👉 TAP TO SAVE 30% WITH CODE NEW
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Five NFL Offenses to Target in Fantasy Drafts: Cardinals, Saints and Steelers

The idea of stacking, or pairing multiple players from the same NFL team on your fantasy team, is nothing new.

It's generally more common on daily fantasy sports sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, where a successful pairing of a quarterback and pass-catcher is often crucial to winning a big-money guaranteed prize pool tournament, but it's become more commonplace in redraft leagues.

Editor's Note: RotoBaller has the best Premium NFL Subscription, only $29.99 for the full season. We have all the preseason tools to help win your drafts, and in-season tools to win your seasonal and daily leagues: Draft Kit, Premium Rankings, ADP Sleepers Tool, Matchup Ratings for every player, Daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Lineup Picks, Expert Lineups, Stacks and Avoids.

Featured Promo: Looking for some more fantasy football action? Adopt a dynasty orphan team over at FFPC. Sign up today and get $25 off any FFPC league. Sign Up Now!

 

Load Up on These Offenses for 2016 Fantasy Football

Stacking can be a sneaky way to effectively double your points. If your quarterback throws a pair of touchdown passes to one of your receivers, points are going to add up quickly.

The trick, of course, is selecting the most consistent players from the most profitable fantasy situations. The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals both averaged more than 30 points per game last season, so their players offered more fantasy upside than those on the San Francisco 49ers who finished with an NFL-worst 14.9 points per game.

So what are the top fantasy situations entering the 2016 seasons? Which NFL teams should you target when constructing your fantasy team? I've identified five teams that I will be targeting heavily in my drafts this summer, along with individual players currently being selected in the top 100 of standard fantasy drafts (average draft positions are from Fantasy Football Calculator).

 
Pittsburgh Steelers

WR Antonio Brown (1.01), RB Le'Veon Bell (1.02), QB Ben Roethlisberger (5.10), TE Ladarius Green (8.02), RB DeAngelo Williams (8.07), WR Markus Wheaton (8.08)

No surprise here, a year after the Steelers were fantasy gold in 2015, I am expecting more of the same this season. The Steelers boast fantasy's undisputed No. 1 wide receiver in Brown, a top-three running back in Bell, and a top six quarterback in Roethlisberger. Brown continues to gain traction as the consensus No. 1 overall pick in redraft leagues, so pairing him with Roethlisberger, who can be had in the fifth round, is a solid strategy.

Outside of the Steelers' "big three," free-agent signee Green has legitimate top-10 tight end upside this season, while Williams proved last season he's arguably the most important running back handcuff available. Wheaton could be a steal in round eight with fellow wideout Martavis Bryant being suspended for the season.

 
Arizona Cardinals

RB David Johnson (1.07), WR Michael Floyd (5.07), WR Larry Fitzgerald (6.05), WR John Brown (7.02), QB Carson Palmer (7.09)

The Steelers might have the best individual receiver, but the Cardinals have the most dynamic group of receivers in the league. Second-year running back Johnson should emerge as one of fantasy's top backs with a full workload in 2016. Palmer will turn 37 this season, but he's still a top-10 quarterback and is being drafted as such in the seventh round.

Floyd, Fitzgerald and Brown are being drafted, on average, within two rounds of each other. The only concern here is that the three will cut into each other's targets, but all three were valuable last season when the Cardinals averaged 30.6 points per game. As a bonus, Arizona also boasts one of the top defense/special teams units in fantasy football.

 
Jacksonville Jaguars

WR Allen Robinson (2.04), WR Allen Hurns (5.06), RB Chris Ivory (6.02), QB Blake Bortles (7.05), RB T.J. Yeldon (7.12), TE Julius Thomas (9.02)

The Jaguars should be one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL in 2016. Robinson is a legitimate WR1, coming off a breakout 1,400-yard sophomore campaign in 2015. Hurns is being drafted as a WR3 and his WR2 upside makes him an attractive option in the 5th round of drafts. Bortles is being drafted eighth among QBs, four spots behind where he finished in 2015, which can definitely make him a value. Julius Thomas is a borderline TE1 and has 10+ touchdown upside in this young and explosive offense.

