Flex Options for Week 1 (Fantasy Football)
It’s Thursday of Week 1, which means I’m obligated to start this article with “IT’S FOOTBALL TIME”. Welcome to the first installment of my 2025 FLEX options series, where I’ll offer five names each week who are borderline starting options that I think you should get into your lineups. These players will be RBs ranked outside the top 24 in the Fantasy Footballers rankings, or WRs ranked outside the top 36. I’ll break down each player’s matchup, trends, and why I like their chances of finishing higher than their ranking this week.
Here are the names:
Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh put Warren’s path to fantasy stardom in jeopardy when they selected Kaleb Johnson with the 83rd overall pick of the draft this offseason, but they just solidified Warren’s role by handing him a two-year contract extension with $12 million guaranteed last week. Johnson figures to eat into Warren’s role considerably as the season goes on, but Warren managed to return some solid flex value last season in a similar change-of-pace role. Despite splitting work with Najee Harris, Warren managed to produce five weeks inside the top-24 after the Steelers’ bye (Weeks 10-17). The Ballers have Warren ranked as their RB31 this week, but I expect him to start and lead the team in touches, giving him a solid floor week in your flex spot – even against a stiff defense in the New York Jets.
Austin Ekeler, RB, Washington Commanders
I often talk about Ekeler and Warren in the same article, as they seem to mirror each other’s situation quite a bit. Ekeler, like Warren, finds himself as the projected starter in an offense where the only threats to his playing time are unproven youngsters. I don’t see Ekeler as a set-it-and-forget option at the RB position all season, but he’s certainly worth a shot this week as a player who is completely healthy and should see 15+ opportunities. Ekeler was productive when healthy last season, scoring at least eight fantasy points in 8 of 12 games before getting shut down by injury. Ekeler represents a similarly strong floor this week as a flex option in a plus matchup with the New York Giants. The 26-point implied team total for Washington suggests there are fantasy points to be scored in this one, and Ekeler should get his. I like his chances to finish better than RB30, where the Ballers have him ranked.
Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns
“Built Ford Tough” is the motto in Cleveland this week as Quinshon Judkins continues to be absent from the Browns’ practice reports due to an ongoing investigation. Ford can be a little streaky, but he’s had plenty of good weeks during his time in Cleveland (15 Top-24 finishes going back to 2023). Operating as the lead back, Ford played 80% of snaps and took 11 carries for 92 yards and a TD – adding five catches for 39 yards in Week 16 of last year against Cincinnati. Guess who the Browns play this week? You guessed it… it’s Cincinnati. If you drafted Ford, it was to be an early-season fill-in while the Judkins situation gets resolved. Start him if you’ve got him against a porous Bengals defense. Enjoy these fleeting weeks of relevance for Ford and then trade him to your downtrodden league mates. He’s going to outperform his RB34 ranking this week.
Jakobi Meyers, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Revenge narrative alert! Perennially underrated, Meyers has been a top-24 receiver each of the past two seasons since being traded to Las Vegas (WR24 both seasons to be exact). It’s not always flashy, but he’s found a way to produce for fantasy, and he’s done so with a conglomeration of Jimmy Garoppolo, Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew, and Desmond Ridder as his QB. The Raiders traded for Geno Smith this offseason, who figures to bring a stabilizing presence to the QB room and offer Jakobi Meyers some catchable targets for a change. The matchup with New England isn’t great on paper, but that’s mostly because nobody had to throw against them last year. The Raiders come into this game as two-point underdogs, and I expect it to stay pretty close throughout. The Ballers have him ranked as the WR39 this week, but this guy churns out WR2 weeks like nobody’s business. I like Meyers’ chances of seeing ten targets in this game and returning at least flex value.
Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
You know what they say – all roads lead to a Rome Odunze second-year breakout, and I think it starts this week against a Vikings defense that projects to be strong up front and less so in the secondary. The Vikings were the BEST matchup for opposing WRs out of all 32 teams last year, and that trend is likely to continue with the personnel moves they made over the offseason. The Vikings brought back star cornerback Byron Murphy, who figures to shadow DJ Moore for most of the evening, leaving Isaiah Rodgers the task of guarding Odunze. After being drafted in the first round by Chicago, Odunze’s rookie campaign left much to be desired. He finished in a distant third for targets behind DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. Allen has departed for LA, leaving Odunze in prime position to absorb his vacated targets and take a leap forward in year 2. Don’t let his WR38 ranking dissuade you. If you drafted Odunze in the middle rounds of your draft, consider this your vote of confidence to fire him up in your flex spot this week.