RADIO
Hey there RotoBallers! It's hard to believe it is Week 11 already. Week 11 brings us a few tasty matchups from a fantasy standpoint, including what should be an entertaining Saints-Eagles game with a high 54.5-point over/under. The main slate also boasts several other games with over/unders of 50 points or more. That would include the Panthers-Lions game (51 points) and Buccaneers-Giants (52). While AFC North games are usually low-scoring, the Bengals-Ravens game could also turn into a sneaky shootout and has a high 49.5-point over/under. These are games you will want to consider getting some exposure to in DFS tournaments this weekend.
The goal of this weekly column will be to locate some of the best DFS stacks each week. Stacking, or pairing a quarterback with one of his pass-catchers, is a great way to maximize point scoring. This method is generally viewed as a strategy in tournaments, but I also have no problem using safe, high-floor stacks in cash games, as well.
The top Week 11 DFS stacks will be listed below, loosely sorted by salary. The focus will be on the main slate (1:00 PM and 4:00 PM EST Sunday) games across both sites. All references to team defense DVOA come from Football Outsiders while cornerback and wide receiver matchups and grade references come from Pro Football Focus.
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High-Priced Week 11 DFS Stacks
New Orleans QB Drew Brees and WR Michael Thomas vs. Philadelphia
The Saints offense went on the road in Week 10 and hung 51 points on the Bengals. Now they return home to the fast track at Superdome, where they have historically played better than on the road. Drew Brees' offense has an implied point total of 31.75 points and will take their shots against a struggling Philadelphia pass defense. The Eagles will be extremely short-handed in the secondary this weekend as Ronald Darby is out for the year with a torn ACL and Jalen Mills is unlikely to play with a foot injury.
Michael Thomas turned in yet another dominant performance in Week 10, scoring twice while catching all eight of his targets. As mentioned above, the Eagles are likely to be without two starting cornerbacks, which leaves Rasul Douglas and Chandon Sullivan to attempt to slow the star wideout. Douglas was a third-round pick in 2017 who has had trouble finding the field in his short career while Sullivan is an undrafted free agent who will be playing in his third NFL game. Thomas is a no-brainer this weekend as long as you can afford his high salary in lineups.
Houston QB Deshaun Watson and WR DeAndre Hopkins @ Washington
The Texans-Washington game doesn't have a high over/under, set at just 42.5 points, but Watson's rushing ability always puts him in play regardless of matchup. Washington has been average against the pass this season, ranking 17th in DVOA and allowing the 13th-most fantasy points per game to the position. As usual, Watson is the engine who makes the Houston offense go. The second-year signal-caller has multiple touchdowns in five of his nine games played this season and brings three-touchdown upside to the table anytime he's on the field.
As usual, those looking to play Watson will want to pair him with DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins is averaging 10.0 targets per game this season and has scored at least one touchdown in each of his past four contests. Washington's secondary boasts skilled cornerback Josh Norman, but he only plays on the right side, meaning the Texans will be able to move Hopkins around to avoid Norman's coverage. The Watson-Hopkins stack is a high-upside pairing that will be much lower owned than the New Orleans stack mentioned above.
Moderately-Priced Week 11 DFS Stacks
New York QB Eli Manning and WR Odell Beckham, Jr. vs. Tampa Bay
No one gets too excited about playing Manning at this point of his career, but the dismal Tampa Bay secondary is an elixir that cures many ails, including those that affect an ineffective, aging signal-caller such as Eli. Tampa Bay's pass defense ranks 30th in the league in DVOA and is allowing an average of 306.1 passing yards and 2.6 passing touchdowns per game this season. If there was ever a week where we see Manning revert back his Super Bowl-winning form, this is it.
Odell Beckham, Jr. is an elite play this weekend, regardless of whether you want to pair him with Manning. Beckham scored twice in Week 10 and could have had another score had Eli not overthrown him on a deep pass attempt. Beckham draws a dream matchup in Week 11 as he will take on a Buccaneers secondary that is allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to enemy wide receivers. Odell will draw primary coverage from veteran corner Brent Grimes, who has is ranked 93rd out of 113 graded cornerbacks at Pro Football Focus.
Philadelphia QB Carson Wentz and WR Alshon Jeffery and/or WR Golden Tate @ New Orleans
The Eagles pass offense finds itself in a fantastic spot as 9.0-point road dogs heading to the fast track at the Superdome in a very offense-friendly environment. Wentz and the Philly pass offense has been trending up over the past few weeks, with the third-year quarterback passing for multiple touchdowns and at least 286 yards in each of his past six contests. The New Orleans offense is dominant at home and it stands to reason that the Eagles will have to pass often to keep up on the scoreboard.