If there is one blemish from a fantasy perspective for the Jaguars offense, it's that the running back situation is muddled at best. Ivory and Yeldon should split carries, so barring an injury, neither appears to have RB1 upside.

 
New Orleans Saints

RB Mark Ingram (3.01), WR Brandin Cooks (3.05), QB Drew Brees (6.04), TE Coby Fleener (7.06)

New Orleans has been one of the top teams to target for fantasy production every season since Brees and head coach Sean Payton arrived back in 2006. The faces around those two have changed over the last decade, but the production hasn't.

Ingram is being drafted as a high-end RB2 in standard leagues, but has a legitimate case as an RB1 in PPR leagues. Cooks is a solid WR2, while free-agent arrival Fleener is expected to put up TE1 numbers in New Orleans' potent passing attack. The 37-year-old Brees is no longer a top-three lock at QB, but he's still a safe QB1. A Brees-Cooks pairing should be highly productive. This list also doesn't even include wide receiver Willie Snead, who is being drafted in the 11th round despite an impressive 2015 season where he caught 69 receptions for 984 yards and three touchdowns.

 
New England Patriots

TE Rob Gronkowski (1.11), WR Julian Edelman (4.03), RB Dion Lewis (4.08), QB Tom Brady (6.06),

Gronkowski is being selected, on average, 32 picks ahead of the second tight end (Jordan Reed) taken in standard drafts, by far the biggest gap of any of the fantasy positions. The injury-prone Edelman is going in the early fourth round, right on the dividing line between WR2s and WR3s. Lewis has considerably more value in PPR leagues than in standard leagues.

Brady is the wild card here. He's expected to serve his four-game Deflategate suspension, limiting his overall upside for 2016. However, 12 games of Brady is still better than most signal callers, and he's currently being drafted as the sixth overall quarterback. New England also boasts fantasy's top kicker in Stephen Gostkowski.

 

Honorable mentions (with ADPs for top players)

Green Bay Packers: WR Jordy Nelson (2.03), RB Eddie Lacy (2.06), QB Aaron Rodgers (3.08), WR Randall Cobb (4.03)

Seattle Seahawks: RB Thomas Rawls (2.11), WR Doug Baldwin (4.10), QB Russell Wilson (5.07), WR Tyler Lockett (7.10)

Cincinnati Bengals: WR A.J. Green (1.10), RB Jeremy Hill (5.05), TE Tyler Eifert (6.02), RB Giovani Bernard (6.10)

 

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]


Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Gleyber Torres

Should be Good to Go for Opening Day
Kyle Manzardo

Packs on Muscle in Offseason
David Pastrnak

Gets Off the Mark at Olympics
Macklin Celebrini

Pots Another Goal Friday
Kevin Fiala

Stretchered Off Against Canada
Bryan Woo

Turns Down WBC as he Eyes Larger 2026 Workload
Rowan Wick

Giants Agree With Rowan Wick on One-Year Deal
Luis Rengifo

Agrees to One-Year Deal With Brewers
Francisco Alvarez

Drops 10 Pounds
Aaron Rodgers

Likely to Return to Steelers?
Emmanuel Clase

Used Coded Language for Pitch-Rigging Plans
Kyle Teel

to be Chicago's Everyday Catcher?
Chris Paddack

to be in Opening Day Starting Rotation
Shelby Miller

Cubs to Sign Shelby Miller to Multi-Year Contract
Roman Anthony

to Play for Team USA in World Baseball Classic
Kevin McGonigle

Seeing Time at Third Base
St. Louis Cardinals

Jurrangelo Cijntje to Continue Building Up as Switch-Pitcher
Jonah Tong

Looking to Develop his Offspeed Pitches
Gerrit Cole

to Return in May?
Nathaniel Lowe

Reds Bringing in Nathaniel Lowe
Shohei Ohtani

Could Pitch in the Cactus League
Terry McLaurin

Commanders Want Terry McLaurin to Get 10 Targets a Game
Rhett Lowder

Manager Praises Rhett Lowder During Rotation Battle
Chris Taylor

Returns to Angels on Minor-League Deal
Ha-Seong Kim

Braves Hope Ha-Seong Kim Can Return in Early May
Patrick Sandoval

Throws Live Batting Practice
Deandre Ayton

Remains Day-to-Day for Lakers
LeBron James

Posts Historic Triple-Double in Win
Ja Morant

Still Without Clear Return Date
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Expected Back After All-Star Break
Oscar Tshiebwe

