RADIO
Hey there RotoBallers! After an explosive Week 1, things calmed down a bit in Week 2. The Ravens and Lamar Jackson continue to roll while the Saints and Steelers offenses both took a hit with their respective quarterbacks going down.
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 3 DFS stacks will be listed below, loosely sorted by my preference. This article will center on the main slate (1:00 PM and 4:00 PM Sunday) games across both DraftKings and FanDuel. Each stack will reference two pass-catchers along with their quarterback. The pass-catchers will be listed in preferential order but sometimes a three-man stack is in play as full-game stacks led to several wins in the Milly Maker in 2018. If you feel strongly about how an offense will perform in a given week then consider loading up on several offensive players from that offense. All references to team defense DVOA come from Football Outsiders while cornerback and wide receiver matchups and grade references come from Pro Football Focus. Data referring to a player's air yards comes from www.airyards.com.
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Week 3 DFS Stacks
Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers
QB Kyler Murray ($5,800 DraftKings, $7,200 FanDuel)
WR Christian Kirk ($5,100 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel)
WR Larry Fitzgerald ($5,000 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel)
We have yet to see a huge performance from the Cardinals offense but it is coming. In an encouraging sign, Arizona managed to put up 349 passing yards against a normally stout Baltimore pass defense in Week 2. Kyler Murray also has yet to flash the elite rushing ability that was part of what made him the first overall pick in the 2019 draft, with just six rushes for 17 yards. When he does start to run, that will unlock an extremely high weekly ceiling for the talented passer. Murray draws an enticing home matchup against a Panthers pass defense that is 19th in pass defense DVOA through two games and finished 24th in 2018.
Christian Kirk turned in a slow outing in Week 1, catching just 4-of-12 targets for 32 yards. He bounced back in Week 2 against a tough Baltimore defense and is 24th in the league with 203 air yards. Kirk and veteran Larry Fitzgerald have both been lining up in the slot in an Arizona offense that is running four wide receiver sets quite frequently. The Panthers have been leaky against slot receivers thus far, allowing 10 targets, seven catches, and 46 yards to Cooper Kupp in Week 1 and nine targets, eight catches, 121 yards, and a touchdown to Chris Godwin in Week 2. A three-man stack of Murray, Fitz, and Kirk is a solid plan of attack this weekend.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins
QB Dak Prescott ($6,500 DraftKings, $8,400 FanDuel)
WR Devin Smith ($3,400 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel)
WR Randall Cobb ($4,600 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel)
Anyone who has seen the Dolphins play through the first two weeks will agree that Dallas is a nice stacking option for Week 3. Helped by the creative play-calling of new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Dak Prescott is off to a white-hot start this season. Miami has allowed massive days to both Lamar Jackson (324 yards, five touchdowns) and Tom Brady (264, 3). Dallas is installed as a massive home favorite with a 34.25-point implied team total.
Of course, Amari Cooper is a quality play against Miami but I would prefer to explore a few other options in the Dallas passing attack. Devin Smith stands to see a big bump in playing time with Michael Gallup out of action for the next few weeks. Gallup had emerged as a major part of the Dallas pass game, hauling in 13-of-15 targets for 226 yards. Smith himself had a nice game last week, going for three catches, 74 yards, and a score. With top Miami corner Xavien Howard expected to be occupied with slowing Cooper, Smith will run most of his routes against either Eric Rowe or Jomal Wiltz. Rowe has a 41.3 grade from Pro Football Focus since the beginning of 2018 while Wiltz has a 29.8.
Randall Cobb is the other Dallas wide receiver expected to benefit from the leaky Miami secondary. He will mostly see Wiltz in the slot. As mentioned above, Wiltz is getting toasted by opposing receivers. Cobb is off to a decent start with Dallas, catching 9-of-11 targets for 93 yards and a score through two weeks. He should go overlooked this weekend and has plenty of upside.
Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs
QB Lamar Jackson ($7,000 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel)
WR Marquise Brown ($5,900 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel)
TE Mark Andrews ($4,600 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel)
This has the potential to be a fun game as two of the most explosive offenses through two weeks get together in Kansas City on Sunday. Not surprisingly, Vegas has a 52-point over/under installed on this game, highest on the slate. Lamar Jackson has been a top quarterback in the early going and much like Kyler Murray, he offers plenty of rushing upside. That was evidenced in Week 2 when he ripped off 120 rushing yards, to go along with 272 passing yards and two scores. The Kansas City offense will keep the pressure on Baltimore to keep up on the scoreboard, which will lead to more opportunities for Jackson.
I was a bit hesitant on Brown after his big Week 1 game because he only played 14 snaps. The Ravens stepped up his role last week as the rookie wideout was on the field for 64.6% of the offensive plays. With more of a full-time role and entrenched as the team's top outside threat, Brown could have a massive game against Kansas City in Week 3. The Chiefs will mostly use left corner Charvarius Ward against Brown. That is a pretty big mismatch for Brown as Ward has just a 61.3 grade from PFF. Ward was primarily responsible for covering Chris Conley in Week 1 and was shredded for 97 yards and a score.
Andrews has been every bit as impressive as Marquise Brown, emerging as the other top option in the passing game. The second-year tight end already has 16 catches for 220 yards and two scores. The Chiefs have long been a defense worth targeting with tight ends in fantasy. Kansas City allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to the position in 2018.
Under-owned Week 3 Stack
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Houston Texans
QB Philip Rivers ($5,800 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel)
WR Keenan Allen ($7,000 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel)
RB Austin Ekeler ($7,200 DraftKings, $7,600 FanDuel)
Rivers is coming off a slow Week 2 outing against the Lions but appears primed to bounce back against Houston in Week 3. While the Lions prefer low-scoring contests, the Texans will score often enough to force the Chargers to stay in attack mode. Rivers ought to go overlooked from an ownership percentage perspective with plenty of the top quarterbacks drawing plus matchups for Week 3.
Keenan Allen is off to a strong start with 25 targets, 16 receptions, 221 yards, and a touchdown. He is also first in the league with 329 air yards, despite being mostly considered as a short and intermediate route specialist by many. Allen draws a prime Week 3 matchup against Houston slot man Bradley Roby, who is allowing 0.37 fantasy points per route covered and has a 60.0 grade from PFF.
The damage Austin Ekeler has done, both on the ground and through the air, is causing many to forget about Melvin Gordon's holdout. Ekeler has emerged as one of Rivers' favorite targets, racking up 12 catches for 163 yards and two scores. The Chargers have been among the league leaders in running back targets over the past few seasons while Houston coughed up four catches and 40 yards to Leonard Fournette in Week 2 and seven catches for 72 yards to Alvin Kamara in Week 1. Of Rivers' 70 total pass attempts this season, 39 have gone to either Allen or Ekeler. With such a consolidated target share, this is one of my favorite three-man stacks on the board.
Thanks for reading, go win some money this weekend!
