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2023 fantasy football flex rankings: Top 150 RB/WR/TE options in Week 3

Pondering some tough flex choices for your fantasy lineup? Adam Rank sorts through the running backs, receivers and tight ends to present his top 150 flex options each week for the 2023 fantasy football season, 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 their team's official injury report.
  • (D) -- Player is listed as doubtful on their team's official injury report.
  • (OUT) -- Player has been ruled out on their team's official injury report.

FLEX RANKINGS: 1-50

Table inside Article
Rank Position Rank Week 3 Opponent
1. Christian McCaffrey RB1 vs. Giants
2. Tony Pollard RB2 at Cardinals
3. Justin Jefferson WR1 vs. Chargers
4. Travis Kelce TE1 vs. Bears
5. Bijan Robinson RB3 at Lions
6. Travis Etienne RB4 vs. Texans
7. Kyren Williams RB5 at Bengals
8. CeeDee Lamb WR2 at Cardinals
9. Tyreek Hill WR3 vs. Broncos
10. Derrick Henry RB6 at Browns
11. Ja'Marr Chase WR4 vs. Rams
12. Amon-Ra St. Brown (Q) WR5 vs. Falcons
13. Stefon Diggs WR6 at Commanders
14. Deebo Samuel WR7 vs. Giants
15. Chris Olave WR8 at Packers
16. Austin Ekeler (OUT) RB7 at Vikings
17. Joe Mixon RB8 vs. Rams
18. D'Andre Swift RB9 at Buccaneers
19. Isiah Pacheco (Q) RB10 vs. Bears
20. Puka Nacua (Q) WR9 at Bengals
21. Keenan Allen WR10 at Vikings
22. A.J. Brown WR11 at Buccaneers
23. Davante Adams WR12 vs. Steelers
24. Terry McLaurin WR13 vs. Bills
25. Raheem Mostert RB11 vs. Broncos
26. Aaron Jones (Q) RB12 vs. Saints
27. Calvin Ridley WR14 vs. Texans
28. Josh Jacobs RB13 vs. Steelers
29. James Cook RB14 at Commanders
30. Brian Robinson Jr. RB15 vs. Bills
31. Miles Sanders RB16 at Seahawks
32. Kenneth Walker III RB17 vs. Panthers
33. DeVonta Smith WR15 at Buccaneers
34. DK Metcalf WR16 vs. Panthers
35. DJ Moore WR17 at Chiefs
36. Jordan Addison WR18 vs. Chargers
37. Mike Evans WR19 vs. Eagles
38. Brandon Aiyuk WR20 vs. Giants
39. T.J. Hockenson TE2 vs. Chargers
40. George Pickens WR21 at Raiders
41. Amari Cooper WR22 vs. Titans
42. Drake London WR23 at Lions
43. Christian Kirk WR24 vs. Texans
44. Garrett Wilson WR25 vs. Patriots
45. DeAndre Hopkins (Q) WR26 at Browns
46. Rhamondre Stevenson RB18 at Jets
47. Jahmyr Gibbs RB19 vs. Falcons
48. Breece Hall RB20 vs. Patriots
49. Chris Godwin WR27 vs. Eagles
50. Tyler Lockett WR28 vs. Panthers
  • It was a rough weekend for running backs. Saquon Barkley has a sprained ankle and is considered week to week. Giants head coach Brian Daboll has not ruled Barkley out of Thursday night's game against the 49ers as of this writing, but I'm not including him in my rankings this week given the uncertainty about his status. (EDITOR'S UPDATE: Barkley has been ruled out for Thursday's game.) Nick Chubb is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury Monday night. Chargers coach Brandon Staley said there is no timeline for the return of Austin Ekeler. (EDITOR'S UPDATE: Ekeler has been ruled out for Sunday's game.) It's Week 3 and you're already starting Roschon Johnson and Tyjae Spears at running back. I'll do my best to help guide you through this maze.
  • Let's turn to some happy news: Puka Nacua is HIM. I kept Nacua on the bench in a few leagues in Week 2, fearing the matchup with the 49ers -- but damn, he had 20 targets. TWENTY. There is no way I'm sitting him against the Bengals on Monday. Which means, oh man, he's going to let us down, isn't he? Just kidding. He's going to be great.
  • Tony Pollard had 32 touches in Week 2, the most by a Cowboys running back since Ezekiel Elliott in 2019. Dallas' Week 3 opponent, Arizona, has allowed 20+ touches and 1+ touchdown to a running back in both of its games this season.
  • Bijan Robinson leads the league with seven runs of 10+ yards. He leads all running backs with 10 receptions. He's scored 20+ fantasy points in each game. And now he has a matchup with the Lions, who allowed two rushing TDs to Kenneth Walker III last week.
