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Divisional Round - Daily Fantasy Football Tournament Stacks

Last season, all four road teams won in wild-card weekend for the first time in NFL history. This season, the home teams struck back, winning all four games in rather unexciting fashion -- every game was decided by at least 13 points. Expect a much more exciting and competitive, not to mention star-studded, divisional round.

The goal of this NFL Divisional Round column is to help find the most profitable DFS lineup stacks for daily fantasy football, 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. With only four games to choose from, pricing becomes less of a concern. You'll want to find a low-owned gem or two, especially for tournaments, but it'll still be important to hit a high-scoring stack to build the foundation of your lineup. With that mind, instead of ranking the stacks from most expensive to least expensive as in previous weeks, we've ranked them in order of appeal.

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Divisional Round - Strong DFS Stacks

Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Davante Adams at Dallas

Let's be real -- could it have been anyone else in this No. 1 spot? Rodgers has been other-worldly dominant of late, passing for at least 300 yards and four touchdowns in each of his last three games, including Sunday's Wild Card rout of the New York Giants.

Rodgers' top target, wide receiver Jordy Nelson, exited the game with a rib injury that sounds likely to keep him out in the divisional round against Dallas. That makes Adams and the resurgent Randall Cobb both strong stack pairings, with tight end Jared Cook also in the mix. Rodgers won't come cheap, but he's almost impossible to ignore.

Seattle QB Russell Wilson and WR Doug Baldwin at Atlanta

Running back Thomas Rawls stole the show in Seattle's wild-card win against Detroit, but Wilson quietly put together a decent fantasy performance, finishing with 224 yards and two touchdowns. He also ditched the knee brace he had been wearing most of the season, but his running ability wasn't needed against the Lions.

Expect Wilson to run a bit more against Atlanta's subpar defense, and expect him to keep peppering Baldwin with targets. Baldwin turned his 12 targets Saturday into 11 receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown. In what could be a high-scoring game against the Falcons, Baldwin will play a starring role.

Atlanta QB Matt Ryan and WR Julio Jones vs. Seattle

We said this game could be high scoring, right? Ryan has put together a brilliant, MVP-caliber season, and he had success against the Seahawks back in Week 6 when he finished with 335 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. A similar fantasy performance could be in store in the divisional round rematch.

Jones finished with seven receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown in the first meeting between these teams, and he's the obvious stack pairing with Ryan. Taylor Gabriel and Mohamed Sanu are contrarian plays, but neither boasts the upside of Jones.

 

Divisional Round - Riskier DFS Stacks

Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger and WR Antonio Brown at Kansas City

Given how these two gouged Miami's defense in a lopsided wild-card win, there's a fair argument to be made they should be ranked higher. There's no denying Brown is a week-in, week-out stud. Deploy him in lineups with full confidence.

Roethlisberger finished with 197 yards, two touchdowns (both to Brown) and two interceptions against Miami. More importantly, he only attempted 18 passes. If Pittsburgh continues to go run-heavy with Le'Veon Bell (31 total touches), that could limit Big Ben's upside. Roethlisberger also hurt his ankle late against Miami, and though he's expected to be fine against Kansas City, it's still something to monitor.

New England QB Tom Brady and WR Julian Edelman vs. Houston

Let's make this completely clear -- Brady is a great fantasy play this week. But remember, this is a column on DFS stacks, and the truth is that the Patriots are incredibly frustrating to predict.

New England opened as 16-point favorites against Houston, which is one of the biggest spreads in NFL playoff history. Brady should be good for at least two touchdowns, but you always have to be wary of LeGarrette Blount taking over. Brady and Edelman is the safest stack, but with Dion Lewis, James White, Malcolm Mitchell, Martellus Bennett, Chris Hogan and now Michael Floyd all vying for targets, there's too many variables at play.

Dallas QB Dak Prescott and WR Dez Bryant vs. Green Bay

Oh, boy. How thrilled is the NFL this matchup came to fruition? Two marquee franchises in a rematch of the 2014 divisional round game that ended with Bryant's controversial non-catch. At least it was ruled a non-catch. I wonder if the Cowboys will be motivated this time around?

Bryant had an up-and-down, injury-plagued season, but expect him to be heavily targeted by Prescott when the Cowboys aren't feeding Ezekiel Elliott carries. Green Bay's banged-up secondary was bailed out by a handful of drops by Giants receivers in the wild-card round. This is a matchup Dallas can exploit.

 

Divisional Round - DFS Stacks to Avoid

Kansas City QB Alex Smith and TE Travis Kelce vs. Pittsburgh

Smith has shown in the past he can lead his team to victory with his arm, but even with Kelce and dynamic rookie wide receiver Tyreek Hill, that's not the optimal approach for Kansas City.

Kelce finished the regular season on a tear, topping 100 yards in five of his final seven games. Expect him to be heavily involved against a Steelers defense that, despite a solid showing against Miami, can be beaten. Kelce is probably a better play on his own, but a Smith-Kelce stack would certainly be contrarian.

Houston QB Brock Osweiler and WR DeAndre Hopkins at New England

Like we mentioned before, the Patriots opened as whopping 16-point favorites in this matchup. No one is giving the Texans much of a chance against the perennial favorites in the AFC, but if there's a silver lining here it's that the game flow should benefit the Texans.

