RADIO
Hand-building 10-12 stacks every week might be the most fun I have playing NFL DFS. Yes, I play cash games, and there is a certain science that goes into that as well, but eating the chalk and trying to anticipate what everyone else is going to do in cash games simply isn't all that much fun (though it certainly can be profitable if you are good at it.)
There are so many different ways to stack and knowing which games you should go with just a traditional two-man stack (like QB-WR1) vs. a full four-man stack (QB-RB1-WR1-OPP-WR1) and which opposing players to bring back in a game stack can be incredibly difficult. But the feeling when you get it right (or even part of it right) like my dude Skyler did last week with the Flacco-Cooper-Njoku stack feels so good and can send those lineups towards the top of the leaderboard in a hurry. Anyone could tell you to stack up the Niners against Washington or the Eagles against Arizona, but I am going to focus on three other spots that warrant consideration for GPP lineups this week.
While Skyler is moving on from this column for the rest of the year, I'm here to hold it down for the final few weeks of the regular season and probably the playoffs, too! Here are my favorite team stacks and game stacks for the NFL DFS slate on DraftKings and FanDuel that kicks off at 1:00 PM EST on Sunday, December 31.
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Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans
- C.J. Stroud ($7,100 DK, $7,800 FD)
- Nico Collins ($7,200 DK, $7,300 FD)
- Dalton Schultz ($4,300 DK, $6,200 FD) or Noah Brown ($5,100 DK, $6,500 FD)
This is 100% contingent upon C.J. Stroud returning to the lineup, which is looking likely at this point, but has not been confirmed yet. The Houston offense was rolling right along before Stroud's unfortunate injury, reaching as high as a top-five DVOA ranking at one point. The Texans had scored 20+ points in 9 of their first 12 games before running into a brick wall against the Jets in Week 14. They managed to squeak out an ugly win against these Titans with Case Keenum under center, but were dismantled by the Browns last week. Now, their playoff hopes are quite thin as they need to win out and get some help in order to make it in.
Houston's passing rank has dropped to 11th and let's not forget that they also lost Tank Dell, who was their most explosive playmaker down the field. Now, the Texans have a pretty sweet redemption spot against their division rivals and as long as C.J., Nico, and Noah are healthy (all currently questionable but trending in the right direction), I like their chances against a woeful Tennessee secondary.
Nico Collins at home with C.J. Stroud:
WR4
WR3
WR32
WR12
WR28
WR6
WR4— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) December 27, 2023
The Titans rank 25th against the pass this season. Their corners have been beaten badly and they aren't getting much pressure on opposing QBs either (seventh-worst pressure rating). The Texans haven't had too much success running the ball this year, and Tennessee remains a pass funnel as they rank eighth against the run.
With no Tank Dell out there for Houston, Nico Collins becomes the clear WR1 and Tennessee has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing WRs. When we adjust DVOA for positional matchups, the Titans rank 31st against WR1s this season. They're 28th against WR2s, too, which is where Noah Brown comes in. A double stack with both Texans' wideouts is firmly in play and let's pretend that Robert Woods doesn't exist as he hasn't done much of anything all season.
And while the Titans have allowed the fewest points to opposing TEs this season, they still rank 20th in DVOA to the position. That makes me want some exposure to Dalton Schultz, who is coming off an 8-61 performance against Cleveland on 11 targets.
Bring-back options:
- Derrick Henry ($6,900 DK, $8,000 FD)
- DeAndre Hopkins ($6,000 DK, $6,700 FD) or Chigoziem Okonkwo ($4,600 DK, $5,400 FD)
I probably won't spend that much on Derrick Henry as I have really lost faith that this Titans team can run the ball consistently, but we know his history against this team has been good outside of this season. I am much more interested in Nuk Hopkins as an option, even if he has struggled the last few weeks. The Texans' pass defense now ranks 27th against the pass after Joe Flacco and Amari Cooper shredded them last week. With Will Levis back under center, I think Nuk has a chance to bounce back.
And Chig Okonkwo happens to be coming off his best game of the season as he posted 6-63-1 against Seattle last week. The Texans allow the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing TEs.
MY FAVORITE VARIATION: Stroud-Collins-Brown-Okonkwo
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— Scott (@scottd923) September 25, 2023
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- Patrick Mahomes ($7,500 DK, $8,000 FD)
- Rashee Rice ($6,900 DK, $7,400 FD)
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire ($5,300 DK, $6,500 FD) or Travis Kelce ($7,000 DK, $7,800 FD)
I am pretty sick of hearing about the Chiefs and their recent struggles, how about you? I guess a lot of folks are reveling in this stretch of losses as KC has made plenty of enemies over the last decade by being so darn good (and maybe just a tad cocky). But I, for one, much prefer when the Chiefs are good and playing well as they are a very entertaining team to watch, and a predictable one (for the most part) for fantasy purposes.
