Stacking has become second nature for a large portion of the DFS populous. It’s a very common strategy, especially in GPPs, to throw together a stack or two and hope that the roster correlation that you built into your lineup sets yourself apart from the field. It’s a great way to raise your overall ceiling and gain more exposure to certain players and teams that you are targeting.
The Following stacks are my personal ideas for Week 4 at the time the article was written. I will likely add a few more and I am sure a couple of these won’t make the final cut. Using our Domination Station in conjunction with my stacks is the best way to attack our ladder system approach for contests.
Top Stacks of Week 7
Tom Brady + Chris Hogan + Rob Gronkowski
Tom Brady + Chris Hogan
Tom Brady + Rob Gronkowski
Tom Brady + James White
Tom Brady + pass catcher + Julio Jones
Tom Brady + pass catcher + Taylor Gabriel
Tom Brady + pass catcher + Austin Hooper
Matt Ryan + Taylor Gabriel + Rob Gronkowski
Matt Ryan + Austin Hooper + Brandon Cooks (save for largest GPPs available like the Millymaker/Sunday Million)
Obviously, the Sunday Night Football game will be the premier stacking game of the week. There are guys everywhere worth stacking and some will be heavily owned while others will be lower owned than they should be. With an over/under that started at 54 with a 4 point spread for the Patriots that has moved to a 56.5 points total and a 3.0 spread for the Patriots, we know that Vegas is implying that this game will be high scoring and that the Falcons will keep it close – even as road dogs.
Matt Ryan will likely be higher owned than Tom Brady because he’s cheaper and the Patriots defense has allowed 2,029 passing yards through six games (4th worst YPG in NFL history). Ryan will be stacked with Julio Jones at such a high ownership level that I only like that combination for small field GPPs and our ladder system. I won’t touch that in the large field GPPs this week.
I prefer to target the guys I think will score the touchdowns in this game. Gronkowski is almost a mortal lock for Week 7, with or without Brady or Ryan. Chris Hogan, as long as he’s active, is another guy I want a piece of. James White, or Dion Lewis, depending on who you think will get more snaps, are both superb large field GPP stacks with both Ryan and Brady, with the game theory pointing towards a shootout with the Patriots keeping the ball in the air to keep pace with the Falcons. The Falcons are also bottom five in allowing receptions and receiving yards to opposing running backs, something that carried over from the 2016 season.
If you choose to stay off of the high ownership stacks and plays in Week 7, look to use Brandon Cooks, Taylor Gabriel, and Austin Hooper as the lowest owned pieces in likely what will be the highest scoring game of the week.
A true leverage play for the game would be to use Devonta Freeman and hope he runs for 120 yards and scores multiple touchdowns on the ground. That would completely sink a third of the field that will be all over the Falcons passing game.
LeSean McCoy + Buffalo Bills Defense
With news that Winston will be playing on Sunday, the Bills ownership level likely decreased exponentially. They are still favored and at home with a ferocious defense. Winston could struggle mightily in this game with a sore throwing arm (AC joint on this throwing shoulder) which would lead to turnovers and short field opportunities for McCoy. The shifty running back has 18 + touches in every single game and in a positive game script, it could be the first blowup spot for McCoy this season.
Mark Ingram + Saints Defense
Drew Brees is on the road and outside on grass, both of which have caused him problems in his career. The Packers are rolling out Brett Hundley to take on a surprisingly stout Saints defense who have played great football for the past three weeks. In the same type of scenario that the Bills and McCoy are in, the Saints defense could force turnovers that provide Ingram with short field touchdown opportunities. Hundley threw three interceptions in Week 6 and looked tentative to throw the ball downfield.
Jerick McKinnon + Vikings Defense
McKinnon will be under-owned and I highlighted why that’s a big mistake in Week 7. He also is a great GPP pivot off of Mark Ingram who should carry a decent level of ownership this week – although I think Derrick Henry starting at a cheaper price point might take some people off Ingram, as well as Adrian Peterson being cheaper too.
But with a superb matchup when the public perceives his matchup as poor, McKinnon and the Vikings defense are destined for success. Flacco can’t stop turning the ball over and I can see a 27-3 type football game as the Ravens have nobody to throw to and the Vikings should be able to control every phase of the game in this one.
Big Ben + Antonio Brown
I broke down why Antonio Brown is a fantastic GPP option in my GPP Data Dive article on the site, and the news of Pacman Jones being out for the Bengals secondary only makes him a stronger play. He’s also an excellent pivot off of Julio Jones who should be 35% owned this weekend in GPPs. Anytime a receiver is going to be that highly owned I love to fade that ownership because WR is such a volatile position.
Big Ben at home in a matchup people are afraid of seems like a good time to pounce on this opportunity. Roethlisberger is a stud at home and although he’s having a tough season, wouldn’t it just be the type of play that has seemed to work out this weird 2017 season? A guy everyone thinks is cooked against a tough divisional opponent and he just goes off for 350 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, 2 of which go to Antonio Brown, I can see the tilt coming!
Corey Grant + Jags Defense
I think the field will be on Chris Ivory in this game and although I think he starts the game getting the majority of the carries, I don’t think it ends that way. Grant was the most explosive running back in the NFL in the pre-season and looked spectacular. This is a large field GPP play that I think works best for an MME tournament.
If Ivory starts off slow and Grant is able to give the offense a more explosive look, barring Fournette being out and Ivory being ineffective, he should be able to seize the majority of the carries for the remainder of the game. If this game theory goes down Grant could finish with 15’sh touches and as a minimum priced running back on FanDuel, he’s my stacking target with the Jags defense who I think score a defensive touchdown against the Colts.
Carson Palmer + John Brown + Todd Gurley
Todd Gurley + Adrian Peterson
Carson Palmer + Adrian Peterson + Todd Gurley
These are large field GPP plays only but I think all three of them have insane upside. I made a case for why Palmer is a great GPP play in my GPP Data Dive article so I’ll let you review that on your own time. But AP has a fantastic matchup against a bottom three defense against RBs on both FanDuel and DraftKings in fantasy points per game. Gurley is due for a touchdown as he’s been held scoreless for two straight weeks and in a game that I think plays to the over, a lot of the production will be funneled through these three players.
Dak Prescott + Zeke Elliot + Pierre Garcon
My last stack is one of my favorite stacks for ladders and small field GPPs. I fully expect Dak and Zeke to score four or five touchdowns between the two of them and by stacking them both in I am ensuring that I get all of the Cowboys scoring against the 49ers defense. With the score getting out of hand I believe third-round rookie, C.J. Beathard will have to air it out and likely will lock onto the veteran Pierre Garcon. If Garcon is able to do what I predicted in my Data Dive article, this stack will have serious legs to put you at the top of the standings for our ladder system.
Leveraging Example
In GPPs, specifically large field GPPs, there really is no need for dart throws. For the most part, we just need to leverage situations. If the Saints passing game is going to be highly owned, use Ingram and hope for rushing touchdowns. That not only helps you but it hurts any lineup that had Brees with Michael Thomas. Focus on plays like that while constructing large field GPPs. Our $150,000 winner in Week 5 took second play in the Sunday Million by creating the ultimate leverage lineup. Every single player in his lineup was a good player. There was no Kenny Stills or Antonio Gates type plays. He chose guys who were talented and overshadowed by other plays at the position that would be more popular. If you want more examples and breakdown of how to leverage, read this.
Best of luck to you in Week 6. You can find me on Twitter @DFSnDONUTS or in Slack in the #NFL-TALK or #DAILYDONUTS channels.