. Vikings) | TE14
87. Jayden Reed, Packers (at Bears | Sat.) | WR40
88. Audric Estimé, Saints (vs. Jets) | RB34
89. Tony Pollard, Titans (vs. Chiefs) | RB35
90. Tyler Allgeier, Falcons (at Cardinals) | RB36
91. Hunter Henry, Patriots (at Ravens | SNF) | TE15
92. Isaiah Likely, Ravens (vs. Patriots | SNF) | TE16
93. Kenneth Gainwell, Steelers (at Lions) | RB37
94. Xavier Worthy, Chiefs (at Titans) | WR41
95. Colby Parkinson, Rams (at Seahawks | TNF) | TE17
96. Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots (at Ravens | SNF) | RB38
97. David Montgomery, Lions (vs. Steelers) | RB39
98. Rachaad White, Buccaneers (at Panthers) | RB40
99. Jordan Mason, Vikings (at Giants) | RB41
100. Devin Singletary, Giants (vs. Vikings) | RB42
Takeaways:
- DeVonta Smith leads the Eagles in receptions and receiving yards this season. He's also scored 10-plus fantasy points only once in the last five games.
- I'm starting to panic about Michael Pittman. He's averaged 8.5 fantasy PPG in his last five contests. Philip Rivers wasn't really throwing the ball well down the field in his return on Sunday. He went 2 of 8 for 33 yards on throws of 10-plus air yards.
- Colby Parkinson is a great option if you need to pick up a pass-catcher this week. He has six touchdown catches since Week 10, tied for the most in the NFL during that span.
Tiers: Nos. 1-50 | Nos. 51-100 | Nos. 101-150
FLEX RANKINGS: 101-150
101. Dalton Schultz, Texans (vs. Raiders) | TE18
102. Kareem Hunt, Chiefs (at Titans) | RB43
103. Ricky Pearsall, 49ers (at Colts | MNF) | WR42
104. Keenan Allen, Chargers (at Cowboys) | WR43
105. Ryan Flournoy, Cowboys (vs. Chargers) | WR44
106. John Metchie III, Jets (at Saints) | WR45
107. Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks (vs. Rams | TNF) | RB44
108. Darnell Mooney, Falcons (at Cardinals) | WR46
109. Mike Gesicki, Bengals (at Dolphins) | TE19
110. Devaughn Vele, Saints (vs. Jets) | WR47
111. Romeo Doubs, Packers (at Bears | Sat.) | WR48
112. Mitchell Tinsley, Bengals (at Dolphins) | WR49
113. AJ Barner, Seahawks (vs. Rams | TNF) | TE20
114. Marvin Mims Jr., Broncos (vs. Jaguars) | WR50
115. Darius Slayton, Giants (vs. Vikings) | WR51
116. Tre Tucker, Raiders (at Texans) | WR52
117. Evan Engram, Broncos (vs. Jaguars) | TE21
118. Jalen Coker, Panthers (vs. Buccaneers) | WR53
119. Cooper Kupp, Seahawks (vs. Rams | TNF) | WR54
120. Darren Waller, Dolphins (vs. Bengals) | TE22
121. Oronde Gadsden II, Chargers (at Cowboys) | TE23
122. Rashid Shaheed, Seahawks (vs. Rams | TNF) | WR55
123. Kayshon Boutte, Patriots (at Ravens | SNF) | WR56
124. Chimere Dike, Titans (vs. Chiefs) | WR57
125. Alec Pierce, Colts (vs. 49ers | MNF) | WR58
126. Tyjae Spears, Titans (vs. Chiefs) | RB45
127. Malik Washington, Dolphins (vs. Bengals) | WR59
128. Andrei Iosivas, Bengals (at Dolphins) | WR60
129. Elic Ayomanor, Titans (vs. Chiefs) | WR61
130. Mack Hollins, Patriots (at Ravens | SNF) | WR62
131. Xavier Legette, Panthers (vs. Buccaneers) | WR63
132. Gunnar Helm, Titans (vs. Chiefs) | TE24
133. T.J. Hockenson, Vikings (at Giants) | TE25
134. Dontayvion Wicks, Packers (at Bears | Sat.) | WR64
135. Josh Downs, Colts (vs. 49ers | MNF) | WR65
136. Samaje Perine, Bengals (at Dolphins) | RB46
137. Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs (at Titans) | RB47
138. Jeremy McNichols, Commanders (vs. Eagles | Sat.) | RB48
139. David Sills V, Falcons (at Cardinals) | WR66
140. Chig Okonkwo, Titans (vs. Chiefs) | TE26
141. Sean Tucker, Buccaneers (at Panthers) | RB49
142. Brian Robinson, 49ers (at Colts | MNF) | RB50
143. Pat Freiermuth, Steelers (at Lions) | TE27
144. Keon Coleman, Bills (at Browns) | WR67
145. Christian Kirk, Texans (vs. Raiders) | WR68
146. Isaac TeSlaa, Lions (vs. Steelers) | WR69
147. Jack Bech, Raiders (at Texans) | WR70
148. Olamide Zaccheaus, Bears (vs. Packers | Sat.) | WR71
149. Ty Johnson, Bills (at Browns) | RB51
150. Jalen Nailor, Vikings (at Giants) | WR72
Takeaways:
- Don't sleep on Jalen Nailor, who was the fantasy WR10 in Week 15 (three catches for 47 yards and two TDs against the Cowboys). I was wondering if J.J. McCarthy hates Justin Jefferson -- who is averaging seven fantasy PPG in McCarthy's last five starts -- but Nailor was thriving on Sunday night.
Tiers: Nos. 1-50 | Nos. 51-100 | Nos. 101-150
