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Andrew Lovell's daily fantasy football stacks and lineup sleepers for DraftKings, FanDuel. DFS tournament stacks & GPP picks for Week Fourteen of the 2016 NFL season.
Christmas is just about three weeks away -- what's on your list for Santa Claus? If you're a daily fantasy football player, touchdowns are surely high atop the wish list. How about doubling the value of a single touchdown? Sounds great, right? It's not a Christmas miracle -- it's just the benefit of a productive DFS stack.
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 14, loosely sorted by salary.
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High Priced Week 14 DFS Stacks
Tampa Bay QB Jameis Winston and WR Mike Evans vs. New Orleans
Evans had his quietest game of the season this past Sunday in Tampa Bay's road win against San Diego, finishing with just three receptions for 38 yards. Both totals represented season lows for Evans, who is in the midst of a brilliant campaign.
Expect the young Buccaneers star wideout to bounce back this weekend against an underwhelming Saints secondary. Tampa Bay is also expected to be without wide receivers Adam Humphries and Cecil Shorts, meaning Winston should feed Evans a healthy dose of targets. Start these two with confidence.
New England QB Tom Brady and WR Julian Edelman vs. Baltimore
The Patriots have been confounding fantasy players since Bill Belichick took over as head coach in 2000. Brady is often good for three or four touchdown passes in a game, but predicting the recipients of those passes is a struggle.
New England won't have star tight end Rob Gronkowski moving forward, so that should open up opportunities for players like Edelman, Malcolm Mitchell and Martellus Bennett. Edelman has at least eight receptions and 75 yards in each of his last three games, so he's the safest of the bunch.
New Orleans Drew Brees and WR Michael Thomas at Tampa Bay
Make sure to check Thomas' status before locking this prolific duo into your lineups. Thomas is dealing with a foot injury, so if he's going to be limited, it's wise to consider either Brandin Cooks or Willie Snead instead.
If Thomas is cleared to play Sunday, he could be in line for a big game against a below-average Tampa Bay secondary. Thomas has developed an instant rapport with Brees, but is coming off a "down" week against Detroit (four receptions, 42 yards). Look for a bounce-back performance in Week 14.
Moderately Priced Week 14 DFS Stacks
Arizona QB Carson Palmer and WR Larry Fitzgerald at Miami
If football is a young man's game, Palmer and Fitzgerald missed that memo. The Cardinals have stumbled to a disappointing 5-6-1 record this season, but the 36-year-old Palmer and 33-year-old Fitzgerald have remained fantasy stalwarts, particularly of late.
Palmer has tossed seven touchdowns over his last three games, and Fitzgerald has 20 receptions over that same span. Fitzgerald hasn't scored since Week 5, so he's due to find the end zone sooner than later. Plus, Miami's defense has been shredded by Colin Kaepernick and Joe Flacco in recent weeks.
Washington QB Kirk Cousins and WR Jamison Crowder at Philadelphia
Without looking, can you name the player that leads Washington in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns this season? Hint: It's not DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon or standout tight end Jordan Reed. It's Crowder.
That's not too shabby for the undersized 2015 fourth-round pick out of Duke. He's been on a particularly solid roll of late, scoring touchdowns in four of his last five games. Cousins looks his way early and often, and we expect that to continue in Sunday's key NFC East showndown against the Eagles.
Buffalo QB Tyrod Taylor and WR Sammy Watkins vs. Pittsburgh
There are a few things to like about this stack entering the weekend. First, Watkins should continue to see an increase in his snaps as he gears up for his third game since returning from injured reserve.
Second, Taylor leads all quarterbacks with 469 rushing yards, and is always a threat to pile up points via his legs. Third, the Bills are likely to find themselves trailing in the game against the high-powered Steelers, meaning they will have to throw to keep up. That could translate to a deep Watkins touchdown.
Bargain Week 14 DFS Stacks
Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton and TE Tyler Eifert at Cleveland
It's a classic case of too little, too late for the 4-7-1 Bengals, but Dalton put together his finest performance of the season this past Sunday against the Eagles, finishing with 332 yards and two touchdowns. He should be able to keep that momentum going against the Browns.
Cleveland's pass defense ranks 21st in the NFL, but they have particularly struggled against opposing tight ends. This bodes well for Eifert, who has scored a touchdown in each of his last two games.
Chicago QB Matt Barkley and WR Cameron Meredith at Detroit
Yikes. It sure has gotten ugly in Chicago, huh? This stack will inspire little confidence, but it comes at a dirt-cheap price. Two weeks ago, Barkley passed for 316 yards and three touchdowns in a garbage time-fueled performance.
That could once again be the case this Sunday against the Lions. Meredith is the Bears' top target with Alshon Jeffery still suspended, and both Marquess Wilson and Eddie Royal nursing injuries.
