Each Friday this article provides several FanDuel stacks. Most of these positively correlated combinations are best suited for tournament play. But some of the safer duos with high floors can be used in cash games. We'll discuss highly-owned stacks, dig deeper to find less common stacks, identify potential shootouts, and create strong lineup anchors with defensive stacks.
Highly-Owned Stacks
Derek Carr ($7,700) + Michael Crabtree ($6,500) = $14,200
Oakland is favored by a point in Detroit. Vegas projects this matchup to be one of the highest scoring of the week. The Lions are one of two teams to allow all four offensive skill positions to overperform by more than 10 percent. The only team with worse across-the-board stats just fired their defensive coordinator.
Twist: Crabtree and Amari Cooper ($7,200) have similar fantasy numbers this season. Both are great values this week. Triple-stacking is in play for top-heavy prize pools.
Shootout: This game has the most shootout potential of the week. To lean into that gamescript, combine a Raiders stack with Eric Ebron ($5,400) or Calvin Johnson ($8,100). Ebron will be the lesser owned of the two, and the Raiders have allowed 10 touchdowns to tight ends this season.
Tom Brady ($9,200) + Danny Amendola ($6,100) = $15,300
As usual, the Patriots have the highest implied team total this week with nearly 28 points. Amendola will be the biggest beneficiary of Julian Edelman's absence when the Bills come to Foxboro on Monday night.
Twist: Rob Gronkowski ($8,400) is always in play for stacking, but temper expectations. The Bills have been second-best in the league at limiting fantasy production to tight ends over the past five weeks. Brandon LaFell ($6,900) has more triple-stacking value.
Less Common Stacks
Alex Smith ($6,200) + Travis Kelce ($5,700) = $11,900
If you're looking to cram other high-priced players into your lineup, this is the best value stack of the week. The Chiefs are three-point favorites on the road in San Diego. And the Chargers have allowed four touchdowns to tight ends in their last three games.
Twist: Jeremy Maclin ($6,300) is also a cheap alternative, but I prefer sticking with just Kelce and doubling down on the possibility of a shootout by adding cheap Chargers pass-catchers.
Shootout: I can easily imagine this game getting out of hand, and Steve Johnson ($5,600) is a fantastic value in all formats with Keenan Allen out and Ladarius Green and Malcom Floyd banged up. I'm less excited about Antonio Gates ($5,900) because of the plethora of injuries he's battling and Kansas City's strong linebacking corps.
Mark Sanchez ($6,400) + Jordan Matthews ($6,300) = $12,700
I don't fully trust Mark Sanchez, but he really helped Matthews' fantasy production last season. Tampa Bay's run defense is far superior to its pass defense. So if the Eagles are going to reach their relatively high 25-point implied total this week, they'll need to find success through the air.
Twist: The Buccaneers are especially bad at covering the tight end, allowing them to overperform by 59 percent the past five weeks. Zach Ertz ($5,200) rounds out a cheap triple-stack with serious upside.
Shootout: This game has less shootout potential than the games in San Diego or Detroit, but I still like adding target monster Mike Evans ($8,000) to the Eagles stack. He's bound to score a touchdown at some point.
Russell Wilson ($7,600) + Jimmy Graham ($5,800) = $13,400
This is a high-risk stack, but the upside is worth taking a chance on at such a low price. The over/under for this game is the lowest of the week, but that's largely due to the week-high 12.5-point spread. This pair has underperformed this year, but they're still capable of combining for over 60 fantasy points when they maximize their potential.
Defensive Stacks
New England Patriots ($4,800) + LeGarrette Blount ($7,300) = $12,100
Over the last five weeks, only the Saints have been worse than the Bills at allowing running backs to overperform. I prefer this Patriots stack to their passing-game options.
Carolina Panthers ($4,900) + Jonathan Stewart ($7,000) = $11,900
Stewart has at least 21 touches in each of his last five games. As seven-point favorites, the Panthers will rely heavily on that rushing volume against Washington. The Redskins struggling run defense has allowed four 129-yard rushers in its last five games.
Austin Lee once played President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a stage production of "Annie," loves musical improv, and listened to far too much Gangsta Rap in high school. For more of his DFS insights, watch The Footballguys Daily Fantasy Hour presented by Rotogrinders on Wednesdays at 9:30pm ET or listen to The Audible's FanDuel podcast on Friday mornings. Also check out his Normalized Strength of Schedule tool or hit him up for advice on Twitter.
