Joel Smyth Fantasy Analyst Thu, October 22, 2026 at 2:57 PM UTC · 5 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We're on to Week 7 of the fantasy season! As we look for every advantage this season, the X-factor position is the FLEX. To break it all down, analyst Joel Smyth goes through 8 players in the consensus rankings flex zone for your flexes, double flexes, or even third WR slots.
After David Montgomery went down with an injury, Marks became the RB1 in Houston, handling 15 carries but sharing work with Jawhar Jordan. The Texans reserve RB got seven touches and was the one who ended up getting the touchdown, but now he is also out for this game with injury. It's just Dare Ogunbowale left, a passing-down back, to pair with Woody Marks against the Giants.
New York is bottom-five against rushing fantasy points this season and can balance out the Texans' poor run-blocking offensive line. Near-guaranteed volume is hard to find and makes Marks a set it and forget it play in a matchup where red-zone trips could be in abundance if the Texans defense causes chaos versus J.J. McCarthy.
DK Metcalf and Germie Bernard combined for 27 targets in Week 6 with a plethora of receivers injured. Next up is the New Orleans Saints, which should give an opportunity for another PPR scam day. The Saints play fast and pass heavy, giving plenty of time to opposing offenses versus a struggling defense. Aaron Rodgers was one of the few quarterbacks last season who was better versus zone coverage than man when it came to raw fantasy points, specifically benefiting Metcalf rather than him being defended man-to-man.
With limited options to go to, I like the opportunity for lots of receptions for each WR once more.
Davante Adams is a touchdown machine, so what happens when he's out? Well, last season, the Rams TEs stepped up, scoring five touchdowns in his three-game absence. Higbee has been the main man so far with Terrance Ferguson out, Colby Parkinson coming back from injury and Davis Allen as more of a blocker than a receiving threat. Higbee's route share has been consistently high and will give him an amazing shot at getting into the end zone if the Rams play out of their 13 personnel look (3 TE, 1 WR) a heavy amount without Adams available.
The rookie came onto the scene in style, scoring a touchdown (with another called back) and gaining 100+ receiving yards. With Adonai Mitchell sidelined, the slot receiver stayed on the field in two-receiver sets, playing across from Garrett Wilson. The Jets offense has struggled at times this season and looks to get back against a defense that has only slowed down a Vikings team without Justin Jefferson. The combination of Cooper's yards-after-the-catch ability with his short targets gives him a nice floor/ceiling balance for a double flex.
On the other side of this matchup, Malik Washington fares nicely as well. He'll get some carries, some screens and will match up most in the downfield passing game against the Jets slot corner, Jarvis Brownlee Jr., who has ranked inside the bottom five in fantasy points allowed to receivers.
New York has been way better than average versus outside receivers, -6.4 PPG below average to be exact, while failing to slow down the slot. In PPR leagues, Washington's been a steady play for deeper leagues, scoring 11.1-12.1 fantasy points in three straight weeks.
Downs has been … disappointing. His shot was last week, versus a Titans defense that was a great coverage matchup while TE Tyler Warren was out. If Warren is in, Indianapolis goes to more two-TE formations, pushing Josh Downs outside where his production has declined. Believe it or not, when Keenan Allen is on the field, Downs' target share has jumped up 6% with him being able to go back inside to the slot. Either way, Minnesota's defense puts him in a rough spot this week.
Daniel Jones under pressure has not been a pretty sight this season and not something I want to bank on working out for a Downs bounce-back game.
Ever since Sean Payton took over playcalling, it's been hard for Harvey to find touches, and now rookie Jonah Coleman returns on Sunday. Over the last two weeks, Harvey's been limited to three touches and nine touches, respectively, only being saved by a one-yard TD in Week 6. The matchup is a positive and gives Denver a better chance at rebounding following a very slow start to the season.
Bo Nix has checked it down plenty this season to help Harvey, but with the Cardinals defense surrendering the highest average depth of target in the league, it could get Nix to push the ball down the field, lowering Harvey's floor even more.
Source: Sports
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