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 Wide Receiver
- Joe Burrow ($6,100 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel)
- Ja’Marr Chase ($5,800 DraftKings, $7,300 FanDuel)
- Davante Adams ($8,200 DraftKings, $8,200 FanDuel)
Joe Burrow has shaken off the rust as a result of last year’s Week 11 torn ACL and is ready to take this Cincinnati passing game to new heights. In last week’s 24-21 Thursday Night Football win over Jacksonville, Burrow reached seasonal highs in every single relevant quarterback category.
The Bengals will be even more encouraged to attack the Packers through the air as a result of Joe Mixon’s ankle injury. Even if Cincinnati’s lead running back can play, he will likely be in a timeshare with backup Samaje Perine and pass-catching specialist Chris Evans. That should entice head coach Zac Taylor to attack Green Bay through the air against a Packers defense that ranks just 20th in pass DVOA per FootballOutsiders. All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander will miss significant time with a shoulder injury suffered in Week 4. Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur even hinted at the potential end-of-season surgery at a recent press conference.
Per PlayerProfiler, Burrow has posted the fifth-best clean-pocket completion percentage (82.9%) and is coming off a season-best 348 passing yards, QB11 fantasy performance. Burrow should have another clean pocket throughout the game against a Green Bay pass rush that ranks tied for third-worst with just 1.8 sacks per game. Without Alexander, the Bengals will have their most favorable offensive opportunity of the season.
Chase has brought a dominant level of explosiveness as a rookie with incredible big-play ability. The former LSU wideout has the following positional ranks:
- 5th in Air Yards Share (46.5%)
- 8th in Deep Targets (Seven)
- 8th in Yards Per Reception (17.5)
- 2nd in Total Touchdowns (Four)
Burrow has a high Ceiling Projection in our FantasyLabs Models, despite carrying a very affordable price tag on both FanDuel and DraftKings. I love targeting a home underdog quarterback in a potential shootout, which is exactly the situation with Cincinnati hosting Green Bay.
It is always attractive to include Davante Adams in any DFS stack. Along with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, Adams is one of the most reliable DFS pass catchers in the NFL. The Green Bay All-Pro wideout ranks first among all receivers in receptions (31) and second in targets (45). Including last season, Adams has seven overall WR2 or better performances, including Week 3 this season.
Even with Adams’ high price tag, the discount on Burrow and Chase on DraftKings allows for two fantastic stacks on our FantasyLabs Optimizer.
With Mixon likely slowed by a low-ankle sprain in Week 4, the Bengals should skew more pass-heavy than any game this season. Burrow will have pressure to produce points against the prolific Aaron Rodgers, which is the precise situation we want for a quarterback that has a top-three quarterback performance definitively in his Week 5 range of outcomes. Stacking Burrow with his best receiver, along with the best receiver in the NFL, feels like a great DFS foundational building block.
Quarterback + Wide Receiver + Opposing Running Back
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- Kirk Cousins ($6,500 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel)
- Justin Jefferson ($7,700 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel)
- D’Andre Swift ($6,100 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel)
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This NFC North battle has a sneaky 49.5 point total, indicating a perfect two-way stacking opportunity. After a disappointing Week 1 performance (WR45), Jefferson has totaled 28 targets in the past three weeks, with a touchdown in each of the games. He resides as the current WR7 with 19.6 fantasy points per game.
I am stacking him with quarterback Kirk Cousins, who disappointed in Week 4 after two straight weeks with three touchdown passes. He also suffered through a 52.6% completion percentage, his lowest average for a game since 2019. Cousins has a superior track record against Detroit in his career at Minnesota, averaging over 24 fantasy points per game.
Jefferson has out-targeted Adam Thielen 28 to 24 over the past three weeks and is the second highest-rated wide receiver in the Bales Model on FantasyLabs.
Usually, the bring-back play is a pass-catcher, not a running back. However, D’Andre Swift is one of the best pass-catching backs in the NFL.
I love targeting Swift after coming off a very disappointing RB39 PPR performance at Chicago. Swift operates for a winless Detroit team that constantly resides in negative game scripts.
Per PlayerProfiler, Swift ranks second among all running backs in targets (29), receptions (23), and receiving yards (199). He has created 100 total yards twice and has two separate games with seven or more receptions.
