Another week, another chance to help others with our Undroppables weekly “Flex” play article, bringing you THE flex suggestions for your league. As always, this article is written to help with difficult start options. If you boast a strong team full of star-caliber players, don’t overthink it and switch out your guys. Lock in your studs and go with the safe points. For those not as lucky, we got you covered.
Our consensus panel now boasts a record of 23-8-2 (2 coming from postponed games) on the 2020 season. We’re ready to keep the wins coming in Week 12. To send your questions for future weeks, you can tag me @KayneRob on Twitter.
Let’s get it started!
Flex Plays of the Week
Shallow League Flex Plays (10 or fewer teams)
Mike Williams @ Buffalo Bills
Justin Herbert is giving so much life to the Chargers offense that he is making both Williams & Keenan Allen weekly playable options. In 4 of his last 6 games Williams has been a top a top 24 option, top 15 in three of them. The Bills have been giving up quite a few passing yards, and Bills stud CB Tre’Davious White will likely shadow Keenan Allen for this game. I would play Williams in full confidence. His growing connection with Herbert only helps his cause at being a solid option.
D’Andre Swift vs Houston Texans
It looks as though Swift is on the mend. He missed Week 11 due to a concussion. The Lions are on a short week, playing on Thanksgiving day as always, but I do believe Swift will be a full go. That means he needs to be in your lineup taking on the terrible Texans run defense. Swift is getting more and more time and respect. His placement in this article is to ensure that those who are hesitant on including him in their lineups make sure to do so.
Backup option in case of Swift injury designation is Damien Harris vs AZ Cardinals
Standard League Flex Plays (12 teams)
Wayne Gallman @ Cincinnati Bengals
This may look like a surprising choice at first glance. That being said, since Gallman was handed the majority of snaps in Weeks 7-11 (so including his bye week) Gallman is the RB7 in that timeframe. Now he gets a Cincinnati team that is down on it’s luck and has been susceptible to the ground game. The Giants look his way in the red zone, and I think he is a solid play this week.
Michael Pittman vs Tennessee Titans
Over the last two weeks, Michael Pittman has been the WR10 in half PPR formats. Even though targets were down in Week 11, the connection with Philip Rivers is still very present. Tennessee is a fairly good defense when it comes to the actual NFL football, but in fantasy they give up a fair share of points. I like for the Pittman connection to continue building. He is a rock solid flex play in 12-person and possibly even 10-person leagues. Must play in 14+ typically.
Deeper League Flex Plays (14 or more teams)
Cam Akers vs San Francisco 49ers
It looks as though Akers usage is increasing, even if ever so slightly. Yet the times he is seeing these opportunities is promising. In Week 11 it lead to a TD. I believe this week’s matchup could be one where we see the Rams run a lot more, as we saw early in the year. That will give Akers a shot to capitalize, and in really deep leagues that opportunity alone holds upside. Upside is what you look for in flex plays within deep leagues. This option is likely the most risky, but pending on your roster it could be worth the try.
Mecole Hardman @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mecole Hardman is probably being sat this week even in deeper leagues due to the matchup and a dud Week 10. That being said in super deep leagues I believe this could be a solid option. Mecole was still on the mend in Week 11 after just returning from his stint on the COVID reserve list. This was present in his snap %. Yet after the display the Rams gave on how to beat the Bucs through the air, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Chiefs take notice. That should leave a window for Hardman to have one of his boom games. His snaps should likely recover back up to the 60% range.
Boom or Bust Flex Plays
Nelson Agholor @ Atlanta Falcons
Agholor has continued to show as the second best pass catching option in the offense to this point. Carr trusts him and he has been finding the end zone on a frequent basis this season. Those two elements, in combination with a secondary often exposed to the pass game, lead to a potentially great boom flex option. The Raiders have put up a number of points on the year, so that plays in Agholor’s favor.
Tim Patrick vs New Orleans Saints
Patrick continues to produce an impressive fantasy effort serving as the Broncos’ number one pass catching option week in and week out. He takes on a Saints defense that is staunch against the run, but can be beaten through the air. Lock is likely to see a heavy amount of pass rush in this game. That pressure will likely amount to Patrick seeing a lot of looks, since Drew will have to get rid of the ball quickly, being Lock’s favorite target.
Gus Edwards @ Pittsburgh Steelers
With both Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins out this week due to COVID-19, Edwards would seemingly look like a smash play, but there is risk involved. The first risk is that they play the Steelers defense, which is #1 in the NFL. The second is that the game could be postponed if Baltimore’s Corona exposure continues to grow. If the game happens, I do like the play, but you will likely need a TD to be happy with the results.
The Undroppables Survey Says…
As always, we save the best for last, asking Twitter for your toughest flex questions. Below are some of those questions we received with a panel of 5 members of The Undroppables bringing you our consensus votes for Week 12:
In the flex range but a rb2.
Fournette, AP, hines or pay up for Gus.
— Daniel (@djwl1980) November 25, 2020
The Undroppables Consensus: Gus Edwards (4 Votes) (Nyheim Hines 1 vote)
Reason: Gus. He should easily have a large role in the Ravens offense with positive tests from Dobbins & Ingram. –@BpoFSU
The Undroppables Consensus: Curtis Samuel (3 votes) (Sterling Shepard 2 votes)
Reason: Samuel due to his target share with P.J. at QB last week. Even if Bridgewater plays, Samuel has shown a connection there too. Plus he gets an easy matchup with the Vikings. –@FantasyandSport
He is also WR5 over the past 5 weeks. –@PauliesSleepers
The Undroppables Consensus: Diontae Johnson (3 votes)
Reason: With an elite level of targets and continued praise from his QB, this one is an easy choice for me. The upside is greater for Diontae in my opinion. Although the matchup may be more difficult, the secondary can’t really afford to double on Johnson, since Juju & Claypool are also lethal. –@KayneRob
The Undroppables Consensus: If he plays, D’Andre Swift (4 votes)
Reason: I think Swift will play. He practiced which means he has cleared the protocol. Keep an eye on it though. –@PauliesSleepers
The Undroppables Consensus: Diontae Johnson (3 votes) (D.J. Moore 2 votes)
Reason: Diontae since he’s received a ton of targets and has consistently produced when not injured. He is the #1 WR there for fantasy purposes, but defenses can’t afford to double him with Juju and Claypool also in town. –@FantasyandSport
The Undroppables Consensus: For this week, Tee “Sweet Tee” Higgins (3 votes)
(All agree Mims is on the rise, preference comes down to how Finley incorporates “Sweet Tee”)
Reason: I’m not giving up on Higgins just yet. He had 10 targets last week and has become a focal point in the offense. Mims is trending up over the last two weeks, but once Darnold returns it is up in the air again. He could return to his love for Crowder. –@BradWireFF
In Summary
To be featured and get your flex questions answered each week, feel free to tag or DM @KayneRob throughout the week. For last-minute game day decisions, check out “Under the Wire” Sunday mornings leading up to kickoff on the Fantasy Football Chat Discord.