  • CeeDee Lamb has a 55.3 percent team receiving yards share this season, which is the highest in the NFL. His 11 receptions last week tied a career high.
  • Tyreek Hill leads the NFL with three receiving touchdowns. Also, he's the first Dolphins player in history to join the Madden 99 Club.
  • I'm looking for Ja’Marr Chase to bounce back this week against the Rams. He had four red zone targets in Week 2 (after not having any in the opener). I mean, the Bengals can't be this bad, can they? Oh, and I know that we don't really cover QBs much in this space. If you're freaking out about Joe Burrow's status, pick up Matthew Stafford off waivers (if he's available) so you can have some insurance.
  • Keenan Allen was amazing in Week 2. He was targeted 10 times and hauled in eight receptions for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He scored the most fantasy points he's had in a game since Week 11 of the 2020 season.
  • Raheem Mostert has shown flashes of being the guy for years. It was good to see that again in prime time on Sunday (18 carries, 121 rushing yards, two rushing TDs). In Week 3, he'll face a Broncos team that was just torched by Brian Robinson Jr. I'm in for Mostert.
  • Josh Jacobs has yet to break 50 rushing yards in a game this season. Which isn't great. I don't know, maybe training camp is important. But he did log six targets with five receptions and 51 yards against the Bills -- that was the second-highest receiving yardage total on the Raiders. Jacobs could be a bigger factor in the passing game if injuries to Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers linger.
  • I'll admit, I wasn't big on Brian Robinson Jr. coming into the season. I sort of favored Antonio Gibson. But Gibson doesn't fancy holding on to the football (fumbled in Week 1) and he's been outplayed by Robinson. Robinson has 40 touches this season, while Gibson has just nine. Clearly, Robinson is the running back to start here. This week the Commanders host the Bills, who bottled up Josh Jacobs last week, but I still like Robinson at No. 30 in my rankings.
  • A lot of people passed on Mike Evans in fantasy drafts this year with the Bucs going from Tom Brady to Baker Mayfield at quarterback. It seemed like Evans was washed as far as fantasy managers were concerned. Well, he's definitely not washed. He's one of just three receivers with at least 18+ fantasy points in each game this season.
  • Brandon Aiyuk is dealing with a shoulder injury. Kyle Shanahan expressed confidence after Sunday's game that Aiyuk was going to be just fine, but on Monday he said, "it's too early to have all the answers for the injuries yet." Aiyuk, meanwhile, was marked as "did not practice" on the team's estimated injury report. Aiyuk's status bears watching on a short week.
  • T.J. Hockenson led all tight ends with 25.6 fantasy points against the Eagles in Week 2. The most striking thing about his performance: He led the Vikings in red zone targets.
  • I'd been saying all year -- all two weeks of it -- that Christian Kirk is too good to be kept down. And after a forgettable Week 1, he put up a strong performance (11 catches for 110 yards) against the Chiefs.
  • Garrett Wilson has scored a touchdown in every game this season! I know -- it's just two. He needed that one huge pop to save his fantasy contest on Sunday. But think about this: It was against the Cowboys. He was still targeted eight times. He's going to be fine. He might not be the top-five guy we thought he'd be back when Aaron Rodgers was going to be his quarterback, but he'll be a solid option.
  • Breece Hall recorded just four rushes for 9 yards and two targets with no receptions. But I'm still starting him when he faces New England this week, motivated by the promise of what Mostert just accomplished against the Patriots' defense.

