When you are thinking of stacking players in DFS you automatically think of going with a quarterback and a wide receiver and most times there are also plenty of other DFS players that are thinking the exact same way as you when stacking them together. Now with so much information available weekly you are having to find new ways to differentiate yourself from the masses in GPP tournaments. One way to differentiate your team in GPP's is to look for "The Other Stack", which is one that is uncommon and one that will be very low owned if played together but one that also will offer upside to score some big points if it hits.
STACKING WR OR RB (KR/PR) WITH TEAM DEFENSE
One way to get off the common QB/WR stacks is to look for offensive players that have a big role in the offense but also return punts and/or kickoffs and hope to hit a home run by stacking that player with his teams Team Defense. If that player breaks a touchdown on a return you would essentially double dip and get the 6 fantasy points for that individual player as well as the 6 points for the Team Defense.
1) WR Ted Ginn Jr (PR/KRWR) + Carolina Panthers Defense
Ted Ginn Jr and the Panthers defense return again for the second week in a row as the top kick returner/defense combo to start this week. Ted Ginn Jr has always been a dual threat with his offensive skills and kick and punt return duties. In Week 1, Ginn only saw a single target on offense for a reception and 5 yards, he also had 20 yards rushing and had one kickoff return and two punt return opportunities. Those numbers increased significantly in Week 2 as Ginn played 49 snaps on offense and caught 2-of-4 targets for 51 yards and even had a touchdown called back as he just missed getting his second foot in bounds. On top of the Week 2 offense stats, Ginn also returned 6 kickoffs and 3 punts which put the ball in his hands a total of 11 times in the game and with that many opportunities it is only a matter of time before he bust out a long touchdown either on the offensive side of the ball or on special teams. Ginn will be an over looked option this week as his teammate Kelvin Benjamin has had two very strong week's on offense but with a strong Minnesota defense this week the Panthers might have to take some more shots down the field to Ginn and just like last week he should see plenty of extra opportunities in the return game as well. As for the Panthers defense they get a Minnesota offense that just lost Adrian Peterson due to injury and are coming of an emotional win over divisional rivals the Packers. The Panthers defense has 4 sacks, 4 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and a touchdown so far through 2 games and they are in a good position to put up some strong numbers again this week with a home game against a modest Minnesota offense. Pairing both Ginn and the Panthers defense together gives you a safe balance at WR and the defense position but it also gives you some upside with a potential return touchdown from Ginn that would allow you to double dip on fantasy points if it hits.
Secondary Option: WR Jarvis Landry + Miami Dolphins Defense
STACKING RUNNING BACK WITH KICKER
When thinking of a stack in DFS the last one that comes to mind is stacking anyone with a kicker. We typically don't care about kickers in fantasy as we often look for the kicker with the high over/under, best matchup, kicking at home, kicking indoors, accuracy, long field goals, etc. This is where you can gain an edge/advantage in big field GPP's as you can look to pair a strong running back play with a low owned kicker to help differentiate your team and help reduce the ownership percentage of a chalky running back play on the week.
2) RB David Johnson + K Chandler Catanzaro, Arizona Cardinals
The Bills just gave up three rushing touchdowns to old man Matt Forte last Thursday night as he finished the game with 30 carries for 100 yards and the three scores. David Johnson is coming off a blowout win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he rushed 12 times for 45 yards and added 3 receptions for 98 additional yards. Johnson has only carried the ball 28 times so far this season and should be fresh for this road game and will likely be relied on more than what he was in Week 2 against the Bucs. Johnson also has 141 receiving yards on the season with 7 catches on 11 targets. Those receiving numbers actually outscore his 134 total rushing numbers and he is showing once again that he can produce in both the running and passing game and offers a nice outlet for QB Carson Palmer. Look for Johnson to see 20+ touches in this game as the Cardinals look to set the tone in the game early and hopefully come the second half the game will not be out of hand and Johnson can continue to work a tired defense and rack up the statistics. The Cardinals should be able to move the ball well on the Bills defense and that all starts with Johnson and hopefully he can find the endzone once or twice in the game but if he can't there should be plenty of field goal opportunities for the Cardinals. Chandler Catanzaro missed the game winning field goal in Week 1 against the Patriots but he rebounded nicely in Week 2 going 2-for-2 on field goals and adding 4 extra points. Pairing both Johnson and Catanzaro together gives some strong exposure to the Cardinals offense that looks to be in a good spot against the Bills defense.
