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Thanksgiving is less than a week away. Time to reflect on what you are thankful for. Long touchdown runs? Yep. Long touchdown passes? You bet. Long touchdowns in general? Of course. In short, we're all thankful for fantasy football, and what better way to celebrate than with another week of DFS?
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 11, loosely sorted by salary.
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High-Priced Week 11 DFS Stacks
Kansas City QB Alex Smith and TE Travis Kelce at New York Giants
While we're about to recommend stacking two Chiefs players this Sunday, you'd be wise to mix and match a handful of Kansas City players if you're playing multiple lineups. Seriously, Smith, running back Kareem Hunt, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and Kelce are all elite plays against a Giants team in disarray.
Smith and Kelce, however, stand out. Smith is enjoying a career season, while the Giants have been shredded in successive weeks by Jared Goff and C.J. Beathard. New York has also allowed at least one touchdown to a tight end in all nine games this season. Smith and Kelce should feast.
New England QB Tom Brady and TE Rob Gronkowski at Oakland
The Raiders are slightly better than the Giants at defending opposing tight ends, but not by much. Oakland has surrendered at least one touchdown to a tight end in four of its last seven games.
Brady is always a legitimate threat for 300-plus yards and a handful of touchdowns, but that's certainly true against Oakland's 22nd-ranked pass defense. Brady has targeted Gronkowski at least seven times in each of the last four games, a trend that should continue Sunday in Mexico. Expect these Patriots stars to shine.
New Orleans QB Drew Brees and WR Michael Thomas vs. Washington
This isn't your typical Saints team. In a 47-10 throttling of the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, Brees finished with just 184 passing yards and zero touchdowns. The backfield duo of Mark Ingram and dynamic rookie Alvin Kamara has carried the Saints to a 7-2 record.
While the two running backs remain strong fantasy plays, this could be a perfect time to bet on Brees to come through with a few touchdowns. Thomas, who is coming off a nine-catch, 117-yard outing last weekend, is a safe bet for 8-12 targets. He should be able to turn those targets into a second-straight strong fantasy performance.
Moderately-Priced Week 11 DFS Stacks
Oakland QB Derek Carr and WR Michael Crabtree vs. New England
After a frustratingly quiet start to the season, Carr is rounding into form of late. He's passed for at least 300 yards in each of his last three games, along with five touchdowns over the same span. Now he draws a matchup with the Patriots' 32nd-ranked pass defense.
Amari Cooper is a tempting (and viable) stacking option, but the better choice is probably Crabtree, who leads the team with six touchdowns. Cooper offers a high ceiling, but comes with a low floor. Crabtree's ceiling is just as high, but his floor is also higher. Roll with Crabtree in what should be a high-scoring matchup.
Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff and WR Robert Woods at Minnesota
Don't look now, but the Rams are fun to watch again! We haven't been able to say that since the old days of Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and "The Greatest Show on Turf." Goff has done his best Warner impression, passing for 300-plus yards in two straight games, along with seven total touchdowns.
The primary beneficiary of Goff's offensive explosion is Woods, who has four touchdowns in the last two games. The matchup with the Vikings is challenging, but Washington also had little trouble moving the ball against Minnesota last week. The Rams' duo should once again provide solid fantasy production.
Arizona QB Blaine Gabbert and WR Larry Fitzgerald at Houston
Gabbert sighting! Well, at least we think so. Gabbert hasn't officially been named the Cardinals' Week 11 starter, so keep an eye out in case Drew Stanton (knee) can play. If he can't, Gabbert will draw the start against the Texans' 27th-ranked pass defense.
Fitzgerald, even at age 34, just continues to dominant. He's coming off a 10-catch, 113-yard outing last Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks, and should have little trouble piling up catches against the Texans. Whether he finds the end zone or not depends on Gabbert's level of play, but Fitzgerald's floor is higher than most.
Bargain-Priced Week 11 DFS Stacks
Jacksonville QB Blake Bortles and WR Marqise Lee at Cleveland
This is a major dice roll for a few reasons. First, Bortles is, well ... Bortles. He's wildly inconsistent and turnover-prone. Second, Lee is battling a knee issue that could limit him. And third, Mother Nature could pelt Cleveland with wind and snow this Sunday.
With all of that being said, the Browns' below-average pass defense makes a Bortles-Lee stack worth a long look. Fellow wide receiver Allen Hurns is unlikely to suit up, so Lee should be in store for a busy day. This is a high-risk, high-reward stack.
Buffalo QB Nathan Peterman and WR Kelvin Benjamin at Los Angeles Chargers
Hey, why not? The Bills made the move from Tyrod Taylor to Peterman, a fifth-round rookie out of Pittsburgh, this week following a lopsided loss to the Saints. Peterman put up solid numbers in college last season and can move around better than most realize.
If you roll out this cheap stack, you're hoping for a little first-start magic. The Chargers don't have much tape from Peterman's NFL reel to review at this point, so he could surprise. Benjamin caught three passes for 42 yards in his Bills debut last week and should remain heavily involved in the game plan this week.
More Week 11 DFS Analysis
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