Every 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 with some twists to make them more unique. We'll also unearth less common stacks for top-heavy contests and create strong lineup anchors with defensive stacks.
Highly-Owned Stacks
Tom Brady ($9,500) + Julian Edelman ($8,000) = $17,500
New England's 33-point Vegas projection is the highest for any team this season. Multiple Patriots will have success, but can Brady and Edelman reach tournament value ($17,500 * 0.003 = 52.5 points) at their high prices? They've combined for 53 FanDuel points twice this year, and I like their chances of doing it again. By comparison, Rob Gronkowski ($8,500) and Brady would need to score 57 points to reach tournament value. They've only accomplished that feat once this season, and it was back in Week 1.
Twist: Brandon LaFell ($5,200) is the ideal value-to-upside play. Brady to LaFell is my favorite Patriots stack of the week, and LaFell's low price creates a triple-stacking opportunity with Edelman or Gronkowski in tournaments with top-heavy prize structures.
Eli Manning ($7,800) + Odell Beckham Jr($9,000) = $16,800
Last week's 73-point explosion will make this one of the highest-owned stacks of the week. It's pricey, but if you're already excited about the value and differentiation you have elsewhere in your lineup, the Giants duo is likely to pay dividends again at Tampa Bay this week.
Philip Rivers ($8,600) + Antonio Gates ($6,000) = $14,600
With Keenan Allen done for the year and Ladarius Green unlikely to play this week, Gates is sure to see an increase in targets. The Chargers host the Bears, are four-point favorites, and are projected to be the third-highest scoring team on the main slate.
Twist: Steve Johnson's ($5,400) low price creates another high-upside triple-stacking possibility. I prefer Johnson to Gates in a double stack as he's cheaper and likely be lower owned than Gates.
Derek Carr ($7,000) + Amari Cooper ($7,300) = $14,300
Carr and Cooper would need 42.9 points to hit 3x tournament value in Pittsburgh this week. They've crossed that mark twice in seven games. I expect the Steelers to get their scoring mojo back this week, creating strong shootout potential.
Twist: Most of Oakland's offense runs through Cooper and Michael Crabtree ($5,800). Either or both are solid options against a week Steelers secondary.
Less Common Stacks
Jameis Winston ($6,700) + Mike Evans ($7,500) = $14,200
Tampa Bay is projected as the highest-scoring underdog of the week. That's one of my favorite indicators for passing-game fantasy goodness. Winston won't throw seven touchdowns against the Giants like Drew Brees did last week, but with most of the Buccaneers' pass-catchers injured, Evans is sure to get a ton of targets.
Tyrod Taylor ($7,200) + Charles Clay ($5,700) = $12,900
Taylor returns from the bye week recovered from the knee injury that forced him to miss time. I'll be listening closely for clues about how mobile Taylor will be this week. That's a key part of his upside. But if it sounds like his rushing abilities aren't hampered, then he's a strong play this week, hosting Miami. I'm not completely buying the miraculous turnaround of the Joe-Philbin-less Dolphins.
Defensive Stacks
Atlanta Falcons ($4,900) + Devonta Freeman ($8,900) = $13,800
The Falcons will be the week's most popular combination of defense and running back. They travel to San Francisco to face the Blaine-Gabbert-led 49ers. Anquan Boldin may not play. San Francisco traded away Vernon Davis. And their top three running backs are hurt. It's matchup magic.
New Orleans Saints ($4,200) + Mark Ingram ($7,700) = $11,900
The Saints aren't a formidable defense, but they host one of the most dysfunctional teams in the NFL this week, the Titans. New Orleans is favored by eight points, and only the Patriots are predicted to score more points on the main slate. The Titans have a new coach, a rookie quarterback returning from injury, and are projected to score under 20 points.
Austin Lee likes making goofy videos, won a TV at a dance-off, and once switched to a 32-hour day for 10 weeks to get more work done. 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.
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