There's reason to consider a three-man stack for this game, based on how poor the New Orleans secondary has been this season. That being said, popular Wentz stack partner Zach Ertz does draw a tough matchup as tight end has been one position the Saints have been able to cover this season. Instead, consider pairing Wentz with Alshon Jeffery, who is coming off two consecutive slow games. Jeffery has just eight catches for 83 yards over that span, but he has also had two difficult matchups, squaring off against Jalen Ramsey and Byron Jones. The Saints haven't been using top corner Marshon Lattimore to shadow this season, leaving Jeffery to run the majority of his routes against Giants cast-off Eli Apple. Apple has just a 55.5 grade at PFF this season. Finishing off the three-man stack is Golden Tate, who disappointed in his Eagles debut, catching two passes while playing just 18 of 62 snaps. Most fantasy gamers will avoid Tate due to a cloudy playing time situation but his matchup is prime if he does play a healthy complement of snaps. Saints slot corner P.J. Williams ranks second-to-last in the league in PFF's coverage grades, ahead of only Detroit's Teez Tabor.
Bargain-Priced Week 11 DFS Stacks
Carolina QB Cam Newton and TE Greg Olsen @ Detroit
Newton heads on the road to take on a Detroit pass defense that has been a very favorable matchup for opposing offenses this season. Detroit's pass defense ranks 31st in the league in DVOA and is allowing the 14th-most fantasy points per game to enemy quarterbacks. Newton's squad has a healthy 27.5-point implied team total and, as always, the veteran quarterback is a threat to score on the ground as he operates as the team's goal-line running back more often than not.
The Lions have been a mess in most aspects of pass coverage, putting any of Carolina's pass-catchers on the map as a solid DFS tournament play. Slot cornerback Teez Tabor, mentioned above, is last in the league in coverage grade according to PFF. D.J. Moore has run 40% of his snaps out of the slot, putting him in play as a tournament dart throw. If you want to play it safer, Greg Olsen is an excellent option against a Lions defense that is ranked 30th in the league in DVOA against tight ends. Over an early-season foot injury, Olsen remains one of Newton's favorite end zone targets and has scored in three of the past four games.
Tennessee QB Marcus Mariota and WR Corey Davis @ Indianapolis
Don't look now, but the Tennessee offense that many expected to see this season is finally starting to emerge. After getting off to a painfully slow start, the Titans have looked much better on the offensive side of the ball over the past three games. This is partially due to quarterback Marcus Mariota finally being over an early-season elbow injury which was causing him pain when he threw. The Colts defense has been surprisingly stout against the run this season but continues to struggle against the pass, setting up the Titans for a pass-first attack this weekend. As is the case for Deshaun Watson and Cam Newton, Mariota's rushing production also helps to keep his fantasy floor high.
Corey Davis is finally starting to break out on the heels of Mariota getting to full health. Over his past two games, Davis has drawn 20 targets, converting those into 13 catches for 181 yards and a touchdown. He will enjoy facing off against a Colts secondary that is 29th in the league in DVOA against the opposition's No. 1 wide receiver this season. Indy will counter Davis with right corner Pierre Desir, who is not a shutdown force. When he doesn't run routes at Desir, Davis will tangle with left corner Quincy Wilson, who has a 49.7 grade at PFF.
"YOLO" Contrarian Stack
Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger and WR Antonio Brown @ Jacksonville
Most fantasy gamers are aware that Ben Roethlisberger has had some struggles on the road over the past few seasons. That, paired with a tough Week 11 matchup at Jacksonville assures that the Pittsburgh signal-caller will not be a popular DFS play this weekend. Despite the narrative that Big Ben struggles on the road, the All-Pro QB has not been that bad away from Heinz Field this season, averaging 331.8 passing yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions in four road games this season. Take away his Week 1 three-interception debacle against the Browns in Cleveland and he has been excellent on the road this season.
Antonio Brown will run the majority of his routes against star corner Jalen Ramsey on Sunday in what should be a thrilling matchup between two of the league's best at their respective positions. Despite Ramsey's reputation as one of the league's top corners, he has struggled to limit Brown over his career. In two games against the Jaguars in 2017 (one being in the Divisional Round of the playoffs), Brown racked up 17 catches for 289 yards and two scores. This is a fantastic week to get some exposure to one of the league's top offenses at a lower than usual ownership rate.
