Flex rankings are where positional value goes out the window, and the board starts to tell you what it really thinks. Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs take the top two spots, but wide receivers own the next four with Ja’Marr Chase, Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Amon-Ra St. Brown all coming off the board before RB3 James Cook III.
There are plenty of tougher calls from there. Is Christian McCaffrey still worth a top-10 pick? Should Justin Jefferson really be outside the top 10? And just how early is too early for an elite tight end when Brock Bowers checks in at No. 20 overall? You can see how these players stack up across the entire player pool in PFN’s overall PPR rankings, then put the board to the test with the PFN fantasy mock draft simulator.
Note: These rankings are a combination of both our fantasy experts, Kyle Soppe and Jason Katz.
NFL Preseason FLEX Rankings
1) Jahmyr Gibbs, RB | DET
2) Bijan Robinson, RB | ATL
3) Ja’Marr Chase, WR | CIN
4) Puka Nacua, WR | LAR
5) Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR | SEA
6) Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR | DET
7) Jonathan Taylor, RB | IND
8) James Cook III, RB | BUF
9) Christian McCaffrey, RB | SF
10) Saquon Barkley, RB | PHI
11) Justin Jefferson, WR | MIN
12) Chase Brown, RB | CIN
13) CeeDee Lamb, WR | DAL
14) Derrick Henry, RB | BAL
15) Malik Nabers, WR | NYG
16) De’Von Achane, RB | MIA
17) Drake London, WR | ATL
18) Nico Collins, WR | HOU
19) Brock Bowers, TE | LV
20) Kenneth Walker III, RB | KC
21) A.J. Brown, WR | NE
22) George Pickens, WR | DAL
23) Omarion Hampton, RB | LAC
24) Rashee Rice, WR | KC
25) Jeremiyah Love, RB | ARI
26) Chris Olave, WR | NO
27) Trey McBride, TE | ARI
28) Ashton Jeanty, RB | LV
29) Zay Flowers, WR | BAL
30) Tee Higgins, WR | CIN
31) Jaylen Waddle, WR | DEN
32) Colston Loveland, TE | CHI
33) DeVonta Smith, WR | PHI
34) Javonte Williams, RB | DAL
35) Ladd McConkey, WR | LAC
36) Emeka Egbuka, WR | TB
37) Travis Etienne Jr., RB | NO
38) Breece Hall, RB | NYJ
39) Terry McLaurin, WR | WAS
40) Tetairoa McMillan, WR | CAR
41) Garrett Wilson, WR | NYJ
42) D’Andre Swift, RB | CHI
43) Luther Burden III, WR | CHI
44) Parker Washington, WR | JAX
45) Kyren Williams, RB | LAR
46) Cam Skattebo, RB | NYG
47) Christian Watson, WR | GB
48) Jameson Williams, WR | DET
49) David Montgomery, RB | HOU
50) Bhayshul Tuten, RB | JAX
51) Rome Odunze, WR | CHI
52) Tucker Kraft, TE | GB
53) Carnell Tate, WR | TEN
54) Tyler Warren, TE | IND
55) Quinshon Judkins, RB | CLE
56) Marvin Harrison Jr., WR | ARI
57) DJ Moore, WR | BUF
58) Davante Adams, WR | LAR
59) Sam LaPorta, TE | DET
60) Jadarian Price, RB | SEA
61) Josh Downs, WR | IND
62) Bucky Irving, RB | TB
63) Brian Thomas Jr., WR | JAX
64) Jaylen Warren, RB | PIT
65) Rhamondre Stevenson, RB | NE
66) DK Metcalf, WR | PIT
67) George Kittle, TE | SF
68) Michael Pittman Jr., WR | PIT
69) TreVeyon Henderson, RB | NE
70) Quentin Johnston, WR | LAC
71) Chuba Hubbard, RB | CAR
72) Mike Evans, WR | SF
73) Jayden Reed, WR | GB
74) Harold Fannin Jr., TE | CLE
75) Tony Pollard, RB | TEN
76) Stefon Diggs, WR | WAS
77) Kenny Gainwell, RB | TB
78) Jakobi Meyers, WR | JAX
79) Wan’Dale Robinson, WR | TEN
80) Jonathon Brooks, RB | CAR
81) Michael Wilson, WR | ARI
82) Alec Pierce, WR | IND
83) Courtland Sutton, WR | DEN
84) Kyle Pitts Sr., TE | ATL
85) Chris Godwin Jr., WR | TB
86) Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB | WAS
87) Khalil Shakir, WR | BUF
88) MarShawn Lloyd, RB | GB
89) Rico Dowdle, RB | PIT
90) Dalton Kincaid, TE | BUF
91) Makai Lemon, WR | PHI
92) Blake Corum, RB | LAR
93) De’Zhaun Stribling, WR | SF
94) Jordan Mason, RB | MIN
95) Jordan Addison, WR | MIN
96) Romeo Doubs, WR | NE
97) Isaiah Likely, TE | NYG
98) Kyle Monangai, RB | CHI
99) Rashid Shaheed, WR | SEA
100) KC Concepcion, WR | CLE
101) Xavier Worthy, WR | KC
102) Rachaad White, RB | WAS
103) Jordyn Tyson, WR | NO
104) Juwan Johnson, TE | NO
105) Matthew Golden, WR | GB
106) Jake Ferguson, TE | DAL
107) J.K. Dobbins, RB | DEN
108) Deebo Samuel Sr., WR | SF
109) RJ Harvey, RB | DEN
110) Jalen Coker, WR | CAR
111) Tre Tucker, WR | LV
112) Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB | JAX
113) Dallas Goedert, TE | PHI
114) Jalen McMillan, WR | TB
115) Travis Kelce, TE | KC
116) Aaron Jones Sr., RB | MIN
117) Jerry Jeudy, WR | CLE
118) Zach Charbonnet, RB | SEA
119) Woody Marks, RB | HOU
120) Ryan Flournoy, WR | DAL
121) Mark Andrews, TE | BAL
122) Keenan Allen, WR | IND
123) Chig Okonkwo, TE | WAS
124) Tyler Allgeier, RB | ARI
125) Jalen Nailor, WR | LV
126) Keaton Mitchell, RB | LAC
127) Jauan Jennings, WR | MIN
128) Hunter Henry, TE | NE
129) Tre’ Harris, WR | LAC
130) Travis Hunter, WR | FA
131) Dontayvion Wicks, WR | PHI
132) Mike Washington Jr., RB | LV
133) Denzel Boston, WR | CLE
134) Brenton Strange, TE | JAX
135) Adonai Mitchell, WR | NYJ
136) Tank Bigsby, RB | PHI
137) Dalton Schultz, TE | HOU
138) Jonah Coleman, RB | DEN
