In this weekly DraftKings article, we will discuss some FAT STACKS (Cash Game Stacks) that should provide a high floor for your 50-50 and H2H cash game contests. These stacks are safe to use in your GPP tournaments as well, but they may carry a high ownership percentage. In the second half of this article, it’s all about A Dollar and a Dream! DraftKings is going back to their $27, $3.3 Million guarantee with a life-changing $1 million first place prize!
FAT STACK$ ($$ Cash GAME STACKS $$)
Atlanta Falcons Stack vs. San Francisco 49ers
QB Matt Ryan $7,300 with WR Taylor Gabriel $5,600 (Cash Games or GPP)
QB Matt Ryan $7,300 with RB DeVonta Freeman $6,700 (Cash Games or GPP)
The Falcons enter this home matchup as a 13.5 point favorite with the highest projected team total thus far this season at 32.5 total points. To put that in perspective, the next highest projected team total on the DraftKings main slate is the Cowboys at 26.5 total points. That’s a whopping 6 point differential between the top two projected offenses this week! If you are playing DraftKings cash games this week, it is imperative to have some exposure to the Falcons offense. Matt Ryan is having a career year with 30 touchdowns through his first 13 games. Ryan has at least 3 TDs in 6 of those 13 games. While you are paying up for Ryan, understand that he comes with both a high floor and a high ceiling. The decision on who to stack with Ryan is an interesting question. Julio Jones will attempt to practice on Friday but there is a good chance that he will be inactive once again in a game the Falcons can win without him. Mohamed Sanu was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday and will probably be listed as questionable to play this week. That leaves WR Taylor Gabriel as the main receiving target for the Falcons. Gabriel was a popular option last week and thus he received a $1,300 salary increase on DraftKings up to $5,600. Gabriel has been consistently finding the end zone with 4 touchdowns over his past four games. Devonta Freeman is a strong option in the rushing attack as the 49ers are ranked as the worst defense in the NFL against the run, allowing 170.8 rushing yards/per game and 4.9 yards/per attempt. For your GPP tournaments, a Falcons super-stack with Ryan, Freeman, and Gabriel as an option that you can build the rest of your roster around.
Minnesota Vikings Stack vs Indianapolis Colts
QB Sam Bradford $5,000 with WR Adam Thielen $4,800 (Cash Games)
If you are looking to save salary on your stack this week, look to the dome in Minnesota. The Vikings enter this matchup as 4-point home favorites with a projected team total of 24.25 points. Sam Bradford must be on Santa’s naughty list as he is priced at the DraftKings minimum salary of $5,000! Bradford has passed for at least 1 TD in 11 of his 12 starts this season. While he doesn’t have an extremely high ceiling, Bradford’s floor is safe in this matchup. The Colts have allowed the 7th most passing yards in the NFL with 23 passing TDs surrendered. Expect the Colts defense to focus on trying to stop Stefon Diggs. This will take pressure off of Adam Thielen, who has been one of the most consistent PPR options over the 2nd half of the season. Thielen has at least 4 receptions in 4 consecutive games and double-digit fantasy points in each of his past 6 games. By rostering Bradford and Thielen in your DraftKings cash game lineup, you are left with a healthy $5,742 average remaining/per player so that you can squeeze in some of the elite RB options, such as David Johnson or LeVeon Bell.
DEFENSIVE STACK (CASH GAMES/GPP STACKS)
There is a defensive stack that stands out this weekend can be used in Cash Games or GPP tournaments.
Buffalo Bills Stack vs. Cleveland Browns
RB LeSean McCoy $8,900 with Bills DST $3,700 (Cash Games or GPP)
Rejoice Buffalo fans the 0-13 Browns are coming to town! The Bills are 10 point home favorites with a projected team total of 26.25 total points. Expect LeSean McCoy to run wild in this matchup! McCoy has 3 consecutive games with at least 100 total yards and he has scored at least 1 rushing touchdown in three of his past four games. The Browns defense is ranked as the 2nd worst against the run allowing 146.2 rushing yards/per game and 4.6 yards/per attempt. The Browns allowed 213 rushing yards and 1 TD to the Bengals last week. Stack McCoy with the Bills defense as the team will lean on the run if the game plays out as projected. It is a positively correlated stack if the game flow plays out as anticipated. Robert Griffin III III is expected to start again for the Browns. Griffin struggled last week vs the Bengals with a 42% completion percentage and 104 passing yards. This is a difficult matchup on the road in a hostile environment. We have all read this story before. It does not end well for Griffin.
