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Christmas is right around the corner, but who will be bringing the gifts to your daily fantasy lineups? Todd Gurley certainly brought them last week, in the form of 180 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns, including one on a pass from Jared Goff. Touchdown stacks are the greatest present a fantasy owner can receive!
The goal of this weekly column is to help find the most profitable DFS stacks, while avoiding the duds. Stacking, or pairing multiple players from the same NFL team, is an ideal way to maximize your point production, which is crucial in larger GPP (guaranteed prize pool) tournaments.
Let's take a look at some of the top DFS stacks for Week 16, loosely sorted by salary.
High-Priced Week 16 DFS Stacks
New England QB Tom Brady and TE Rob Gronkowski vs. Buffalo
How much does Gronkowski love playing against the Bills? If the numbers are any indication, he enjoys it quite a bit. In 12 career meetings with Buffalo, Gronkowski has 61 receptions for 960 yards and 11 touchdowns. That includes his nine-catch, 147-yard outing two weeks ago.
Brady has just two touchdown passes over his last three games, but don't expect that trend to continue. Brady, like Gronkowski, has simply owned the Bills (27-3 in 30 career meetings) over his career. A Brady-Gronk stack should pay major dividends this weekend.
New Orleans QB Drew Brees and WR Michael Thomas vs. Atlanta
Thomas has been red-hot over the last three weeks, turning his 34 targets into 24 receptions, 280 yards and three touchdowns. That includes a breakout 10-catch, 117-yard game against Atlanta just two weeks ago.
Given his recent volume and production, Thomas stands out as an elite play. Brees isn't the no-brainer top play he used to be, but he's still effective in the right matchup. A home game against the Falcons' beatable secondary certainly qualifies as such.
Kansas City QB Alex Smith and WR Tyreek Hill vs. Miami
Sure, the Dolphins' defense looked good against Brady two weeks ago, but how did it follow that up? By getting torched by Tyrod Taylor, of course. With a suddenly resurgent Kareem Hunt keeping defenses honest, Smith will be able to exploit the Dolphins' secondary.
Hill, given his penchant for big plays, is always an ideal stack, but so too is tight end Travis Kelce, whose been targeted a whopping 20 times over the last two games. Both make for solid pairings with Smith, but Hill's upside is greater.
Moderately-Priced Week 16 DFS Stacks
Carolina QB Cam Newton and TE Greg Olsen vs. Tampa Bay
He's back! After 14 frustrating weeks of injuries, re-injuries, and general disappointment, Olsen finally put together an impressive fantasy performance. The 11-year veteran caught nine of his 12 targets for 116 yards and his first touchdown of the season.
With wide receiver Devin Funchess still nursing a shoulder injury, expect Olsen to remain a key cog in the Panthers' passing attack. The Buccaneers rank last in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (271), another factor working in Olsen's favor.
Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton and WR A.J. Green vs. Detroit
There's not much left for the Bengals to play for in 2017, and Dalton seems to be embracing that. He's been held below 150 passing yards and has thrown just one touchdown over his last two games.
Despite Dalton's struggles, Green is still producing at a Pro Bowl level. That alone makes him an interesting play against the Lions' 28th-ranked pass defense. Dalton is harder to stomach, but he'll come cheap, and that can give you greater flexibility when constructing lineups.
Jacksonville QB Blake Bortles and WR Keelan Cole at San Francisco
Keelan who? We all better learn the name "Keelan Cole," because he's quickly becoming a fantasy star. The undrafted rookie out of Kentucky Wesleyan wasn't much of a factor until recently, but over his last three games he's averaging 111.3 yards per game, along with three total touchdowns.
With Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns likely out of the mix, Cole is in a good spot to stay hot against the 49ers' 19th-ranked pass defense. Pair him with Bortles, who has seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions over his last three games, for a solid value stack.
Bargain-Priced Week 16 DFS Stacks
Miami QB Jay Cutler and WR Jarvis Landry at Kansas City
Rostering Cutler is never for the faint of heart. Case in point: one week after throwing three touchdowns and zero interceptions against New England, Cutler tossed three INTs without no TDs against Buffalo. Cutler is a risky play.
However, his matchup against the Chiefs' 26th-ranked pass defense makes him intriguing. Landry is seemingly always good for a floor of five receptions and 40-50 yards, but this season he's seen added targets in the red zone (finally!). Don't be surprised if he scores again Sunday.
Chicago QB Mitchell Trubisky and WR Kendall Wright vs. Cleveland
Before you scoff at this suggestion, consider that Trubisky has passed for 271 and 314 yards, respectively, in his last two games. Also consider that Wright has 17 catches on 24 targets for 188 yards over those two games.
Suddenly, it doesn't seem so crazy to stack these two against the 0-14 Browns and their 21st-ranked pass defense. Can you do better than Trubisky and Wright? Absolutely. But if you want a deep value stack with some upside, this might do the trick.
