With the fantasy playoffs upon us, congratulations if you’ve made it this far. Now, it’s all about how you can get any available edge over the other top contenders in your league. For Weeks 15-17, we’ll find a few flex options that have particularly attractive matchups or find themselves in good situations with plenty of opportunities available, such as a player stepping into a bigger role due to an injury. These generally will be Running Backs or Wide Receivers ranked outside of the top 24 at their position, or a Tight End who likely would be the TE2 on a fantasy roster.
This week, we’ll dive into two members of the AFC North:
Isaiah Likely, Tight End, Baltimore Ravens
If it wasn’t for a controversial overturned touchdown, Likely’s Week 14 stat line would look a lot different. Four receptions, 25 yards, and a touchdown is fine, but if the call was upheld and Likely was given the touchdown, it would’ve put him right in the TE2 overall range on the week. It appears he’s overtaken the top Tight End spot for the Ravens, as he has 27 PPR points across the last three weeks compared to Mark Andrews’ 12.7 in the same time frame, according to JJ Zachariason.
Baltimore travels to Cincinnati in Week 15, where they find themselves in an absolute desperation situation to win and stay in the division/AFC playoff race. The matchup can’t get any better, as the Bengals give up the most fantasy points to Tight Ends, both for the entirety of the season and through the past four weeks. Just two weeks ago, Likely himself had six receptions for 95 yards against this porous Bengals defense versus Tight Ends, and there’s no reason to think he can’t do the same again. The Bills’ Tight Ends got in on the action last week, combining for 11 receptions, 137 yards, and two touchdowns in a snowstorm. Sunday will be freezing in Cincy, but clear and no sign of snow.
It can’t be overstated just how advantageous this matchup is for Likely. The Bengals surrendered 159 yards to the Ravens’ Tight Ends in Week 13, the most by any Bengals team since 2016, according to Sports Illustrated’s Jay Morrison. They’ve also given up 334 more yards to Tight Ends than the Seahawks, who have given up the second-most. The biggest gap in NFL history is 318 by the 1973 Bills, also according to Morrison. This is a matchup to attack, especially as we’ve reached do-or-die territory. Likely currently sits at #93 in QB List’s flex rankings, and is a sneaky good flex play if you’re struggling to fill that spot.
Kenneth Gainwell, Running Back, Pittsburgh Steelers
A few spots down the flex rankings, we find Kenneth Gainwell, who has carved himself out a nice role in the Steelers’ backfield. While Jaylen Warren has been the primary ball carrier throughout the season, he played just one more snap and ran four fewer routes than Gainwell on Sunday in Baltimore, according to JJ Zachariason. Week 14’s win against the Ravens could mostly be considered a leading or at least a neutral game script, so it’s not like Gainwell was only on the field because the Steelers were trailing.
The former Eagle has 21 receptions, 163 yards, and two touchdowns over the past four games, according to Rotoballer.com. He also has 24 targets, putting him at an average of six targets per game over the past month, a healthy number for a player in your flex spot. Aaron Rodgers, in his age-42 season, is clearly more prone to check the ball down and throw in the shorter areas of the field. Combine that with an offense that’s not littered with elite receiving options, and Gainwell’s opportunity to make an impact in the passing gam has grown. He’s a legitimate flex option who has a good floor because of his usage in the passing game, and if he finds himself in the end zone, he would almost assuredly exceed expectations.