The TE position is such a wasteland, and paying down for a lower-tier option based on matchup is a smart move in both GPP and cash games. A Cam Newton/ Christian McCaffrey stack in 2018 proved to be a DFS boon for much of the season.Ī QB/TE stack can be valuable given the right matchup. If you can find a good matchup for an elite pass-catching back, go for it. Pass-catching specialists are valued in stacks for the same reason that receivers are valued - receptions. However, stacking these positions can be very effective because it may be a contrarian play (more on that later) and a pivot from the crowd. In fact, a run-heavy offense can actually make a QB/RB stack a poor choice because only the RB stands to be productive. This combination is the most lucrative and always the most recommended when stacking.Ī less common stack is QB/RB because neither player necessarily needs the other to succeed. The idea is that QBs receive points for passing yards and passing TDs and WRs will receive points for those same receptions and TDs. Both players benefit from and have a direct correlation to one another’s success. There’s a reason this one makes so much sense. Let’s take a look at the most common stack, the QB/WR stack. That’s where contrarian stacks come in to play, but we’ll get to those later.Ī two-player stack is the most commonly used and recommended option. Keeping up is a cash strategy, but separating from the pack is a GPP strategy. In GPPs, playing popular stacks is not always the best idea, especially because you’ll be toe-to-toe with many others who have the same player combinations. Paying up at QB and WR may seem tough to do, but there’s a lot more to lose by going against the grain and falling out of the group of winners. In cash games, it’s not a bad idea to go with a popular stack so that you can keep up with the rest of the field, especially if that stack looks to be extra productive on a given week. Calculated risks are ones that are educated and based in logic rather than pulled out of the air for no clear reason.Ĭontest type plays a role in how players are valued based on price. There’s a lot more money to be had in GPPs, which means taking calculated risks are absolutely recommended. Players selected for cash games should be safer in order to break even with the rest of the field and gain a share of the prize, while players selected for GPPs should be more of the high-risk/high-reward variety in order to reach the top of the leaderboards and earn a big payday. Cash games are 50/50s or head-to-heads (H2H) where winners all receive a flat prize. Guaranteed Prize Pool (GPPs) games pay out a small portion of entries in a top-heavy order based on score. There is an important distinction between the two types of daily games you’ll be playing, and understanding those distinctions will give you a better understanding of how (and when) to stack.

An O/U of 55.5 means there are a lot of points projected and some quality players to be stacked.

Potential shootouts: This one calls to mind a couple of the elements listed above in strong offenses and weak defenses, but it’s a great idea to check out over/unders prior to kickoff to look for the most lucrative matchups.

The offense was forced to air it out constantly to try and keep up with opponents who were scoring on their defense. Think of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of 2018.

Poor defense: Yes, you should target offensive players who play on a team with a poor defense.

Combinations like Aaron Rodgers/ Jordy Nelson and Matt Ryan/ Julio Jones have been valuable stacks over the years.

Potent offense: It’s hard to go wrong stacking players from a potent offense.

Weak opposing defenses: Players facing weak opposing defenses are a no-brainer, and they tend to score more than their weekly average in those matchups.

Here are the matchups you should be targeting: Let’s take a look at all of those factors with a quick primer on DFS stacks for fantasy football contests. Of course, matchup and opportunity play a role in how and when you should stack as does the type of daily game you’re playing and the positions you decide to stack. By “stacking” players, you can theoretically accumulate more points based on the performance of two players rather than one. Stacks involve playing two or more players from the same team in a single lineup. Whether you’re playing your daily contests at DraftKings or FanDuel, it’s important to understand one of the basic tenets of DFS strategy: stacks.

Skinny stacks cost