Start the wide receiver or running back with the better expected role in your league’s scoring—not whichever position is supposedly better in every flex. Check which positions are eligible, then weigh receptions, targets, carries, yardage and touchdown opportunity alongside current injury and role news. Without the two player names, scoring format and week, there is no defensible specific pick.
Check your league settings first
Flex eligibility and scoring are league-specific. Confirm whether the slot accepts running backs and wide receivers, and whether your league awards full PPR, half-PPR or no points for receptions. For example, the NFL’s 2025 official rules search result lists an RB/WR flex slot, but a fantasy platform or custom league may use different settings. NFL Fantasy documents scoring settings in its scoring support page.
Scoring changes the value of a player’s likely workload. In PPR, receptions add points, so a back who catches passes or a receiver who draws targets can gain value. In standard scoring, catches earn no points, making yardage and touchdowns more central to the comparison. NFL Fantasy Managing Editor Graham Barfield also emphasizes that receiver targets matter in both standard and PPR formats.
Compare the players’ expected opportunities
Once you know the scoring, compare what each candidate is likely to do in the coming week. A position label alone does not tell you how many chances a player will get or what those chances are worth in your league.
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- For the running back: consider likely carries, receiving involvement and whether the player has a clear role.
- For the wide receiver: consider target opportunity and the player’s role in the offense.
- For both: account for yardage and touchdown opportunities, plus any change in availability or role.
Before settling on a lineup, check candidate-specific projections and late injury or role news. NFL Fantasy describes its Best Available feature as using projections and showing projected point differences when comparing starter or bench choices; that is a platform feature, not an independent guarantee of which player will score more. See its Best Available support page.
What historical position-group data can—and cannot—tell you
In Graham Barfield’s NFL.com article “Rule Change coming to NFL Fantasy Football”, the WR25–WR36 group averaged 2.3 more PPR fantasy points per game than RB25–RB36 across the six seasons covered. In standard scoring, RB25–RB36 averaged 0.4 more points per game than WR25–WR36 over that same comparison period.
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Those are historical averages for positional groups, not current-season projections or a rule that one position should always occupy your flex. They do not identify the stronger choice between two specific players this week. Use the figures as context for how scoring can affect positional value, then make the decision from the candidates’ expected roles and your league’s rules.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Make the start/sit decision
- Verify eligibility and scoring: check your league’s flex slot and whether receptions score full, half or zero points.
- Compare expected roles: weigh the back’s likely carries and receiving work against the receiver’s expected targets.
- Check the week’s information: review projections, availability and role changes before locking the lineup.
- Start the better fit: choose the candidate whose expected opportunities are more valuable under your scoring, rather than defaulting to RB or WR.
NFL Fantasy notes that official game statistics may be reviewed and changed, and that scoring changes can affect matchup results. Fantasy scoring can therefore be subject to official stat corrections; the platform’s scoring support page explains its settings.
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