This piece will identify some of my favorite DFS stacks of the weekend. Be sure to use our Stacking tool found within our Player Models to find the highest projected stacks, the stacks that figure to be chalky, and more. Our Correlation Dashboard is also a great resource to find hidden edges in stacking positions and games.
Quarterback + Wide Receiver + Opposing Tight End
- Tyrod Taylor ($5,000 DK, $6,900 FD)
- Brandin Cooks ($6,100 DK, $6,800 FD)
- MIke Gesicki ($4,900 DK, $6,500 FD)
The naming of Tyrod Taylor as the Texans starting quarterback triggered a bonanza of fantasy value.
In the two games Taylor played this season, he finished as the overall QB11 and the QB16 despite leaving the game at halftime with an injury. He has now been named the starter against a Miami defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points per game and most passing yards to opposing quarterbacks.
Taylor brings the coveted “Konami Code” rushing ability as coined by Rich Hribar of SharpFootballAnalysis. He rushed for 40 yards in his only full game this season and has averaged 28.8 rushing yards per game over his entire career.
I’m pairing Taylor with his lead wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who has been one of the most dominant WR1s within his own teams. Cooks is demanding a 29.2% target share, sixth among all NFL wide receivers. His 51 receptions rank fourth in the NFL, and no Houston teammate has more than 19 receptions. He faces a Miami defense that has allowed the third-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.
I am bringing back Miami tight end Mike Gesicki, who has the fourth-most fantasy points of any tight end this season. If you exclude the first game where Gesicki had zero fantasy points, he has scored the second-most fantasy points at the position this season. It’s one of the more friendlier matchups as the Texans have an Opponent Plus/Minus +2.5.
Taylor’s cost is so incredibly low. He provides a ton of available cash at other positions. In fact, all three of these players are so reasonably priced; I was able to create the following two lineups on FanDuel and DraftKings using the FantasyLabs Optimizer.
The Houston-Miami game is an underrated stacking opportunity, especially with a cheap running quarterback in Taylor. In a game with two poor defenses, look for these three explosive offensive options to more than justify their DFS cost on Sunday.
Quarterback + Wide Receiver + Opposing Running Back + Opposing Wide Receiver
- Jalen Hurts ($6,700 DK, $7,800 FD)
- Dallas Goedert ($4,500 DK, $6,200 FD)
- Austin Ekeler ($7,900 DK, $9,000 FD)
- Mike Williams ($7,100 DK, $7,300 FD)
We are going with a quad-stack in the only game on the Sunday slate with a 50-point game total.
This stack is appealing in several statistical ways. First, we have our high rushing floor quarterback in Jalen Hurts. He is only the eighth highest-priced quarterback on DraftKings, yet brings a high floor, ceiling, and is the fourth highest-projected quarterback in our models.
Second, we use tight end Dallas Goedert, who faces a Chargers defense that is the NFL’s best against opposing wideouts, but only marginal at limiting tight ends. In the first game after Zach Ertz was traded, Goedert earned a 94.2% snap share against Las Vegas. Last week, that number fell to 63.2% as a result of the blowout win over the Lions. This game against the Chargers promises to be much closer, which will give Goedert similar usage to the game against the Raiders. When Hurts drops back, Goedert is always available as a receiving option. Over the past two weeks, he has run a route on 88% and 84% of the dropbacks in each of the past two weeks.
Third, we use all-purpose running back Austin Ekeler, who ranks second among all running backs in receptions (33), second in total touchdowns (eight), and second overall in PPR fantasy points per game (21.9). He faces a Philadelphia defense that has been staggering bad against running backs. The Eagles have allowed:
- 29.2 schedule-adjusted PPR fantasy points per game to RBs (fourth-most)
- 61 RB receptions (second-most)
- 435 RB receiving yards (sixth-most)
Ekeler is game-script proof and provides one of the safest running back floors on Sunday.
Finally, we are going back to the slumping Mike Williams, who has shown proficiency against zone defenses. The Eagles are top three in the NFL in zone defenses, using the traditional split safety. Philadelphia does have a strong cornerback in Darius Slay, who is the fifth-highest rated cornerback per PFF. However, I do not expect Slay to shadow cover, and I expect the Chargers to make it a priority to get Williams involved early. Williams was limited to just two receptions and 19 receiving yards last week against New England.
This quad stack sets up two nice DraftKings lineups following a unique tight end in the Flex spot. I also was able to include Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins, who I mentioned as a target in this week’s Early Target article.
There aren’t many games on the Week 9 Sunday slate that could turn into a shootout, but this late game between the Chargers and Eagles could hold the key to a big DFS tournament payday.
Quarterback + Wide Receiver + Opposing Running Back + Opposing Wide Receiver
- Teddy Bridgewater ($5,300 DK, $7,100 FD)
- Ezekiel Elliott ($7,000 DK, $8,200 FD)
- Amari Cooper ($5,700 DK, $6,900 FD)
- Jerry Jeudy ($5,000 DK, $5,800 FD)
This quad stack is high-risk/high-reward DFS play.
The Dallas-Denver game has a 49.5-point over/under, and these four players provide the perfect balance of scoring without excessive cost.
Teddy Bridgewater is not a prolific DFS quarterback, but at his price, he doesn’t need to be. Bridgewater minimizes turnovers and has thrown for two or more touchdowns in five of the seven games he completed. He has also thrown for 264 or more yards in four of those seven contests.
I anticipate that Dallas star cornerback Trevon Diggs will likely match up with Courtland Sutton for most of the game, leaving the lower-priced Jerry Jeudy as a great upside play. Jeudy has just returned from a high-ankle sprain, which is keeping is price on both sites very reasonable. In his first game back after leaving in Week 1, Jeudy took a 70.7% snap share and ran 20 routes. He is still an explosive player with 4.45 speed and is the exact type of player we want on a road game with a high point spread.
Ezekiel Elliott brings a high price on both sites, but he has been one of the few reliable weekly running backs in DFS. He has the second-highest Median Projection behind Ekeler.
The last part of this stack is wide receiver Amari Cooper, who has a much lower price than teammate CeeDee Lamb. Cooper is coming off his first WR1 performance since Week 1 and has seen his price plummet to below $6,000 on DraftKings and below $7,000 on FanDuel. He appears recovered from a hamstring strain suffered in Week 4 and has huge upside at home against the Broncos defense.
Denver has limited opposing wide receiver production but still only ranks 21st in pass defense DVOA per Football Outsiders. The Broncos have spent their last three games battling mediocre passing attacks in Las Vegas, Cleveland, and Washington. The last time they faced a passing attack anywhere close to Dallas, they allowed a receiving touchdown to both Pittsburgh wide receivers.
Dallas has the fourth-fastest neutral game script pace per Football Outsiders, which they will use to keep pressure on the Broncos defense.
This stack allows room for representations from two other critical teams: Kansas City and Green Bay.
We certainly want to have DFS tournament representation from Kansas City, but both Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce are expensive. By saving at quarterback with Bridgewater and stacking with Cowboys, we are able to gain access to top players on the most important teams from the Sunday slate.
