As always, we GPP hounds are sniffing out attractive team stacks for Week 13. We're interested in both high-floor, high-ownership options and high-ceiling contrarian plays, so give us a hand here.
Give us your generically favorite stack of the week. Don't worry about game theory or ownership levels; just clue us in on which QB/WR, QB/TE, or RB/DST you trust most to produce GPP-level value.
Now, throw in 1-2 contrarian stacks of any format. Feel free to blend a QB with his RB, or power-stack him with two of his receivers, or cross-stack both teams from one game. Just give us some insight into which stacks you think boast the best paths to taking down a deeper GPP tournament.
Justin Bonnema: I love Leonard Fournette/Jaguars DST this week. I think I've said it in nearly every roundtable we offer and I'm standing ground here. Fournette's ownership will likely be compressed due to his recent struggles, injuries, and suspension. But unless news comes out that he's not the starter, I'm building around him. The Titans sacked Jacoby Brissett eight times last week; they had 16 sacks going into last week. Imagine what the Jaguars, who lead the league in sacks, are going to do to that Colts offensive line. Short fields and turnovers are coming, and so are the touchdowns. I'm betting on three total between Fournette and the Jags' defense.
My favorite cross-stack so far this week is Tyrod Taylor/Dion Lewis/Rob Gronkowski. I know people are going to be concerned that Lewis is splitting time equally with Rex Burkhead, and that's a legit concern, but Lewis has looked phenomenal every time he’s touched the ball and came up just short of a touchdown last week. If the Patriots build a lead, which is likely, I think he closes it out. And I like Taylor at just $5,400 on DraftKings in a high-volume situation. His floor is basically 16 points (so long as he doesn't get benched lol) thanks to his rushing ability. Of course, this process didn't work last week (stacking Patriots and Dolphins) but I have a lot more faith in the trio of Taylor, LeSean McCoy, and Charles Clay than I do of anything that starts with Matt Moore.
Justin Howe: Two RB-DST stacks are buzzing for me: Melvin Gordon/Chargers and Marshawn Lynch/Raiders, which I’ve discussed on another question. So I’ll pipe up for my favorite QB/WR pairing. It’s volatile, and it may kill my week – it’s going into my only high-dollar single-entry GPP – but I can’t shake this love for Brett Hundley/Davante Adams. Hundley isn’t good, but neither is the Tampa Bay secondary, which has allowed 261+ passing yards to every opponent except one (Carolina, in an easy Panthers win). Hundley showed last week that he can create fantasy points when the situation is just right – and he’s shown since taking over as starter that he adores Adams. Over 6 games since Hundley’s promotion, Adams has averaged 8.7 targets (with 10+ in 3 of them). And he’s producing beautifully, averaging 99.3 yards over his last 3. Hundley would actually be hard-pressed to not rack up yardage and touchdown opportunity in this matchup, and Adams should be at the forefront of it.
From a low-ownership standpoint, I’ll be all over the Buccaneers passing game across the field. The Packers pass defense can generate big plays here and there, but they also allow quite a few of them to opposing WR1s – each of Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, and A.J. Green posted 108+ yards against them. That puts Mike Evans on my radar, and since Winston’s return means so much for Cameron Brate, who’s priced ridiculously low ($2,900 DraftKings and $5,000 FanDuel), he slips in there nicely. Honestly, I may simply combine all of these plays into a super-duper-stack that includes Jameis Winston/Mike Evans/Adams/Brate.
Jason Wood: I'm all about the Chargers power stack this week, pairing Gordon and the Chargers DST. Gordon's ownership should be manageable coming off back-to-back down weeks, and the Jaguars will be the chalk defense. Make no mistake, this should be a popular stack, but it won't be THE most popular stack. As to the Jaguars stack of Fournette and the defense, it's hard not to like that, too. But Fournette's lack of effort last week and complaints about playing in the cold have me casting a side eye at him until he's back on track.
I'll give you a cross-game stack that shouldn't be particularly highly owned: Christian McCaffrey with Drew Brees and a Saints receiver. The Saints are rolling behind a pair of elite running backs, so very few will bank on the passing game being the source of touchdowns. Yet, this is New Orleans. On any week, Brees is capable of throwing for 300+ yards and 3 touchdowns. At home in a key divisional game, I like Brees taking matters into his own hands. Meanwhile, McCaffrey is a PPR dynamo for a team that is probably without Greg Olsen and has a less-than-100% Devin Funchess.
Chris Feery: I’m on board with Jason: the Chargers power stack is the most intriguing option for my dollars this week. Philip Rivers is on fire, Keenan Allen is catching everything within reach, and the defense is becoming awfully dangerous as the season moves along. Multiple touchdowns from Rivers and a stellar day from the defense are not out of the question, and all options involved are affordable enough that you can build a fantastic lineup around them.
On the contrarian side, I’m sold on Tyrod Taylor/Charles Clay as an intriguing option for this week. If we go under the assumption that the Buffalo Bills will be playing catch-up against the New England Patriots, it’s not too hard to envision Taylor airing it out. He has some nice chemistry with Clay, who should be on the low end of the ownership scale. If we also assume that Bill Belichick will devote his efforts to mitigating the damage of the Bills top weapon – LeSean McCoy – then Taylor makes even more sense as an option. It’s a low-cost stack that’s on the risky side, but it’s one I’m willing to take.
John Mamula: I also agree that the Chargers are the most attractive stack this weekend. In my DraftKings Starting Stacks article, I listed Rivers/Allen as the top cash game stack. I don't mind modifying that with a Rivers/Gordon stack or a Gordon/Chargers DST stack. It's all about the Bolts this Sunday!
For GPP tournaments, my favorite contrarian stack is Winston paired with Evans. Footballguys’ Steve Buzzard currently has Winston's ownership projected at 5% or less on each of the major DFS sites. A matchup against the Packers defense (ranked eighth-worst against the pass) is not the time to take a "wait-and-see" approach with Winston. Since his Week 10 suspension, Evans has 22 targets over his past two games. It would not surprise me to see Evans break-out with multiple-touchdowns against the Packers.
My favorite cross-stack is Brady/Cooks/McCoy. The Patriots defense has allowed a league-leading 4.9 rushing yards per attempt. That hasn't been noticeable because the Patriots usually play with a lead and their opponents are forced to abandon the run. If this game turns into a shootout, McCoy will be the likely beneficiary.
Danny Tuccitto: The game I'm on as going over the total is Falcons-Vikings. Therefore, I'll take multiple lineups involving various combinations of Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman, Julio Jones, Case Keenum, Latavius Murray, Jerick McKinnon, Stefon Diggs, and Adam Thielen. Most likely, it'll be Ryan and Jones, running it back with Diggs and Murray. (The Falcons rank dead last in rush defense DVOA).
The other game I'm intrigued by is Packers-Buccaneers. A Winston/Evans stack, running it back with Adams and Jamaal Williams, seems in the offing.
Outside of game stacks, the only traditional stack I'm interested in is a Rivers/Gordon/Allen/Hunter Henry/Chargers defense supercalifragilisticexpialidocious stack. One doesn't need stats to know that Cleveland's pass defense is awful, especially against tight ends. That said, here's an interesting stat: Among the Chargers' wide receivers, Allen has by far the best matchup against a combination of Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Jamar Taylor, which comprises 70 percent of his projected routes (per Pro Football Focus. Surprisingly, this leaves $19,600 for the remaining 4 lineup slots, which is completely doable!