The flex position (1 Viewer)

[T. Bagger]

With the caveat that of course not all leagues lineup and scoring systems are the same, there's something I've been growing ever more curious about regarding the so called "flex" position.

In our league, a normal starting lineup consists (besides QB, K, and Team Defense) of two running backs and three receivers, with the option of starting only one running back and four receivers. The way I think about this is that we must start one running back and three receivers, and the fifth spot in those two categories can be either a RB or WR. Both positions are scored as they normally are regardless of how many of each you start, if that makes any sense.

Very often when reading about rankings, lineup decisions, etc. you'll hear decisions and opinions couched in terms of something like "what the heck flex", or allusions to starting a player specifically as a "flex" player rather than just another RB or WR. This makes me think a flex position in a majority of leagues is it's own category with different scoring values rather than just an option to play one position over another in a lineup.

As I said, with the caveat that all leagues are different, this is just something I've wondered about from time to time and thought I'd see if someone can help me understand the term a little better, at least how the majority of other leagues define it. Is a flex it's own position, or just an optional spot in a lineup that can be filled by more than one position?

Thanks.

 

[RUSF18]

I don't know of any leagues that score the flex position differently than they would if that same player was in a QB/RB/WR/TE slot. I think 99.9% of times when people say "he's a decent flex option" it means he's a good option as a RB3 or WR3 on your roster. You know who your starters are at those positions already, and you're deciding among the rest of your roster as to who gets the last starting slot.

edit: To answer your question a little further, it's not about starting a RB or WR in that flex slot. It's about starting one particular RB or WR that you feel will score more points than the other players on your bench or on the waiver wire. Positions may be taken into account if there are different scoring options across positions, which may make two otherwise equal players have different values. For example, some people play in PPR leagues where TEs get 1.5 PPR. In that case, TE13 (the top non-startable TE based on a 12 team league) may be more valuable than WR25 (assuming you start 2 WRs) even though you project both to catch 5 balls for 70 yards.

 

[T. Bagger]

I don't know of any leagues that score the flex position differently than they would if that same player was in a QB/RB/WR/TE slot. I think 99.9% of times when people say "he's a decent flex option" it means he's a good option as a RB3 or WR3 on your roster. You know who your starters are at those positions already, and you're deciding among the rest of your roster as to who gets the last starting slot.

edit: To answer your question a little further, it's not about starting a RB or WR in that flex slot. It's about starting one particular RB or WR that you feel will score more points than the other players on your bench or on the waiver wire. Positions may be taken into account if there are different scoring options across positions, which may make two otherwise equal players have different values. For example, some people play in PPR leagues where TEs get 1.5 PPR. In that case, TE13 (the top non-startable TE based on a 12 team league) may be more valuable than WR25 (assuming you start 2 WRs) even though you project both to catch 5 balls for 70 yards.

Thanks for the reply. I guess the source of my confusion (for lack of a better word) is that obviously the object of any starting lineup is to get the most points scored as possible. In our case for example, we have the option of essentially dropping a running back for an additional receiver. Since a rushing touchdown is 6 and a receiving score is only 3, the running back is the more valuable player assuming an equal number of yards and scores. Sometimes however, your judgement may be that your WR4 is likely to outscore your RB2. Any lineup decision is essentially a judgement call on who you think is more likely to total more fantasy points. It's just that I hear the term "flex" used so often in call in shows, twitter questions, and the like I was wondering if it universally meant something different, like for example, that if you play in a PPR league, the flex position doesn't get PPR points or some other scoring oddity which would lead you to make sure you play your reliable point producers in regular lineup spots, and your 3 or 4 goal line carry running back in the "what the heck flex" spot.

More than likely though, it's just an issue of semantics. Which is fine...just curious as to whether or not I was missing something.

Thanks again.