Enters Concussion Protocol Thursday
Naji Marshall

Exits Early with Foot Strain
Daniel Gafford

Leaves Game with Ankle Issue
Jordan Binnington

Records 26-Save Shutout Against Czechia
Connor McDavid

Ties Canadian Record With Three Assists in Olympic Debut
Josh Morrissey

Hurt in Olympic Opener
Robert Williams III

Will Not Play Against Utah
Deni Avdija

Sidelined vs. Jazz
Alexandre Sarr

to Miss Multiple Weeks
Naji Marshall

Gets Upgraded to Probable
Myles Turner

Will Not Play Thursday
Caleb Martin

is Downgraded to Doubtful
Jeremy Sochan

Heading to New York
CFB

Trinidad Chambliss Eligible for 2026 Season
Kyle Kuzma

Cleared to Play Against Thunder
Ryan Rollins

Remains Sidelined Against Thunder
Shaedon Sharpe

Sidelined Against Utah
Scoot Henderson

Available Again on Thursday
Deandre Ayton

Ruled Out on Thursday
Isaiah Hartenstein

Resting on Thursday
Jalen Williams

Will Not Play Thursday Against the Bucks
CFB

BYU's Parker Kingston Charged with Felony Rape
Cameron Young

Looking for Pebble Beach Success
J.J. Spaun

Looks to Turn Things Around at Pebble Beach
Collin Morikawa

Eyes Turnaround at Pebble Beach
Jake Knapp

Brings Hot Form to Pebble Beach
Nick Taylor

in Good Form Going into Pebble Beach Event
Viktor Hovland

Carrying Momentum Into Pebble Beach
Tommy Fleetwood

Set for 2026 PGA Tour Debut at Pebble Beach
Harris English

Looks to Build on Steady Form at Pebble Beach
Justin Rose

Tuned in for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Keegan Bradley

a Boom-or-Bust Play at Pebble Beach
Maverick McNealy

Playing Well with Pebble Beach Looming
Russell Henley

Carries Momentum to Pebble Beach
Shane Lowry

Makes 2026 PGA Tour Debut at Pebble Beach
Michael Kim

Putting Well with Pebble Beach on the Horizon
Billy Horschel

a Little Rattled After Consecutive Missed Cuts
Ben Griffin

Solid But Not Spectacular Early in 2026
Wyndham Clark

Has Question Marks Heading to Pebble Beach
Daniel Berger

Heating Up at the Right Time for Pebble Beach
Jordan Spieth

Looking For a Return to Form at Pebble Beach
Juuse Saros

Starting Wednesday
William Nylander

Iffy for Olympic Opener
Martin Necas

Ready for Thursday
Drake Maye

Says his Shoulder Injury was Significant
Xander Schauffele

Trying to Get the Motor Going at Pebble Beach
Hideki Matsuyama

Trying to Overcome Sunday Collapse
Kenneth Walker III

Runs Away With Super Bowl MVP Honors
Vinicius Oliveira

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Mario Bautista

Gets Back In The Win Column
Kyoji Horiguchi

Dominates At UFC Vegas 113
Amir Albazi

Gets Dominated At UFC Vegas 113
Rizvan Kuniev

Earns His First UFC Win
Jailton Almeida

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 113
Marc-Andre Barriault

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Michal Oleksiejczuk

Gets His Third Win In A Row
Las Vegas Raiders

Klint Kubiak Confirms he Will be Next Raiders Head Coach
Jonas Rondbjerg

Out for Olympics
Brad Marchand

Good to Go for Olympic Opener
Gabriel Landeskog

Healthy for Olympics
Jack Hughes

Cleared for Olympics
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Returns to Super Bowl After Injury Scare
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Being Evaluated for Concussion, Questionable to Return
James Pearce Jr.

Arrested Following Police Chase
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF