January 6, 2017

Andrew Lovell's daily fantasy football stacks and DFS lineup sleepers for DraftKings, FanDuel. Tournament stacks & GPP picks for the NFL Wild Card playoffs.

Thirty two teams started the race for Super Bowl LI back in September, but now just 12 remain as the postseason kicks off this weekend with four wild-card games. If your favorite team is still alive, congratulations. If not, enjoy the last few weeks of the 2016-17 fantasy football season while it's still here!

The goal of this NFL Wild Card Round column is to help find the most profitable DFS lineup stacks for daily fantasy football, 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. With only four games to choose from, pricing becomes less of a concern. You'll want to find a low-owned gem or two, especially for tournaments, but it'll still be important to hit a high-scoring stack to build the foundation of your lineup. With that mind, instead of ranking the stacks from most expensive to least expensive as in previous weeks, we've ranked them in order of appeal.

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Wild Card Round - Strong DFS Stacks

Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger and WR Antonio Brown vs. Miami

After getting a break in Week 17, Roethlisberger and Brown are primed to step back into the spotlight. Both should be well rested for the Steelers' first-round matchup with the Dolphins.

That, of course, is bad news for Miami, which allowed 30 passing touchdowns in the regular season (tied for 25th). Brown's 12 receiving touchdowns tied for second in the league behind Green Bay's Jordy Nelson, so the odds seem to favor Brown finding the end zone this Sunday. Pairing Big Ben with Le'Veon Bell or Eli Rogers is also viable, but Brown is the safest option.

Seattle QB Russell Wilson and WR Doug Baldwin vs. Detroit

The Lions enter the postseason as one of the league's coldest teams, having lost three straight games to finish 9-7. Over that three-game stretch, Detroit surrendered a whopping 10 touchdown passes. The Lions also set a dubious NFL record, allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 72.7 percent of their passes.

The Seahawks have had their struggles, to be sure, but Wilson should have a nice performance against a struggling Lions defense. Jimmy Graham is a solid stack option with Wilson, while Jermaine Kearse and Paul Richardson offer contrarian punt plays. Baldwin, however, is the safest option, and a good bet to top 100 yards.

Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Jordy Nelson vs. New York

Rodgers is the hottest player in the NFL entering the postseason, and that makes him an appealing play, even against a stout Giants defense. Rodgers has thrown 18 touchdown passes against zero -- zero! -- interceptions over his last seven games. The Packers won six of those seven games and stormed to the top of the NFC North.

Nelson, Davante Adams, Randall Cobb (if he plays) and Geronimo Allison will all draw targets from Rodgers, but we're banking on Nelson catching a touchdown or two after a relatively quiet Week 17 (six receptions, 66 yards). Adams makes for a solid play though, if you're feeling contrarian.

Wild Card Round - Riskier DFS Stacks

New York Giants QB Eli Manning and WR Odell Beckham Jr. at Green Bay

Manning is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2011. During that postseason, Manning led the Giants into Green Bay and knocked off the top-seeded Packers in the divisional round. In fact, Manning is 2-0 in his career at Lambeau Field in the playoffs.

Given that Manning has previously risen to a different level in the playoffs, we can give him the benefit of the doubt once again. The Packers' defense could be severely short-handed in the secondary if Quinten Rollins, Damarious Randall and/or Makinton Dorleant don't suit up. Don't expect a high-scoring shootout, but a touchdown to Beckham is certainly feasible.

Detroit QB Matthew Stafford and WR Golden Tate at Seattle

Stafford can downplay the injury to the middle finger on his throwing hand all he wants, but the reality is that he's thrown five interceptions against just three touchdowns in the four games since the injury. One of those TDs came on a desperation Hail Mary in Sunday night's loss.

Seattle's secondary isn't nearly as imposing without star safety Earl Thomas, but it is still an elite unit. The Lions have no semblance of a consistent running game, so Stafford will be throwing early and often. If nothing else, Tate should tally at least six receptions for a sixth straight game.

Miami QB Matt Moore and WR Jarvis Landry at Pittsburgh

We've now reached the backup quarterback portion of this column -- there's still two more to come! Moore, to his credit, has filled in admirably for Ryan Tannehill. Moore has passed for at least 200 yards and two touchdowns in each of his three starts, and he'll almost certainly need to do so again for Miami to upset the Steelers.

Moore has leaned on Landry over the last few weeks, and that should continue against Pittsburgh. Expect Landry to pile up catches across the middle, but he's always a risky source of touchdowns.

Wild Card Round - DFS Stacks to Avoid

Oakland QB Connor Cook and WR Michael Crabtree at Houston

First things first -- make sure to wait until Raiders coach Jack Del Rio declares a starting quarterback. We're assuming it's going to be the rookie Cook, but there's a possibility Matt McGloin plays through the shoulder injury he sustained in Week 17.

Either way, there's not much to love about either Cook or McGloin. Both played this past Sunday and the Raiders managed just six points on the road against a strong defense (Denver). Oakland will again be on the road against a solid defense this Saturday. The upside is limited here.

Houston QB Brock Osweiler and WR DeAndre Hopkins vs. Oakland

Yikes, what a mess. The Texans will turn back to Osweiler as their starter after Tom Savage suffered a concussion in Week 17 against Tennessee. Though Osweiler looked better this past Sunday than he had prior to being benched in Week 15, neither he nor Savage inspire much confidence for fantasy purposes.

Hopkins has had a frustrating season, but he finished the regular season on a strong note, tallying seven receptions for a season-high 123 yards this past Sunday. This is a situation to monitor throughout the week, but Oakland-Houston is shaping up to be the least appealing matchup from a DFS perspective.