featured Daily Fantasy Expert Advice
Weekly NFL Stacks for DraftKings and FanDuel - Week 8
Welcome back for another week of daily fantasy football with DFSR. Stacking continues to be the name of the game for tournaments and below I will go through my top four stacks for the week four. I will be using DFSR's Player Lab tool to help narrow down the options to help identify the not only the best stacks but some of the best values within the stacks. Let's dig in!
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Week 8 NFL Stacks
Green Bay Packers
QB - Aaron Rodgers
Elite Options - Jordy Nelson
Value Options - Randall Cobb, Ty Montgomery
If you have been reading the DFSR content and listening to the podcasts you could have easily guessed who was going to kick off the stacks article. The funny part is that a large number of us that put together the content all agree on the value of Rodgers and the Packers passing game this week. Without Eddie Lacy to tote the ball 20+ times we are likely to see a very high usage rate for Rodgers once again this week. He attempted 56 passes last week, completing 39 for his first 300+ yard game of the season and now gets his best matchup of the season against a Falcons team that ranks 26th in Defense vs. the Pass on the Player Lab tool. Rodgers is projected for around 43 attempts this week and has four viable options to throw to in Nelson, Cobb, Adams and Montgomery. For large field tournaments I like Nelson as my go to WR as I believe his disappointing previous two weeks will lead to a lower ownership than it should be vs. a weak Falcons secondary. As we have seen many times, stacking more than one receiving option on a team can be very profitable. For the value I would side with Montgomery who will lineup out of the backfield and outside of a few carries will also get multiple targets, even if just swing passes and dump offs. They all count!
Tampa Bay Bucanneers
QB - Jameis Winston
Elite Options - Mike Evans
Value Options - Cameron Brate
From a PTS/$ perspective, Winston is the top value play at the position on both sites this week. He is a boom or bust candidate with huge upside coming off a three touchdown. He was limited to 30 pass attempts and just 269 yards as Jacquizz Rodgers stole the show once again with his second straight 100+ yard rushing game. A lot of that yardage came from game flow as the Bucs took the lead in the second quarter and never looked back. The difference this week is the matchup vs. the Raiders who have a much better offense than the 49ers and should be able to keep the game a lot closer leading to added pass attempts for Winston. The best part about the Tampa stack is the fact Winston has an elite #1 option in Mike Evans with no one really taking targets away from him. Evans leads the league with 12.3 targets per week and is tied with Michael Crabtree with six touchdowns. If you are looking for a value TE this week you can once again consider Cameron Brate who will benefit should Winston toss it up 35+ times this week.
New Orleans Saints
QB - Drew Brees
Elite Option - Willie Snead
Secondary Options - Brandin Cooks, Michael Thomas
This stack feels like a contrarian option as targeting the Seahawks defense is never a +EV proposition. They have allowed the 9th fewest passing yards per game and rank 5th in Defense vs. the Pass on the Player Lab tool. So why am I targeting them? Outside of facing Matt Ryan two weeks ago they haven't really faced an elite QB anywhere near Brees talent. They have faced Ryan Tannehill, Case Keenum, Blaine Gabbert, Ryan Fitzpatrick and a less than 100% Carson Palmer. That is just a start. The Saints are a much better team at home in the Superdome while the Seahawks aren't the shut down dominant force they are outside of CenturyLink Field. The game has a high total of 48 so even Vegas can see some points being scored this week. The Saints are the underdogs(+1) going in which helps as Brees is projected for 39+ pass attempts. Richard Sherman pretty much sticks to his side of the field while both Saints outside wideout's Michael Thomas and Brandon Cooks move around the formation quite a bit so either could be in for a big game. The receiver I like the most this week is Willie Snead who occupies the slot and will get the best matchup of the three against slot corner Jeremy Lane. The savings on both sites and projected lower ownership has him as the elite option while Cooks and Thomas come as secondary options. The Saints, going up against the Seahawks, are not a team I would stack multiple options with the QB this week.
Houston Texans
QB - Brock Osweiler
Elite Options - DeAndre Hopkins
Value Option - Will Fuller
This Houston fan started a GoFundMe page to get rid of Brock Osweiler. MORE @ https://t.co/Z5ctlRp1ip pic.twitter.com/6XJhOG6PYk
— BarDown (@BarDown) October 27, 2016
While the Saints stack "seemed" contrarian, the Texans stack is full blown against the grain. Above you will see one of many GIF's, Vines, Tweets, etc on the internet poking fun at the Texans and Osweiler's huge contract and brutal performances. This is only fueling the recency bias which already exists as Osweiler has yet to throw for 300 yards in a game. Check that. He has yet to throw for 270 yards in a game this season. If there was ever a week to roster him this would be it as he will have astronomically low ownership that could start to rise if he has a good week as the Texans have a fantastic upcoming schedule. He comes with a rock bottom price and faces a Lions team that ranks 31st in Defense vs. the Pass. Pair him with elite WR DeAndre Hopkins who will be looking for his second 100 yard game of the season. Although he has been mostly disappointing he has received 27 targets over the last two weeks combined. The Texans stack is strictly for use in large field tournaments like the Milli Maker where you are looking for rock bottom ownership.
Honorable Mentions: New York Jets, Buffalo Bills
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image sources
- CHIEFS-PACKERS: (AP Foto/Mike Roemer)