Swift is certainly getting the usage, illustrated by his 34.6% Dominator Rating on PlayerProfiler, third-highest among all running backs. He ranks fifth in snap share (66.4%), fantasy points per game (17.2), and critical red zone touches (13). He now faces a Minnesota defense that has allowed 20 receptions and 20 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs.
In a game where the Lions are (again) substantial underdogs, combined with a 50-point over/under, Swift should project for a lot of work, coming at a slight discount off a subpar Week 4 performance.
Using the FantasyLabs Lineup Optimizer, I generated a lineup on both DraftKings and FanDuel that perfectly combined the prior two stacks.
With Cousins at such a low ownership percentage, and Swift likely to rebound from last week’s poor performance, this stack provides sneaky upside on a challenging Sunday slate.
Quarterback + Wide Receiver + Opposing Wide Receiver
- Tom Brady ($7,400 DraftKings, $8,400 FanDuel)
- Chris Godwin ($6,300 DraftKings, $7,600 FanDuel)
- Jaylen Waddle ($4,800 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel)
This game projects as a Tampa Bay blowout, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find DFS stacking value. Tom Brady has a legitimate chance at a four-touchdown performance, which explains his highest quarterback Ceiling Projection in our Player Models for DraftKings.
There have been four times in Brady’s Tampa Bay career that he has been favored by at least a touchdown with an over/under at 48 points or higher. In those games, Brady has gone nuclear in fantasy production. In those situations, he has averaged over four touchdown passes per game and 350 passing yards.
I feel confident starting the future Hall of Famer, even with the high cost on both sites. I’m stacking him with Chris Godwin, who tends to take a more prominent role in the offense against lesser teams. In close games such as last week against New England, Brady tends to go to Antonio Brown in key moments. However, in a game Tampa Bay should win comfortably, Brown usually gets a lesser opportunity share. In those exact four games with Brady, Godwin has clearly been the Buccaneers’ best wide receiver.
The bring-back with the Dolphins is Jaylen Waddle. The 5-foot-9, 180 lb rookie, has excelled out of the slot, ranking eighth at the position with 121 slot snaps. The entire Dolphins offense struggled last week, but in the three prior games, Waddle tallied 27 targets and 22 receptions. In a game that Miami projects to be trailing, Waddle should be in line for his highest opportunity share of the season.
Waddle’s incredible value allows for higher-priced plays at other positions, including representation from the prior two stacks. I used our FantasyLabs Optimizer to create the two DraftKings lineups below while using a rule to exclude Antonio Brown. I was also able to generate an interesting Tampa Bay double-stack using running back Leonard Fournette.
DFS players tend to shy away from a stationary quarterback in a game with a high point spread, thinking it is always running back dominated. Brady’s tendency is the complete opposite, leading to a great opportunity to be contrarian with a legendary quarterback and two talented wide receivers.
Running Back + Defense/Special Teams
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- Damien Harris ($5,500 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel)
- New England DEF/ST ($4,900 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel)
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This is stack driven by the New England DEF/ST. The Patriots are staring at a three-game losing streak and must find a win at a talent-challenged Houston team. New England has somehow lost all three home games, with only a road win over the Jets on their resume.
The Patriots defense ranks 10th in defensive fantasy points at 2.5 fantasy points per game. Belichick is extremely tough against rookie quarterbacks, as demonstrated by his four-sack, four-interception performance against the Jets in their only road game. Houston quarterback Davis Mills passed for 87 yards and threw four interceptions last week at Buffalo, generating zero points for his team.
The Texans defense has struggled in every phase, but especially against opposing running backs. Houston has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points and the sixth-most rushing yards per game to the position. Harris has solidified his role as the leading rusher for the Patriots, especially with the season-ending injury to James White and fumble issues for rookie Rhamondre Stevenson and J.J. Taylor.
Harris is so affordable that getting 100 total yards and two touchdowns seems very realistic in a game New England is favored by 8.5 points on the road. Sometimes the obvious play is the right play, and this Patriots defense is a strong bet to finish among the top five DFS defenses, supporting this natural (and affordable) RB + DEF/ST stack.
