This piece will identify some of my favorite NFL DFS stacks of the weekend. Be sure to use our Stacking tool within our Player Models to find the highest projected stacks, the stacks that figure to be chalky, and more. Our Correlation Dashboard is also an excellent resource for finding hidden edges in stacking positions and games.
You can also plug these stacks into our Lineup Builder to hand-build the rest of it, or you can optimize it with our projections. And if you like to create multiple lineups, our Lineup Optimizer allows you to effortlessly create up to 150 lineups.
The Lineup Optimizer has endless customization opportunities.
Patrick Mahomes + JuJu Smith-Schuster + Travis Etienne Jr.
- Patrick Mahomes ($7,900 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel)
- JuJu Smith-Schuster ($6,000 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel)
- Travis Etienne Jr. ($7,100 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel)
From the looks of both the spread and implied team total, Josh Allen may not play this week against the Vikings, leaving Patrick Mahomes as the highest-ceiling quarterback play on the board. While last week’s game was a bit of an outlier, the fact Mahomes threw 68 times shows us that A): this Chiefs team cannot run the ball, and B): when pushed, this KC offense has likely the highest ceiling of any offense outside of Buffalo. Mahomes turned those 68 attempts into 446 yards and a touchdown while even getting it done on the ground as well, where he would add another 63 yards and a touchdown.
It wasn’t only Mahomes who benefitted from the absurd amount of plays run against the Titans, as JuJu Smith-Schuster turned his 12 targets into 10 catches for 88 yards. This actually broke his streak of back-to-back games with at least 100 yards and a touchdown. Either way, after a bit of a slow start to the year, JuJu has really taken a stranglehold on that WR1 job in KC. He remains extremely affordable again this week against a Jaguars defense that got absolutely lit up for 10/146/2 by Davante Adams. The Chiefs have the highest implied team total on the slate by a wide margin, sitting 30 points, and you are going to want exposure to this game.
You obviously run this back with the yet again underpriced Travis Etienne, who just received 28 carries and two targets last week against the Raiders, and turned that into 126 total yards and two touchdowns. Etienne is now a bell-cow running back and should cost about $1K more on DraftKings this week.
Backup JaMychal Hasty saw just three carries against the Raiders and is absolutely no threat to steal Etienne’s touches, regardless of the game script. The Chiefs are quietly awful against opposing running backs, allowing the most receptions and fourth-most receiving yards to the position.
A lot of people will play this stack with Travis Kelce, so you’re naturally getting some differentiation by rostering JuJu instead.
Chris Olave + George Pickens
- Chris Olave ($6,800 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel)
- George Pickens ($5,000 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel)
Regardless of who is quarterbacking the Saints this week, we know Chris Olave is going to get his. The dynamic rookie has seen nine or more targets in four of his eight games played this season and has hit double-digit DraftKings points in all but one game. He’ll get a Steelers defense allowing the most DraftKings points to opposing wideouts on the season and who just allowed A.J. Brown to post a 6/156/3 line in Week 8. With the field likely to flock to Alvin Kamara, Olave is a nice way to get different while still getting the better on-paper matchup against the Steelers’ secondary.
I like running this back with another rookie in George Pickens, who is coming off a complete dud against the Eagles two weeks ago. Prior to that, though, it looked like he had developed a nice rapport with Kenny Pickett, having posted 14 or more DraftKings points in three of his previous four games.
The Saints are a pretty stingy defense in all areas but are most vulnerable against wide receivers. There is really not a ton to like anywhere this week on only a 10-game main slate, but this mini-correlation will be completely unowned and has a real ceiling.
Saquon Barkley + Giants D/ST
- Saquon Barkley ($8,600 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel)
- Giants D/ST ($3,900 DraftKings, $4,300 FanDuel)
If this one seems obvious, it’s because it is. Why would we get away from what works? Houston, through nine weeks, has allowed the most rush attempts, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and DraftKings points to opposing running backs. Yikes.
This week is really ugly, and we know this because the Giants only have a 23-point implied team total, which is still tied for the sixth-highest on the slate. Saquon Barkley, on the season, leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage and is second behind only Derrick Henry in rush attempts. He is the workhorse of this Giants offense and now finds himself off a bye, and in the best spot he’ll be in all year.
Barkley has yet to really erupt since his Week 1 performance against the Titans, but that could change this week. Over the last three games, the Texans have allowed lines of 17/93/1 to Miles Sanders, 32/219/2 to Derrick Henry, and 20/143/3 to Josh Jacobs. It’s hard to envision Barkley not challenging the 100-yard rushing bonus in this game, while he also has more touchdown equity than almost any running back on the slate sans Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb. He’s not cheap, but he has nuclear upside and might go a tad overlooked with his salary being what it is.
You could potentially run this back with Dameon Pierce on the other side, but playing two running backs in the same game usually limits upside, since it kills so much clock. We’ll instead look to the Giants defense, who have allowed 20 or fewer points in six-of-eight games. Davis Mills is extremely turnover prone, and this Texans offense simply does not have a ton of NFL-caliber talent.
Getting different on defense is the best way to differentiate your lineups in GPPs, and the Giants are in the best spot of any this week.
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