This is the last NFL stacking article of the year, so let’s make it a good one! Using our FantasyLabs Stacking tool we will identify some of the top stacks of the weekend. The following stacks were made using the Levitan Player Model.
QB-WR (DK): Ben Roethlisberger – Antonio Brown
Despite being on the road, Big Ben is the highest-rated DraftKings QB in the Levitan Model. Over the last 12 months, the Patriots have held QBs to an Opponent Plus/Minus of -3.6, so Roethlisberger has the worst matchup on paper, but he leads the positions with his 3.4 Pts/Sal, and he’s the cheapest QB by $1,300.
Brown tends not to be better at home than on the road, but he still has the position’s highest ceiling and floor projections. He’s safe to deploy in all formats.
QB-TE (FD): Aaron Rodgers – Jared Cook
Rodgers is above the $8,000 threshold for good reason. Over his last four games, he’s averaged 341.25 yards and 3.5 touchdowns per contest. In a game with a Vegas total of 60 points, Rodgers could have a 300/3 performance if at least some of his WRs are able to play. His 11.2-point projected floor is the highest among all four of the QBs. He’s averaged 40 pass attempts per game over the last month.
Cook is the chalk play of the week with literally 71-100 percent FantasyLabs projected ownership. Cook leads the position in nearly every projection this week, and the Falcons over the last year have also allowed a slate-high +1.8 Opponent Plus/Minus to TEs.
RB-D/ST (DK): Dion Lewis – Patriots D/ST
I also recommended this same RB-D/ST stack last week. After Lewis’ three-TD performance, his price has jumped $1,400. Projected to be owned in more than half of tournament lineups, Lewis leads the position with seven Pro Trends and has by far the highest Projected Plus/Minus at +5.4.
Facing a Steelers team with the slate’s lowest implied total, the Patriots D/ST is the least likely to get annihilated this week. Even though the Pats D/ST has a horrible Opponent Plus/Minus of -5.1, that’s actually the best mark in the slate. The Pats D/ST has the slate’s highest median, floor, and ceiling projections.
QB-RB-WR (FD): Matt Ryan – Devonta Freeman – Julio Jones
Ryan leads the slate with a projected ceiling of 28.7 points and an Opponent Plus/Minus of +2.7. With an implied team total of 33 points, the Falcons will likely be heavily stacked.
Freeman has been a monster at home this season (per our Trends tool), and it’s unlikely that will change against the Packers. Since the team’s Week 11 bye, Freeman has scored 9 TDs in seven games. Freeman’s 97 percent Bargain Rating leads all RBs. For what it’s worth, Freeman scored 19.8 FD points against the Packers in Week 8.
Jones re-aggravated his foot/toe injury in last week’s victory over the Seahawks. While Julio insists he’s ready to roll, he might be hard to trust in cash games. In guaranteed prize pools, though, Julio is worth the risk. This year he led the league with 100.6 yards receiving per game while the Packers allowed the most FD points (35.5) to opposing WRs.
QB-RB-WR-WR (DK): Tom Brady – LeGarrette – Julian Edelman – Chris Hogan
For the sake of variance, we had to get a Brady stack in here. The top stacks were centered around Rodgers and Ryan, but this stack is great for a GPP considering that the projected ownership is low. Brady hasn’t thrown for 300 yards in four straight games, but he has thrown for three TDs in three of his last four five games. Given that the Pats have a Vegas total of 28.25 points, Brady has the potential for a big game.
Blount disappointed last week with his eight carries, but he’s projected for low ownership and has two-TD upside. Per Bryan Mears’ Market Share Report, Blount has actually led the Patriots with 43.7 percent of the team’s rushes over the last month, even with Lewis’ emergence. Blount leads all RBs with an 87 percent Bargain Rating.
Edelman has seen double-digit targets in eight of his last 11 games. In that span, he’s yet to have fewer than eight targets. Per Matthew Freedman’s WR Breakdown, Edelman was one of the most productive WRs in the league after tight end Rob Gronkowski’s injury in Week 11, and this week he’s the No. 1 DK WR in the Levitan Model.
Hogan had four receptions and 95 yards last week before exiting the game with a thigh injury. Per our NFL News feed, he’s officially questionable to play. He’s a risky GPP option because of his injury, but in the games with Brady in which he’s been targeted at least four times he’s averaged 4.88 targets for 3.75 receptions, 71.4 yards, and 0.38 TDs. He has some big-play potential.
News Updates
After this piece is published, FantasyLabs is likely to provide news updates on a number of players herein mentioned. Be sure to stay ahead of your competition with our industry-leading DFS-focused news blurbs:
