Flex Options for Week 17 (Fantasy Football)
Congratulations on advancing to the championship round for those of you who’ve made it this far! If you have found your way to a couple of these flex options articles this year, hopefully, you chose Kenneth Gainwell for your flex rather than Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and that helped you win a couple of matchups along the way. Whatever path you’ve taken, may the odds be ever in your favor this week as you pursue a championship, and don’t forget to talk a little smack along the way. In the words of the late great Kobe Bryant, “Friends come and go, but banners hang forever.”
As I’ve done all season, I’ve created a list of players who I like for your flex spot this week. They are currently ranked outside the top 24 in the Fantasy Footballers’ rankings, but I think they can finish inside the top 24 this week and potentially help you hang a banner.
Here they are:
Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Corum has been red hot on people’s fantasy benches lately. Despite four consecutive finishes inside the top 24, Corum was started in just 16% of 12-team leagues on Sleeper last week. He’s still playing second-fiddle to Kyren Williams, but the Rams’ rushing attack is such a force to be reckoned with that both backs have found success for fantasy.
WILD. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum are #1 and #2 among RBs in rush success rate 🤯 pic.twitter.com/8w30kd30DB
— Fantasy Footballers (@TheFFBallers) December 18, 2025
Even with the efficiency, to start Corum in your Championship round, you’re making a bet that he will find the end zone for a fifth straight week. Luckily for you, the Rams carry a 29-point implied team total into this matchup with a below-average Atlanta run defense. There should be plenty of opportunities for the second-year back to finish inside the top 24 once again this week.
Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB, Washington Commanders
Rodriguez returned from a one-week injury absence last week and walked right back into his role as the lead back, sending Jacory Croskey-Merritt promptly back to the gulag. Rodriguez has been effective when called upon this year, averaging 4.5 ypc and finding the endzone five times. It was in Week 9 that he started seeing consistent usage in this offense, and he’s averaged 9.6 fpts per game since then with just one finish outside the top 36. He’s seen just three targets all season, so he’s not an upside play by any stretch of the imagination. His 13.4 fantasy points last week represent a career-high, but he’s unlikely to totally tank your week. With Washington likely playing with a 3rd-string QB in Josh Johnson, I think Rodriguez will see his usual volume of 15 carries, hopefully leading to a safe floor of 6-10 points in your flex spot.
Alec Pierce, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Is it possible that Alec Pierce is actually really good at football and we’ve been sleeping on him as the Colts’ WR1? He’s always been more of a big-play threat than a high-volume player, but he’s quietly finished in the top 24 in six of his last nine starts, including a top-5 finish in Week 16 with his new QB, Philip Rivers. He draws a tough matchup this week in Jacksonville, but they are more vulnerable through the air than on the ground. A nice perk of starting Pierce is that he’s almost always on the field (97% of snaps last week), which, in combination with his big-play ability, means he’s a threat to score on any given snap. The floor is definitely lower for Pierce, who had just one catch two weeks ago, but if you’re looking for some upside in your flex position this week, he could be a guy who helps you win your championship.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Parker Washington, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
On the other side of this matchup, I also like Parker Washington this week as a deeper-league flex option. With Jakobi Meyers in town and Brian Thomas Jr. healthy, there are a lot of mouths to feed in Jacksonville’s passing attack, but Washington still managed to feast against Denver’s stout defense last week. The Colts’ defense is anything but stout – Brock Purdy just hung five TDs on them on Monday Night. Adding to the appeal is the fact that Trevor Lawrence is playing very high-level football right now, capable of supplying us with multiple fantasy-relevant WR’s on any given week. Washington has finished top 20 at the position in four of seven starts since Jacksonville’s bye, making him a player you can look to off the waiver wire (rostered in just 33% of 12-person leagues on Sleeper) that could supply you with a week-winning performance if a couple of plays break his way.
Adonai Mitchell, WR, New York Jets
If you took last week’s advice and started Mitchell, he dudded out and likely cost you a berth in this week’s championship round. For that reason, I understand any hesitancy to go back to him this week if you somehow made it through. I still don’t think he’s a bad play, however, as the de facto WR1 for New York. The Jets’ offense couldn’t sustain a drive to save their lives last week, as the Saints’ defense held them to less than 200 yards of total offense. It was a disgusting thing to watch if you started any Jets player in fantasy, but I don’t expect it to be that bad two weeks in a row. Make no mistake, the Jets are going to get smacked by the Patriots. But they should be able to find a little bit more success moving the football this week against a Patriots defense that’s average defending the pass – even if it’s in garbage time. Michell should continue to see a heavy snap share and target volume, making him a boom/bust flex option this week.