RADIO
The first three weeks of the 2023 NFL season are now in the books, giving us more information to utilize in NFL DFS. If you keep yourself updated on injury news and what players can see increased — or decreased — roles because of injuries, then you're already ahead of a decent portion of the field.
In this weekly article, we'll be taking a look at stacks and bring-back options that are ideal plays in GPPs (guaranteed prize pools) on DraftKings and FanDuel. Salaries and scoring formats can differ on both sites, making some players much better options on one site compared to the other.
When looking at stacks and bring-back players each week, you have to take into account potential game scripts and correlation. Before the fourth week of the season, here are my favorite stacks and bring-back options in NFL DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.
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Los Angeles Chargers vs. Las Vegas Raiders
- Justin Herbert ($7,800 DK, $8,600 FD)
- Keenan Allen ($7,900 DK, $9,500 FD)
- Joshua Palmer ($4,000 DK, $6,100 FD) or Quentin Johnston ($3,700 DK, $5,200 FD)
The Los Angeles Chargers have disappointed thus far as a team, but Justin Herbert has been fantastic in the first three weeks. The strong-armed quarterback of the Chargers is coming off a win over the Minnesota Vikings in which he completed 40 of his 47 attempts for 405 yards and three touchdowns in Week 3. Herbert will now face a Las Vegas Raiders team that is 29th in pass DVOA and just allowed Kenny Pickett to record 7.1 air yards per completion (tied for 8th-most in the NFL in Week 3).
If Austin Ekeler returns and isn't limited, then he is certainly a player you can stack with Herbert because of his usage in the passing game. Even if Ekeler suits up, Keenan Allen is poised for another stellar outing after hauling in 18 of his 20 targets for 215 yards, along with a passing touchdown in Week 3. The veteran wideout is also producing the fourth-most yards per route run (3.59) this season. While we shouldn't expect 20 targets from Allen every week, he'll be relied upon even more with Mike Williams suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Once Williams exited last week's game against the Vikings, Allen and Joshua Palmer were the only wide receivers on the Chargers to run a route on each of Herbert's 10 dropbacks. Palmer is too cheap on DraftKings and gives us an easy way to get exposure to the Raiders/Chargers game. Despite Johnston running only three routes on Herbert's 10 dropbacks once Williams went down, we want to get ahead of his breakout game instead of waiting for it to happen and he's cheap on both sites. Gerald Everett is also worth mentioning despite the fact Donald Parham Jr. continues to steal touchdowns in the red zone.
Bring-back options:
- Davante Adams ($8,000 DK, $8,100 FD)
- Josh Jacobs ($7,100 DK, $8,200 FD) or Jakobi Meyers ($5,500 DK, $6,900 FD)
Assuming Jimmy Garoppolo is active for the Raiders, Davante Adams is the ideal bring-back option in this divisional matchup. Adams leads all wide receivers with an eye-popping 39.8% target share. The All-Pro wideout also just logged 13 catches, 172 yards, and two touchdowns on 20 targets in Week 3 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Josh Jacobs hasn't been able to get going this season yet, but the Chargers are 27th in rush DVOA through the first three weeks. Targets are being exclusively funneled to Adams and Jakobi Meyers in the Raiders' aerial attack when both of them are on the field. Meyers has registered at least 10 targets in the two games he's been active this season. The wide receivers on the Raiders will be going up against a Chargers defense that is giving up the most PPR points (165.4) to the position entering Week 4.
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills
- Tua Tagovailoa ($7,400 DK, $8,000 FD)
- Tyreek Hill ($9,200 DK, $9,600 FD)
- Jaylen Waddle ($7,600 DK, $7,400 FD) or Durham Smythe ($3,000 DK, $4,600 FD)
The Miami Dolphins were playing Madden in Week 3, putting up 70 points on the Denver Broncos. Tua Tagovailoa has been at the center of the entire operation, throwing for at least 300-plus yards and three-plus touchdowns in two of his first three games this season. Even though the Buffalo Bills are ranked second in pass DVOA, this Dolphins offense is running laps around the league right now and they are third in neutral pass rate. Stacking with Tagovailoa may use up a lot of your salary, but this game has the highest projected total (53.5) on the main slate.
