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Hey there RotoBallers! After two mostly calm weeks to open the season, Week 3 brought plenty of upsets (hello Vikings) and some surprise fantasy performances (Calvin Ridley with the touchdown hat trick). Despite the unpredictability of Week 3, we do know that passing offenses are back in the NFL this season, which makes stacking a quarterback with his top passing game target a must in daily fantasy contests.
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 4 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 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 4 DFS Stacks
Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Davante Adams vs. Buffalo
Rodgers has been playing through a knee injury since halfway through his Week 1 game against the Chicago Bears. He has yet to throw for 300 yards this season but he does have six touchdowns and no interceptions through three games. Look for the Packers to take the Bills seriously on Sunday after Buffalo pulled off the upset of the young season when they went on the road and beat the Vikings in Week 3. Green Bay should see plenty of success against a Buffalo pass defense that ranks 22nd in DVOA through three weeks. Rodgers won't come cheap, as he's priced as a top-three quarterback on both sites, but he has plenty of upside this week.
Adams remains one of the best weekly bets to score a touchdown. The veteran wideout has a touchdown in each of his three games played and remains Rodgers' No. 1 option in the passing game. In Week 4, Adams is expected to draw primary coverage from Buffalo right corner Ryan Lewis. Lewis has graded out at just 64.8 at Pro Football Focus over the past two seasons. This will be an expensive stack but it could very well pay off for daily fantasy gamers this weekend.
New Orleans QB Drew Brees and WR Michael Thomas @ New York Giants
There's no reason to go away from one of the most productive quarterback/wide receiver stacks in Week 4. Drew Brees is the third-highest scoring fantasy quarterback this season while Michael Thomas is the overall WR1. The Giants pulled off a surprise victory over the Texans last weekend but they remain a poor pass defense, ranking 24th in DVOA and allowing the 14th most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. With Mark Ingram suspended another week, look for the Saints to continue to air it out in Week 4.
Thomas is staking his claim as the top fantasy wide receiver in the game. The veteran wideout is off to a white-hot start, accumulating 38 catches for 398 yards and three touchdowns through three weeks. Brees has been looking his way often, targeting the star on 40 of his 129 pass attempts. That's good for an impressive 31% target share. Thomas will draw coverage from Janoris Jenkins in Week 4. Jenkins is not the player he was with the Rams as he has graded out at a 68 over the past two seasons.
Houston QB Deshaun Watson and WR DeAndre Hopkins @ Indianapolis
Watson isn't off to the fast start he enjoyed in his rookie season but he is still coming off two straight 300-yard, two-touchdown games. The second-year quarterback remains one of the league's premier dual-threat quarterbacks, and it is that rushing upside that makes him an especially attractive play in daily fantasy. Watson draws a favorable Week 4 matchup against a Colts secondary that has routinely been tormented by opposing pass offenses over the past few seasons.
Hopkins has been solid this season, catching at least six passes in each of his three games and averaging just under 11 targets per game. He will enjoy running the majority of his routes against either Pierre Desir or Nate Hairston in Week 4. Neither player should give Hopkins much trouble in a game that could develop into a shootout. As an aside, the Texans concentrate a majority of their targets on Hopkins and Will Fuller. Of Deshaun Watson's 106 pass attempts this season, 52 have been directed at one of those two aforementioned wideouts. A three-man Texans stack makes a lot of sense in daily contests this weekend.
Moderately-Priced Week 4 DFS Stacks
Atlanta QB Matt Ryan and WR Julio Jones vs. Cincinnati
Matt Ryan has been doing his best to erase memories of a disappointing 2017 campaign. Through three weeks, Ryan has seven touchdowns to just two interceptions. He is coming off of an impressive five-touchdown performance against the Saints and draws another favorable matchup in Week 4. Cincinnati's pass defense has struggled to contain opposing quarterbacks this season, allowing the seventh-most fantasy points per game to the position. Ryan is in a great position to keep his fine play going in Week 4.