Secondary Option: RB Matt Forte + K Nick Folk, New York Jets
STACKING QUARTERBACK WITH RUNNING BACK
Looking back on 2015 we saw a lot of the big scores in GPP's consist of unlikely combos at the QB/RB positions. A Ben Roethlisberger stack with his starting running back in DeAngelo Williams or Le'veon Bell seemed to be a negative correlation on paper but it actually turned out to be one that was a huge advantage for the DFS players that weren't afraid to zig zag off your typical QB/WR stack. Another great example of this type of combo from last season was with the Kansas City Chiefs and QB Alex Smith with RB Jamaal Charles. If you can find the right QB or RB that is popular on the week and pair him with his teams QB or RB you are going to have an against the grain stack regardless if one of the two players are highly owned.
3) QB Philip Rivers + RB Melvin Gordon, San Diego Chargers
For two straight weeks we have continued to hear how bad the Indianapolis Colts defense is and nothing has changed heading into Week 3. The Colts can not stop the run or the pass and in a game that has the highest Vegas total on Sunday at 51.5 you have to once again like your chances of loading up on the opposing teams offense. Both Philip Rivers and Melvin Gordon are in really strong spots in this matchup as Rivers continues to throw the ball all over the field with ease despite losing his star receiver Keenan Allen. Travis Benjamin, Tyrell Williams, and Antonio Gates are all very capable options in the passing game and get a big boost this week against a very soft Colts secondary. It is hard not to see Rivers pass for at least 300 yards in this game as it has potential to be a back and forth offensive battle. After not recording a single rushing touchdown in 2015, Melvin Gordon has made up for it this season as he has 3 touchdowns through the teams first 2 games. So far the Colts defense has given up a total of 5 touchdowns (3 rushing, 2 receiving) to opposing teams running backs this season. It will be hard to look anywhere else for a running back option this week as Gordon is in the perfect spot and even more so now that Danny Woodhead is injured and no longer in the picture. You can play both Rivers and Gordon with confidence this week and it is very possible that Gordon will see an increase in the receiving game as well as he could be taking on more of the pass catching Danny Woodhead role. Rivers and Gordon will both be very popular DFS plays this week but playing them together will help cut down the ownership as a lot of people will stick with the QB/WR combo or just play Gordon by himself.
Secondary Option: QB Carson Palmer + RB David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals
STACKING OPPOSING TEAM WIDE RECEIVERS
One of the forgotten stacks is pairing wide receivers up from the same game on opposite teams. You want to look for a game with a tight point spread and with a high over/under that has potential to be a shoot out type. Teams that might play in a pass friendly dome or that lack a running game also help in this situation and are a positively-correlated non-QB/WR stack worth considering in GPPs. It also makes sense to stack one of the quarterbacks in this situation and even mix and match with each teams quarterback and a variety of different pass catchers on both teams.
4) WR Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings + WR Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers
Stefon Diggs may be the most popular pick at the wide receiver position this week as he is coming off an impressive 9/182/1 performance against the Packers on Sunday Night Football. His price on all the DFS sites didn't even rise much at all because the sites set prices before knowing the results of the Sunday night game. Diggs now has back to back 100+ yard games and showed that he has a connection with quarterback Sam Bradford as he was targeted 11 times. The Panthers defense is a good one but they showed some flaws to the 49ers last week at home as Blaine Gabbert passed for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns while adding another on the ground. The Vikings offense should be able to move the ball and the Bradford to Diggs connection looks real and even in a negative game script, Diggs should see a heavy volume of targets. On the flip side of this game stacking Diggs with Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin makes a lot of sense as Benjamin has been a force to start the season with 13/199/3 stat line on 21 targets so far. These are two of the highest scoring fantasy players from last week so they are bound to popular this week with DFS players looking at the numbers but I think playing them both together will help to lower the ownership. Both players are very safe options this week and both players also have a lot of upside to put up big numbers.
Secondary Option: WR Travis Benjamin, San Diego Chargers + Phillip Dorsett, Indianapolis Colts
If you have any additional questions or comments please feel free to hit my up on Twitter @JamesBrimacombe
