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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

Buffalo Bills (vs Carolina Panthers)

QB Josh Allen, WR Stefon Diggs, WR Gabriel Davis

The Bills have lost back to back games – first to their division rival New England Patriots and then a heartbreaker last week against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This week they face off against the Carolina Panthers who are just playing out their string of games at this point, a team that needs to go through a sizeable rebuild in the offseason. With all of that being said, Buffalo has feasted on bad teams this season beating teams like the Dolphins (35-0), Football Team (43-21), Texans (40-0), Dolphins again (26-11), and Jets (45-17) easily. Sure, there were a few blips along the way including a loss to the Jaguars but with all of this taken into account, I expect the Bills to boat race Carolina this week. Allen and Diggs have been connecting of late regardless of the game script with Diggs hauling in seven or more balls in three of his last five games with four touchdowns over that span. The emergence of Gabe Davis ($3,700) is notable considering the value that he brings in this offense and the trouble Carolina has had in the secondary. Davis has caught a touchdown in each of his last two games and last week played 65 of 78 snaps in a hotly contested affair.

Miami Dolphins (vs. New York Jets)

QB Tua Tagolvailoa, WR DeVante Parker, TE Mike Gesicki  The Jets have shown that they cannot defend the run while the Dolphins have shown that they have hardly any ability to run the ball. The inability to run the ball has put emphasis on the passing game which has been very efficient since Tua has come back from an early-season injury. Parker will be an emphasis on offense with Jaylen Waddle out due to COVID. With Waddle on the field Parker has seen a lot of work in the games he’s been healthy for and that workload should only increase with the former Alabama star out. Gesicki saw 11 targets last week and had five catches for 50 yards a few weeks ago against the Jets. The Jets allow the third-most fantasy production to the tight end position and Gesicki will be another beneficiary with the absence of Waddle.

Game Stack

Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers

QB Matt Ryan, TE Kyle Pitts I love this game overall and will have a “bring back” below. Ryan is dirt cheap in a spot where he should have to throw the ball. San Francisco’s defense is not what the “name brand” says it is as they’ve fallen off in virtually every facet of that side of the ball. They’re also throwing the ball more than ever before and playing at a quicker pace putting the defense on the field more often. Ryan is just $5,300 which, as we’ve often said, ownership at this position is spread out but there is great value here for Ryan who I would expect to throw the ball close to 40 times. Pitts has seen at least seven targets in four of his last six games and no one will play him this week in a good matchup. He lines up out wide often where San Fran is thin at corner. It’s worth paying up at the tight end position this week. WR Deebo Samuel, WR Brandon Aiyuk, or TE George Kittle Samuel has been filling in as a do-it-all player of late, much like Cordarelle Patterson does for the Falcons. Samuel has at least five carries in four straight games and in those contests has recorded 36, 79, 66, and 37 rushing yards with at least one rushing score in each (five total). While he has just eight receptions over his last four games, Samuel is dynamic with the ball in his hands in any situation. With Samuel taking on a bigger role in the run game Aiyuk has seen 11, six, six, and seven targets in his last four games posting over 55 yards receiving in each game. While it’s obvious that George Kittle ($7,500) is the alpha in the passing game for San Francisco, Aiyuk comes at a bit of a discount ($6,300). With all of this being said, I wouldn’t argue with using two of the three in whichever combination you prefer of Samuel, Aiyuk, and Kittle. Also consider: Green Bay Packers: QB Aaron Rodgers, WR Davante Adams, RB A.J. Dillon GOOD LUCK!!