Let’s Talk

It’s become commonplace in DFS now and it’s a term that’s frequently thrown around. “Stack” or “Stacking” is heavily referenced whenever you hear “experts” talking about winning in DFS. Let me make one thing clear. First of all, I’m no expert and second of all stacking isn’t the only way to win. Stacking is a very boom or bust proposition more often than not but it isn’t the end all be all. There needs to be a purpose when stacking. We’re not just going into contests and blindly stacking teams for unrealistic, farfetched potential correlation plays, they have to make sense.

This is my breakdown as part of a regular series of articles I’ll produce every week of the NFL season and it will break down what stacks I’m looking to build around in GPP contests for that particular week. Some weeks I’ll dive into four or five stacks but others there could only be two or three I have my eye on. Remember, there’s no sense in stacking just because you heard it repeated 87 times on the radio.

Stacks That I Have My Eye On

Below I’ll break down the particular stacks I’m interested and delve into it based on matchup, ability, predicted game script, and collective salary while picking an opposing player or two to run that stack back with if appropriate.

*Note: All pricing is DraftKings focused

Arizona Cardinals (at Jacksonville Jaguars)

QB Kyler Murray, WR Deandre Hopkins, WR Rondale Moore

Run it Back: WR Marvin Jones

The Cardinals should score close to 40 points in this game before the blink. Kyler Murray has been on fire and that’s without having Deandre Hopkins doing what we’re accustomed to seeing from him yet. I do believe that Hopkins will play regardless of his game-time decision status. If he should be out we could pivot to Christian Kirk. As far as Moore goes I expect him to be a bottle-rocket all season long as far as he can stay healthy. Unfortunately, throughout most of his college career, he’s had issues with soft-tissue injuries. In this spot, though no one can cover him. 

Trevor Lawrence has had some growing pains but he’s leaned on Marvin Jones thus far with nine and 11 targets in the first two games. With Murray and Hopkins being expensive there’s some nice salary relief with Jones at $4,900.

New York Giants (vs Atlanta Falcons)

QB Daniel Jones, RB Saquon Barkley, WR Sterling Shepard

Run it Back: TE Kyle Pitts

The Giants offense has actually been functioning pretty well and the Falcons defense has literally been doing the opposite. Atlanta has the worst defense in the league as it relates to fantasy points and I don’t see any reenforcements coming through any time soon. Jones has had a great connection with Shepard with 19 targets going his way to this point with seven and nine receptions respectively in his last two games with 94 and 113 yards. Jones has also flashed some upside with his legs due to the R.P.O offense which isn’t going away anytime soon. Speaking of legs I’m expecting more of a normal workload for Barkley this week. He’s had 10 days since his last game and in that Thursday night effort he looked good and had more of a heavy workload than he did in Week 1. I’m all in on Saquon overall this week and love the Giants stack which is affordable.

Kyle Pitts’ breakout game comes this week. You could easily run this back with Calvin Ridley but with Russel Gage out of the way, mainly out of the middle of the field, I expect Pitts to eat the Giants’ linebackers alive in coverage.

Los Angeles Rams (vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

QB Matthew Stafford, WR Cooper Kupp, WR Robert Woods

Run it back: WR Chris Godwin

When you see the Buccaneers you think about the strong defense they have up the middle. Well, that defense is great at stopping the run. Thus far, though they’ve been atrocious against the pass allowing 300 or more passing yards in each of their first two games. Coope Kupp has been the best receiver in the league thus far and he should eat this matchup up out of the slot with Sean Murphy-Bunting still out. Ross Cockrell has replaced SMB and has been torched. Robert Woods has been the forgotten man since Stafford came to town but he’s quietly had 13 targets in two games including nine last week. Speaking of Stafford he’s thrown five touchdowns in his first two games with more than 278 yards in both games. I’m expecting him to surpass 300 yards this week.

With Antonio Brown out because of COVID and Mike Evans likely being shadowed by Jalen Ramsey this opens the door for Godwin to have a big week. After seeing 14 targets in Week 1 Godwin saw just five last week but has a touchdown in both games this year.

Also consider:

Los Angeles Chargers (at Kansas City Chiefs)

QB Justin Herbert, WR Keenan Allen, WR Mike Williams

Run it back: TE Travis Kelce

Seattle Seahawks (at Minnesota Vikings)

QB Russell Wilson, WR Tyler Lockett, WR D.K. Metcalf

Run it back: WR Adam Thielen

Good Luck!!