This week might just be the best possible matchup for them to "get right" that they could have dreamed up, other than maybe an absolutely terrible team like Washington or Arizona. And for stacking purposes, our options look crystal clear, especially if Isiah Pacheco is forced to miss this contest.
Mahomes has not been a winning option for GPPs this season, but let's consider that the Bengals just gave up 290 yards and two touchdowns to Mason Rudolph, the third-team QB on one of the worst offensive teams in the NFL. He's cheaper than he's been in years and we can confidently stack him with either his top WR (Rice) or his best buddy Mr. Kelce at TE. The Bengals are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing receivers and the second-most to tight ends. Getting all three of them in a lineup is going to be challenging, however, with salary cap restrictions.
When adjusting for level of talent, this catch from Clyde Edwards-Helaire is *analytically* better than Odell Beckham’s catch
pic.twitter.com/209xMNQ0kR— Josh Larky (@jlarkytweets) December 17, 2023
That's where CEH comes in. If Pacheco is out, then CEH is going to be the every-down back for the Chiefs with only La'Mical Perine backing him up. We have seen CEH have success as a pass-catcher the last three weeks with 9 catches on 11 targets and a touchdown. And he's likely to be the goal line back, too, if the Chiefs try to pound the ball in. Going with Mahomes, CEH, and one pass catcher makes this stack more affordable.
Bring-back options:
- Joe Mixon ($6,400 DK, $7,300 FD)
- Tee Higgins ($6,500 DK, $7,800 FD) or Tyler Boyd ($4,700 DK, $5,900 FD)
Joe Mixon's days as an elite back are over, but he's still getting the bulk of the work as the early down back for the Bengals with Chase Brown being used as a change of pace back. We saw Zamir White go for over 100 yards against KC last week and the Bengals would be wise to try to establish the run and not ask Jake Browning to throw the ball 40+ times.
With Ja'Marr Chase still questionable and possibly trending toward missing another game, both Higgins and Boyd make for compelling options, even if the KC secondary has been stingy.
MY FAVORITE VARIATION: Mahomes-CEH-Kelce (no Cincy bring back)
L.A. Chargers vs. Denver Broncos (Milly Maker Special)
- Jarrett Stidham ($4,800 DK, $6,100 FD)
- Jerry Jeudy ($5,100 DK, $6,200 FD)
- Brandon Johnson ($3,300 DK, $4,700 FD) or Marvin Mims Jr. ($3,500 DK, $5,100 FD)
Are you interested in the game with the lowest total on the slate? What if I told you that there were two retread QBs and a bunch of relatively unknown receivers playing in this one? Still not interested?
This one isn't for everyone, and maybe at the end of the day, you'd be best suited just playing some of these cheaper plays as one-off dart throws. But I think this game has some appeal and could end up being one of those games that no one cares about or is paying attention to that just goes off. Hear me out.
We have the 29th (L.A.) and 26th (DEN) pass DVOA defenses going in this one. We have two very cheap QB options as Easton Stick will continue to start for the Chargers and Jarrett Stidham gets his first action of the season as the Broncos have officially benched Russell Wilson for the final two games.
Stidham at QB interests me, I think he's a very capable QB. He's only made a handful of starts in his first few seasons in New England and Las Vegas. But last year, he made the final two starts of the season for the Raiders in Weeks 17 and 18 with some surprising results. He threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns (and two INT) against the 49ers in Week 17 -- that was good for a 108.1 QB rating. He's fairly mobile, too, as he ran seven times in each start for 34 and 50 yards, respectively.
Stidham likely won't have Courtland Sutton (concussion), so we could see Jerry Jeudy as the WR1. Jeudy has disappointed again this year and I am not sure if this jump-starts him or not. I might be more inclined to go with the cheaper options in Johnson (who went 3-47-1 last week) or Mims (3-63), with Mims being the home-run hitter down the field.
Bring-back options:
- Gerald Everett ($3,500 DK, $5,300 FD) or Quentin Johnston ($3,700 DK, $5,600 FD)
Everett led the Chargers in targets last week with eight, securing seven of those for 42 yards. Johnston could end up the WR1 for the week if Keenan Allen is ruled out, and I am not sure why Allen would push to play this week when the season is already lost. Johnston was on everyone's sleeper lists this preseason as he had flashed some impressive speed and potential, but he simply hasn't been able to put it all together at the NFL level this year. He's still dirt cheap and could lead the way in targets with Everett again this week.
MY FAVORITE VARIATION: Stidham-Mims (no Chargers bring back)
Good luck in your contests this week, RotoBallers, and remember not to be afraid to be different with those GPP lineups!
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