FLEX RANKINGS: 51-100

Table inside Article
Player Position Rank Week 3 Opponent
51. Jaylen Waddle (OUT) WR29 vs. Broncos
52. Skyy Moore WR30 vs. Bears
53. Rachaad White RB21 vs. Eagles
54. Alexander Mattison RB22 vs. Chargers
55. Mike Williams WR31 at Vikings
56. Tee Higgins WR32 vs. Rams
57. Nico Collins WR33 at Jaguars
58. Jerry Jeudy WR34 at Dolphins
59. Marquise Brown WR35 vs. Cowboys
60. Mark Andrews TE3 vs. Colts
61. Gus Edwards RB23 vs. Colts
62. James Conner RB24 vs. Cowboys
63. Joshua Kelley RB25 at Vikings
64. Zack Moss RB26 at Ravens
65. Zay Flowers WR36 vs. Colts
66. Tyler Allgeier RB27 at Lions
67. Kenneth Gainwell RB28 at Buccaneers
68. AJ Dillon RB29 vs. Saints
69. Justice Hill (OUT) RB30 vs. Colts
70. George Kittle TE4 vs. Giants
71. Michael Pittman Jr. WR37 at Ravens
72. Jerome Ford RB31 vs. Titans
73. Christian Watson (Q) WR38 vs. Saints
74. Dameon Pierce RB32 at Jaguars
75. Courtland Sutton WR39 at Dolphins
76. Jahan Dotson WR40 vs. Bills
77. Zay Jones (OUT) WR41 vs. Texans
78. Roschon Johnson RB33 at Chiefs
79. Sam LaPorta TE5 vs. Falcons
80. Javonte Williams RB34 at Dolphins
81. Jerick McKinnon RB35 vs. Bears
82. Tyjae Spears RB36 at Browns
83. Brandin Cooks WR42 at Cardinals
84. Robert Woods WR43 at Jaguars
85. Josh Reynolds WR44 vs. Falcons
86. Khalil Herbert RB37 at Chiefs
87. Tyler Boyd WR45 vs. Rams
88. Kendrick Bourne WR46 at Jets
89. Rashid Shaheed WR47 at Packers
90. Jamaal Williams (OUT) RB38 at Packers
91. Dallas Goedert TE6 at Buccaneers
92. Marvin Mims Jr. WR48 at Dolphins
93. JuJu Smith-Schuster WR49 at Jets
94. Jaylen Warren RB39 at Raiders
95. Dalvin Cook RB40 vs. Patriots
96. Antonio Gibson RB41 vs. Bills
97. Tutu Atwell WR50 at Bengals
98. Darren Waller TE7 at 49ers
99. Najee Harris RB42 at Raiders
100. Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB43 vs. Bears
  • Skyy Moore doesn't necessarily deserve the benefit of the doubt that Christian Kirk should have been shown as an established veteran. And a lot of Moore's Chiefs teammates logged targets in Week 2. But I'm all about Kansas City receivers this week against the Bears. The Bears fan in me hates saying that, but it's the truth. (Of course, the Bears fan in me is also thinking about the possibility that Chicago could have a bounce-back game, like what happened against the Patriots last year, when everyone was counting the Bears out.)
  • Nico Collins has been great this season. He's one of just four players with at least 6 receptions and 80 receiving yards in each game. No team has dropped back to pass more than the Texans this season, which has done WONDERS for the Dameon Pierce shares I have this year. Seriously, this is killing me. But it's not hurting Nico. I love it for him. 
  • Let's not ignore what James Conner is doing for the Cardinals. He's had 37 rushing attempts this year, which is fourth-most in the NFL. He has just 8 receiving yards, however. If Arizona were to stop giving all the targets to Zach Ertz and make room for Conner in the pass-catching game, Conner would be something special for your fantasy squad.
  • Jaylen Warren has surpassed Najee Harris in my rankings. One drive on Monday night really drove the point home for me. Warren broke through contact on third-and-10 to earn a first down that set up George Pickens' touchdown against the Browns. On the previous two plays, Harris had a dropped pass and a run for no gain. He then fumbled on the failed two-point conversion attempt. I've wanted Harris to return to the Pro Bowl form he showed as a rookie and he did lead the Steelers with 43 rushing yards against Cleveland, but I can't continue to rank him ahead of Warren, who has 104 yards from scrimmage to Harris' 76.

