TRENDING Brewers win World Series Milwaukee can finally celebrate Dybantsa delivers in NBA debut WNBA Finals fatigue Jokić's 200th triple-double Story by Joel Smyth Fantasy Analyst Thu, October 29, 2026 at 2:54 PM UTC · 5 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We're on to Week 8 of the fantasy football season! As we look for every advantage this season, the X-Factor position is the FLEX. To break it all down, Yahoo analyst Joel Smyth goes through 8 players in the consensus rankings flex zone for your flexes, double flexes or even third WR slots.
In three of his last four games, Rhamondre Stevenson has scored over 17 fantasy points. That's a "set it and forget it" player when they're going into a top-five matchup at the position. The Dolphins have allowed over 100 rush yards to a RB in three straight games to below average competition. With the combination of a passing-down role and red-zone back, Stevenson gets the important volume, whether leading or trailing. In one game versus Miami last year, he had five receptions for 88 yards, while in the second matchup he did it on the ground with two rushing touchdowns.
With no Terry McLaurin in the lineup, Chig Okonkwo and Antonio Williams step into conversations in deeper leagues. For Diggs, there shouldn't be any conversation. He's the Commanders' only wideout with true production in the past and has proven early he still has some juice left. He won't see an increase in his snaps, but he shouldn't need to against an Eagles defense that has ranked as one of the worst versus the slot. Philadelphia has also really struggled in pressuring the quarterback. When Jayden Daniels is not pressured and has his pick of the litter, it's been Diggs on 34% of his routes so far.
We all saw Seattle's defense in primetime versus Patrick Mahomes. Terrifying. I don't love playing any of the "Core Four" in the Bears' passing attack, but if I am playing one, my favorite is Luther Burden III. The Seahawks are second-best versus the slot this season, but the positive for Burden is he's less matchup reliant. Sure, if the Bears aren't scoring or driving, that's an issue, but his usage specifically is what's important. The screens, the shallow crossers, the yards-after-catch spots all help compared to being lined up on the outside 1-on-1. The positive that may put him over the top is if Chicago plays more 11-personnel. Burden's playing time has held him back and the injury to Cole Kmet can get him on the field more if the Bears increase their 3-WR sets. The per route numbers are amazing, so lets get him more.
I love the potential of a third straight good day in fantasy for Blake Corum after doing nothing prior to Week 6. Last week, Corum had 18 touches and Kyren Williams had 18 touches. Part of that is the dominance the Rams had over the Raiders defense. When Los Angeles is trailing, Corum is much less involved in this offense, and I don't see much of that in the game script for Sunday. The Chargers have been a disaster and I expect more of the same in the Los Angeles matchup. Teams have gone very run-heavy against the Chargers and the touchdown upside for Corum looks great.
We're back again. Two straight 20-point games for the rookie, making it hard to put him back on the bench even with low volume. Cooper only had five targets last week but was able to capitalize in a great matchup, and that's what'd you hope for again here. The passing volume against the Raiders has been low, but on a per-play basis the Jets' pass defense ranks 27th in EPA. This game is projected to be a toss up, giving the Jets a good shot at high passing volume. Garrett Wilson has to bounce back eventually, so hopefully both wide receivers can produce rather than one.
It's hard to not flex Judkins after his big week versus Tennessee, yet, the Steelers make it a conversation. Pittsburgh is second-best against rushing fantasy points this season and the game total projection is under 40 points. With Dylan Sampson returning, Judkins' receiving role becomes limited; he had been getting 50% of his fantasy production through the passing game prior to last week. I don't think it'll be the three-point fantasy day as it was in 2025, but Judkins is going to need a TD to pay off.
Harvey was in the booby traps section last week and, in one play, it became a bad call. A 50-yard TD on a screen pass is all it took. But the process was right. Five touches in fantasy is unplayable, and it's the second time it's happened in the last three weeks. The return of Jonah Coleman makes it very difficult for Harvey to reach double-digit touches and he'll likely need it against the Chiefs defense, which is strong against RBs.
As mentioned earlier, I'd prefer Burden. One stat really explains it all: against throws 15+ yards downfield, Seattle's EPA/play is 0.55, with the next closest team being all the way down at 0.20. Not just first but first by a mile. The positive for Odunze is, although his targets are limited, they are very valuable, down the field targets. It makes him more boom-bust week-to-week, and the likelihood of a bust game is too high to plug into your lineups.
Source: Sports
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