The first player you'll want to stack with Tagovailoa is Tyreek Hill. Hill is tied with Puka Nacua for the second-highest target share (34.7%) among wide receivers and the way Mike McDaniel is utilizing the speedy wideout allows him to get free releases. Regardless of whether or not Jaylen Waddle returns in Week 4, Hill always has slate-breaking upside with his usage and big-play ability.
Waddle missed last week's 50-point win over the Broncos due to being in the league's concussion protocol, but he could make a return on Sunday versus the Bills. The former first-round pick wasn't lighting it up in the first couple of weeks with Hill being the focal point of the passing attack. That said, Waddle is still one of the most talented wideouts in the NFL and he plays in the most electric offense in the league. Durham Smythe is another tight end who is touchdown-dependent, though, he has run the same number of routes (63) as Hill this season. Braxton Berrios would become another value option if Waddle is ruled out again with River Cracraft dealing with a shoulder injury.
Bring-back options:
- Stefon Diggs ($8,100 DK, $8,700 FD)
- James Cook ($6,300 DK, $6,800 FD), Gabe Davis (5,900 DK, $6,500 FD), or Dalton Kincaid ($3,200 DK, $4,800 FD)
Using Stefon Diggs as the bring-back option this week won't be easy, especially if you're stacking Tagovailoa and Hill. Diggs has recorded 12-plus targets and 100-plus receiving yards in two of his first three games this season. Whenever Josh Allens drops back to pass for the Bills, his No. 1 read on nearly every play is going to be Diggs.
James Cook might be my favorite bring-back piece in this game as the Bills are home favorites and the Dolphins are 26th in run defense DVOA. Cook doesn't get the goal-line work with Latavius Murray and Damien Harris also in the backfield, but he is easily the most explosive back on the roster. Gabe Davis has now caught a touchdown in back-to-back weeks and the Bills are projected to score the second-most points (28.25) on the main slate. Dalton Kincaid hasn't done much yet, but you would think the Bills would get their first-round rookie more involved moving forward.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals
- Brock Purdy ($5,900 DK, $7,100 FD)
- Deebo Samuel ($6,900 DK, $8,000 FD)
- Brandon Aiyuk ($6,200 DK, $7,600 FD) or George Kittle ($5,100 DK, $6,300 FD)
Brock Purdy is never going to be an exciting option, but the San Francisco 49ers boast arguably the best skill group in the NFL and they are projected for the highest team total (29) in Week 4. Purdy just aired it out for 310 yards and two touchdowns in a double-digit win over the New York Giants. The second-year quarterback will face the feisty Arizona Cardinals at home on Sunday.
Not all of the points are going to be scored by Christian McCaffrey this week. I'm not against stacking McCaffrey with Purdy with his role in the passing game, but Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk should be prioritized in Purdy stacks. Samuel did pick up an injury to his ribs in Week 3, so it will be worth monitoring his status in Week 4. Aiyuk returned to practice after missing the game against the Giants, indicating that he's trending toward being active on Sunday.
George Kittle almost always goes overlooked because the 49ers always tend to use their receivers and running backs more than him each week. But Kittle has run the second-most routes (77) on the 49ers and he just notched seven receptions for 90 yards on nine targets in Week 3. With Purdy being one of the value options at quarterback, it's easy to stack the 49ers in Week 4 as double-digit home favorites.
Bring-back options:
- James Conner ($5,900 DK, $6,300 FD)
- Marquise Brown ($5,000 DK, $6,000 FD) or Michael Wilson ($3,500 DK, $4,900 FD)
The Cardinals don't have an offensive unit that excites anyone, but they are playing teams competitive on both sides of the ball through the first three weeks. James Conner has remained a focal point of the offense with Joshua Dobbs under center, earning the ninth-highest snap share (73.4%) among all running backs. Conner has also run the 13th-most routes (35) at the running back position. So even when the Cardinals are playing from behind, he'll be involved in the offense.
Marquise Brown has caught a touchdown in back-to-back weeks and he's totaled 17 targets in the last two weeks. Even if the 49ers jump out to an early lead, Brown is the only receiver on the Cardinals who holds a definitive role in the passing game. Rondale Moore is more of a gadget player than a receiver for the Cardinals, so I'd prefer Michael Wilson if I'm looking for a value bring-back option. The rookie out of Stanford hasn't gotten many targets yet, but his role should increase with back-to-back weeks of eclipsing 50 receiving yards.
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