They're expected to be trailing -- and throwing -- for most of the game. Theoretically, that gives Osweiler added upside. In reality, there's not much to like about the Texans in this matchup. Hopkins is a fine play on his own, but steer clear for stacking purposes.




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Las Vegas Raiders

Pete Carroll Unlikely to Return as Raiders Head Coach
New York Jets

Jets Not Expected to Fire Aaron Glenn
Kyle Pitts Sr.

Suiting Up Against Saints in Week 18
Drake London

Will Play Against Saints on Sunday
Josh Jacobs

Packers Resting Josh Jacobs in Week 18
CFB

Transfer QB Billy Edwards Commits to North Carolina
CFB

Sam Leavitt Visiting Texas Tech on Saturday
Jaylin Noel

Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel Projected for Larger Roles in Week 18
Green Bay Packers

Packers Resting Key Players in Week 18
Nico Collins

Won't Play Against Colts in Week 18
Jamal Murray

Expected to Play Against Nets
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Listed as Probable for Sunday
Tobias Harris

Out at Least Two Weeks with Hip Sprain
Jalen Duren

to Miss at Least One Week with Ankle Injury
Vince Williams Jr.

Misses Eighth Straight Game
Maxime Raynaud

Cleared to Play Sunday After Knee Scare
Isaiah Hartenstein

Remains Out Versus Suns
Nathan MacKinnon

Takes Over Scoring Lead With Four-Point Effort
Herbert Jones

Misses Seventh Straight Game
Nikita Kucherov

Bags Five Points Against Sharks
Saddiq Bey

Ruled Out Versus Heat
Darren Raddysh

Celebrates Hat Trick in Big Win
Jordan Binnington

Logs First Shutout of Season
Nicolas Claxton

Sidelined Versus Nuggets
Bennedict Mathurin

Ruled Out Sunday with Thumb Sprain
Auston Matthews

Becomes Maple Leafs' All-Time Goals Leader
Kyshawn George

Misses Fifth Straight Game
Jake McCabe

Exits Loss Early
Philip Rivers

Expected to Interview for NFL Head-Coaching Jobs
Tom Wilson

Escapes Serious Injury
Brock Purdy

Suffers a Stinger in Week 18 Loss
Jaylen Waddle

Not Expected to Suit Up in Week 18
De'Von Achane

Not Expected to Play Against Patriots in Week 18
Lauri Markkanen

Back on Saturday Night
Keyonte George

Available Versus Golden State
PJ Hall

Starting Again on Saturday Night
Joel Embiid

Upgraded to Available on Saturday
Karl-Anthony Towns

Returning on Saturday Night
George Kittle

Officially Active for Week 18
Ricky Pearsall

Inactive for Saturday's Game
Joel Kiviranta

Misses Road Trip
Gavin Brindley

Out Saturday
Casey DeSmith

Granted Leave of Absence
Tanner Jeannot

Remains Absent Saturday
Trevor Moore

Won't Play Saturday Night
Shayne Gostisbehere

Set to Return Saturday
William Nylander

Misses Fourth Straight Game
Wan'Dale Robinson

Giants Place Wan'Dale Robinson on Injured Reserve
Breece Hall

Ruled Out, Ending His Season
CFB

DJ Lagway Expected To Visit Florida State
Kyle Tucker

Blue Jays "Remain the Favorite" to Sign Kyle Tucker
Jalen Suggs

to Undergo Further Testing on Knee Injury
Devin Vassell

to Miss "More Than a Few Games"
Davante Adams

Unlikely to Play in Regular-Season Finale
Jusuf Nurkić

Jusuf Nurkic Dealing with Toe Injury Ahead of Saturday
Lauri Markkanen

Could Miss Second Straight Game
Jake DeBrusk

Records Season-High Three Points Friday
Danila Yurov

Scores Twice in Friday's Win
Alexis Lafrenière

Alexis Lafreniere Sets Up Three Goals in Winter Classic Win
Mika Zibanejad

Produces Historic Winter Classic Performance
Mackenzie Blackwood

Placed on Injured Reserve
Seth Jones

Sustains Upper-Body Injury in Winter Classic Loss
Linus Karlsson

Celebrates New Contract With Goal
T.J. Watt

Cleared to Play in Week 18
Isiah Pacheco

Could be Rested Against Raiders
Amon-Ra St. Brown

Officially Questionable for Week 18
De'Von Achane

Doubtful to Face the Patriots
CFB

Joey Aguilar Undergoes Surgery to Remove Tumor on Friday
CFB

Texas the "Team to Beat" for Transfer Running Back Isaac Brown
CFB

Rocco Becht to Follow Matt Campbell to Penn State?
CFB

Texas Targeting Cam Coleman in Transfer Portal
CFB

Former Texas Running Back CJ Baxter Visiting Kentucky
CFB

Beau Pribula Visiting Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech
Bo Bichette

Yankees Showing Interest in Bo Bichette
Houston Astros

Astros Sign Tatsuya Imai to Three-Year Deal
CFB

Lane Kiffin Interested in Sam Leavitt, Brendan Sorsby at LSU
CFB

Deuce Knight Officially Entering Transfer Portal
CFB

Kewan Lacy Expected to Be Full-Go Against Georgia
CFB

Chip Kelly Named Northwestern Offensive Coordinator
CFB

Penn State Working to Hire D'Anton Lynn as Next Defensive Coordinator

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