Jones was overshadowed in Week 3 by rookie wideout Calvin Ridley, who came down with three touchdowns against the Saints. Much of Ridley's success can be attributed to the extra defensive attention that the Saints paid toward Jones. With Ridley now racking up four touchdowns over his past two games, look for opposing defenses to play the Atlanta receivers more honestly, which is a positive for Julio. Jones is always a threat to lead all receivers in yardage any time he takes the field.
Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton and WR A.J. Green @ Atlanta
On the other side of the Falcons stack, we find a Bengals offense that has gotten off to an extremely impressive start. Andy Dalton, much like Matt Ryan, is playing much better than he did in 2017, tossing eight touchdowns through his first three games. Sure, his five interceptions aren't great, but Dalton is getting the job done, partially thanks to the emergence of Tyler Boyd. The Falcons have not been very effective against the pass this season, allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks and ranking 25th in pass defense DVOA.
If you have room for a moderately-priced stack, consider pairing Dalton with A.J. Green. Green left Week 3's loss to the Panthers with a pelvis injury. He has been able to practice on a limited basis this week and told reporters that the injury was minor. If Green does in fact play, consider locking him into lineups along with Dalton. Green will take on a Falcons secondary that is allowing the 11th most fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season.
Cleveland QB Baker Mayfield and WR Jarvis Landry @ Oakland
Mayfield made his NFL debut toward the end of the second quarter in Week 3 and instantly looked like he belonged, zipping passes all over the field and leading his team to a come from behind victory. While Mayfield didn't throw a touchdown, his insertion instantly made the passing game come to life. Mayfield makes his first NFL start against a Raiders pass defense that ranks 31st in the league in DVOA. The daily fantasy sites haven't raised Mayfield's price tag to align with his upside, which is rather high this weekend.
Mayfield enjoyed targeting Jarvis Landry in Week 3, connecting with him for seven passes in just over a half of football. Look for the two to turn in a huge day in Week 4 against a soft Oakland secondary. The Raiders are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers this season and will attempt to slow Landry with slot corner Leon Hall. Hall grades out at just 56.9, giving Landry a huge advantage on the field on Sunday.
Bargain-Priced Week 4 DFS Stacks
Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton and WR Tyler Boyd @ Atlanta
See above for notes on Dalton. If you don't have cap space for A.J. Green, consider Tyler Boyd, who is in the midst of a breakout season. Firmly entrenched as the team's No. 2 option in the passing game, Boyd has reached at least 91 yards in two straight games while also scoring twice. While Green figures to draw primary coverage from Desmond Trufant, Atlanta's most proficient cornerback, Boyd will enjoy taking shots against slot corner Brian Poole, who PFF has graded out at just 62 since the beginning of 2017. If Green ends up not playing this weekend, Boyd would become a must-play.
Cleveland QB Baker Mayfield and TE David Njoku @ Oakland
See above for notes on Mayfield. Njoku is off to a disappointing start this season, catching just nine passes for 69 yards in three games. That being said, the change to Mayfield at quarterback can be considered a plus for Njoku going forward. Especially with Josh Gordon no longer part of the team, Njoku profiles as the Browns' top red-zone weapon when they choose to throw in scoring position. The second-year tight end and Mayfield form a cheap stack that has multi-touchdown upside in Week 4.
"YOLO" Contrarian Stack
San Francisco QB C.J. Beathard and RB Matt Breida vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Beathard is not an inspiring fantasy play but he loved targeting his running backs during his short tenure as the 49ers' starter in 2017. In just over five games played, almost one-quarter of Beathard's targets were directed toward former 49er Carlos Hyde. With the sad news that Jimmy Garoppolo is out for the season, look for Beathard to continue his running back-heavy targeting ways, this time setting his sights on Matt Breida. Beathard is the cheapest quarterback on the slate on FanDuel and is just $100 more than the cheapest signal-caller on DraftKings this weekend.
Splitting backfield work with passing game non-factor Alfred Morris, look for Breida to lead the team in targets this weekend against the Chargers. While Beathard doesn't have much upside, if he and Breida can connect for a touchdown, that would be enough to pay off the extremely low price of Beathard on daily fantasy sites. This is a better option on DraftKings and any full-point PPR sites than it is on FanDuel and half-point PPR formats.