139) Omar Cooper Jr., WR | NYJ
140) Pat Bryant, WR | DEN
141) Tyjae Spears, RB | TEN
142) Jaylin Noel, WR | HOU
143) Kayshon Boutte, WR | HOU
144) AJ Barner, TE | SEA
145) Dylan Sampson, RB | CLE
146) Malachi Fields, WR | NYG
147) Rashod Bateman, WR | BAL
148) Nick Singleton, RB | TEN
149) Troy Franklin, WR | DEN
150) Brian Robinson Jr., RB | ATL
Should I Draft Jameson Williams in Fantasy Football?
Williams is already an outlier in one important way; he posted back-to-back WR2 seasons and topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of the last two years, all after contributing nothing as a rookie. That progression rarely happens. Most receivers who whiff that badly out of the gate never get there.
How he did it is where the questions begin. Williams put up 17.3 and 17.2 yards per reception in each of the past two seasons, which is elite and borderline unsustainable efficiency. He managed that while operating below a 19% target share both years. Big-play dependence at that volume is a shaky foundation.
The volatility is brutal. Williams averaged 12.9 fantasy points per game last season, and that number papers over a lot of ugliness. He had seven games with fewer than 7.0 fantasy points, including two goose eggs and another outing at 2.0 points. That is nearly half a season of actively losing you matchups.
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Here is the part that concerns me most: Williams was trending toward a massive bust before Sam LaPorta went down. The splits are stark. He averaged 10.9 PPG in the nine games with LaPorta on the field against 15.1 PPG in the eight games without him. That is not a small gap. That is the difference between a bench piece and a weekly starter.
LaPorta is healthy again this season. Amon-Ra St. Brown remains locked in as the clear WR1 in Detroit. If we get the version of Williams we saw with LaPorta available last year, he is a certified bust at his current cost.
So, why is he not a hard fade for me? Because of where he goes. Williams lands in an ugly section of the draft board, and I do not particularly love any of the players sitting around his ADP. That context matters when you are trying to build a roster rather than evaluate players in a vacuum.
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Williams is my WR24 against a WR26 ADP, which tells you this is not a strong position in either direction. If I am forced to make a selection in that range, I will take the receiver who plays in the most prolific offense of the bunch. Volume from a great offense is a better bet than volume from a bad one, even when the underlying profile is this shaky.
I will make that pick. I will not be happy about it.
Should I Draft Jonathon Brooks in Fantasy Football?
I succumbed to the pressure and moved Brooks ahead of Chuba Hubbard. I am certainly not happy about it. Hubbard’s early August hamstring strain was the final straw, and I had to make the move.
That does not mean I am comfortable with the breakneck speed at which Brooks’ ADP has risen. The fantasy community seems awfully confident in a running back who has played all of three NFL games. Three. That is the entire professional body of work being priced into a top-32 selection.
None of this is to say Brooks cannot pay off at cost. He was the best running back in the 2024 class, and I liked the prospect a great deal. The complication was always the health. He entered the league coming off a torn ACL, then promptly re-tore the same ligament in his third professional game.
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So the questions pile up. Is Brooks still as explosive as he was in college? Can he actually stay healthy over a full season? And even if the answer to both is yes, what does that production look like inside a Carolina Panthers offense projecting as one of the lowest-scoring units in the league? That last one matters more than people want to admit. Talent in a bad offense still has a ceiling.
There is also a timing problem with writing about him at all. There will invariably be a gap between when I write this and when you read it. Who knows how high his ADP climbs by the final weekend in August? The trajectory has been straight up, and nothing about the current sentiment suggests it slows down.
Let me be clear about where I land, because this is not a fade. Brooks is my RB32, essentially right on top of his RB31 ADP. I want to believe in him. The talent that made him the top back in his class does not simply evaporate because of two knee injuries, and there is a genuine path to him being the best back in that building by midseason.
The issue is opportunity cost. The community has steamed Brooks up to a point where taking him means passing on players with far more established production. That is a steep ask for a back with 12 career touches and a legitimate injury history.
I am not fading Brooks. I do think the hype has gotten a bit out of control, and I fully expect to be priced out as a result.
