Many leagues are now incorporating the “Flex” position into their roster requirements.  The Flex position is normally a choice of using a wide receiver or running back, but many formats are also allowing the flex spot to include a tight end if you wish.   The biggest question for those new to the flex position, is what player position should I use most often in my flex spot, OR, who do I look to draft for my flex spot?

Well for those leagues who allow a combination including a tight end, I have one word of advice to those team owners.  You have to be in a bye week nightmare, injury riddled hell or somehow have managed to draft multiple Antonio Gates to your squad before you start considering using a tight end for the flex.  If a spare tight end on your team is outperforming available wide receivers and running backs, you have more things to worry about than who to use in the flex.  It looks pretty on paper, but having TE availability in the flex spot is basically useless except when the saavy fantasy owner is pulling a trade on a rookie telling them they will now have a productive TE they can fill in flex as well.  Don’t tell me you haven’t tried it.

So really for the majority of all weeks, we are talking about a decision between running backs and wide receivers.  Other than years when the stars align like for quarterbacks in a season like Kurt Warner’s MVP year or Manning every season, these are the two most productive positions anyway and often are the most debated on when you choose to with each. 

The one word of advice I have for the flex spot is it is providing options for a reason.  Most leagues make you fill in two running backs, and two wide receivers so you have to look to have those filled as quickly as possible with legitimate talent.  We also know all solid running backs are off the board by round 3-4, so you have to be getting lucky if you are finding a third legitimate RB1 to use as a flex player. 

Because you have options with the flex position you need to look for the most value whether that be a wide receiver or running back.  A “GOOD” running back will have the opportunity to gain you more points in a given day, but you should never pass up a starting wide receiver for a questionable RB, just to get that third running back.  To many people get caught upo in the hype of dafting running backs, which when past the first couple rounds is not going to win you fantasy weeks.  Points wins you fantasy weeks, so if you have your starting two RB spots filled, after that you are looking for the most points available.

That being said, if you are in a draft where an RB from the 20-27 range is still sitting past where he should be, someone like Caddy Williams, Marshawn Lynch or Thomas Jones, then they are extremely valuable picks and ideal for your flex spot.  No questions asked. Each is an RB1, and has upside, but questions about recent play or injuries may make them slide down any given draft.  But once you are into the range 28+ and the likes of DeShaun Foster, Tatum Bell and other players who are in questionable platoon status, yous hould be scanning the wide receiver board for the top talent still left.  Chances are there will be more left at that position who are going to be consistent performers each week as compared to a platoon RB.   It is always better to grab the greater talent, and then look for that platoon RB the next round as backup, because chances are one of them will still be available, but your receiver will be long gone.

No draft is a perfect science, so you can’t just stick to one gameplan and go with it.  It would be easy to say by the 5-6th round you should only look at a wide receiver for your flex spot and make it happen, but I have already been involved in three drafts where RB’s I pegged to go no later than the 3rd round (Cedric Benson, Edge, Brandon Jacobs) were still sitting for me in later rounds and now sitting in my flex spot.  The key is to evaluate not on position by that point of the draft but on overall fantasy value, that is what will win you games each week.