FLEX RANKINGS: 101-150

Table inside Article
Player Position Rank Week 3 Opponent
101. Pat Freiermuth TE8 at Raiders
102. David Njoku TE9 vs. Titans
103. Kadarius Toney (Q) WR51 vs. Bears
104. Jayden Reed WR52 vs. Saints
105. Treylon Burks WR53 at Browns
106. De'Von Achane RB44 vs. Broncos
107. Elijah Moore WR54 vs. Titans
108. Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR55 vs. Panthers
109. Adam Thielen WR56 at Seahawks
110. Jakobi Meyers WR57 vs. Steelers
111. Allen Robinson WR58 at Raiders
112. Gabe Davis WR59 at Commanders
113. Josh Downs WR60 at Ravens
114. Craig Reynolds RB45 vs. Falcons
115. Zach Charbonnet RB46 vs. Panthers
116. Evan Engram TE10 vs. Texans
117. Samaje Perine RB47 at Dolphins
118. Romeo Doubs WR61 vs. Saints
119. Tyler Higbee TE11 at Bengals
120. Michael Thomas WR62 at Packers
121. Juwan Johnson TE12 at Packers
122. Jalin Hyatt WR63 at 49ers
123. Kyle Pitts TE13 at Lions
124. Marquez Valdes-Scantling WR64 vs. Bears
125. Zach Ertz TE14 vs. Cowboys
126. Curtis Samuel WR65 vs. Bills
127. Ezekiel Elliott RB48 at Jets
128. Rashee Rice WR66 vs. Bears
129. Gerald Everett TE15 at Vikings
130. Tank Dell WR67 at Jaguars
131. Dalton Kincaid TE16 at Commanders
132. Isaiah Hodgins WR68 at 49ers
133. Donovan Peoples-Jones WR69 vs. Titans
134. Rashod Bateman WR70 vs. Colts
135. Demario Douglas WR71 at Jets
136. Elijah Mitchell RB49 vs. Giants
137. Jonathan Mingo WR72 at Seahawks
138. Dalton Schultz TE17 at Jaguars
139. Parris Campbell WR73 at 49ers
140. Darnell Mooney WR74 at Chiefs
141. Boston Scott (OUT) RB50 at Buccaneers
142. Damien Harris RB51 at Commanders
143. Devin Singletary RB52 at Jaguars
144. Kendre Miller RB53 at Packers
145. DeVante Parker WR75 at Jets
146. Odell Beckham (OUT) WR76 vs. Colts
147. Hunter Renfrow WR77 vs. Steelers
148. Hayden Hurst TE18 at Seahawks
149. Hunter Henry TE19 at Jets
150. Tyler Scott WR78 at Chiefs
  • Lions RB Craig Reynolds could be a player to add this week. He and Jahmyr Gibbs both saw carries after David Montgomery sustained a thigh bruise on Sunday. Oh, shoot. I forgot to mention Montgomery earlier. He's another big-time running back who was injured in Week 2. I'm not entirely sure how the workload will be divvied up if Montgomery is out, but if you miss out on your initial waiver wire adds, try Reynolds.
  • Hey, remember Zach Ertz? He has 18 targets (most among tight ends) and 12 receptions (second most among TEs) this season. He's still good! Am I ready to launch Kyle Pitts into the sun and start playing Ertz? I'm not not considering it.

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