A DOLLAR AND A DREAM (GPP STACKS)
Here are some GPP stacks that should carry a low ownership percentage but provide multi-touchdown upside.
Arizona Cardinals Stack vs. New Orleans Saints
QB Carson Palmer $6,000 with RB David Johnson $10,100 (GPP)
The Cardinals return home as a 2.5 point favorite against the Saints. The team is tied with the 4th highest projected team total on the main DraftKings slate with 26.25 points. The Cardinals have a tremendous matchup as the Saints are ranked the 4th worst defense against the pass. After LeVeon Bell’s season-leading performance last week, it will be interesting to see how it affects David Johnson’s ownership this week. Add in the fact that his DraftKings salary has crossed the $10,000 threshold, you may have some users avoiding Johnson this week. That has the potential to be a huge mistake, especially if Johnson plays with the motivation to one-up Bell’s season-leading performance from last week. Through 13 games, Johnson has 69 receptions for 745 yards and 4 receiving TDs. Those receptions are what makes Johnson so lethal in PPR formats. Stacking Johnson with Carson Palmer is an effective method to account for the bulk of the Cardinals yardage and TDs. While Palmer has been inconsistent this season, he does have (3) 3 TD games. With the release of Michael Floyd this week, Palmer may look to J.J. Nelson or Jermaine Gresham to pick up the slack. These are fine options for a GPP tournament to include on your Cardinals super-stack.
Washington Redskins Stack vs. Carolina Panthers
QB Kirk Cousins $6,800 with WR DeSean Jackson $5,500 (GPP)
Correlation Play: TE Greg Olsen $5,000
If you are playing in the DraftKings Sunday-Monday slate, the Redskins have a prime matchup as a 4.5 point home favorite with a projected team total of 27.75 points. The Panthers have allowed the 3rd most passing yards in the league with 24 passing touchdowns. While hindsight if often 20-20, letting Josh Norman walk during the offseason has turned out to be a big mistake. It would not surprise to learn that Norman spent time this week coaching up the Redskins offense with ideas on how to exploit the Panthers defense. Kirk Cousins is the 3rd most expensive QB on DraftKings this week, higher than proven veterans such as Tom Brady and Drew Brees. While Cousins is expensive, he provides a high ceiling with a high floor. DeSean Jackson has been hot with TDs in 3 of his past 4 games. He also has 2 games over 100 receiving yards during that time period. For a correlation play, consider Greg Olsen who bounced back with 4 receptions for 87 yards last week.
Oakland Raiders Stack at San Diego Chargers
QB Derek Carr $6,300 with WR Amari Cooper $7,100 (GPP)
Correlation Play: WR Tyrell Williams $5,800
The Raiders are coming off 10 days rest since they last played in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. Expect the 10-3 Raiders to rebound from that loss as they enter this matchup as 2.5 road favorites with a projected team total of 26.25 points. When these teams last met back in week 5, the Raiders won 34-31. This game may turn into a shootout as well with the game total set a high 50 points. In the last matchup, Amari Cooper had a solid performance with 6 receptions for 138 yards and 1 TD. Derek Carr has been boom or bust this season with multiple TDs in 7 of his 13 games. He has also had (2) 3 TD games and (2) 4 TD games this season. While a Carr-Cooper stack is too risky for cash games, they make for a high-upside GPP stack. For a correlation play, roster Chargers WR Tyrell Williams, who has 4 TDs over his past 5 games.
Thank you for reading! And as always, feel free to send any comments, suggestions, or nasty remarks to me on Twitter @shiposki75
