Best DFS Stacks
Each week, with the help of our premium DFS Stacking Page, we’re going to be diving into the main DFS slates for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo to give you the QB-WR stacks that represent the best value on the board.
When possible, we’ll look to avoid throwing out the obvious names. However, just because a player is well known, that doesn’t mean they’re the easy pick when filling out your roster — and it also doesn’t mean that their price tag accurately matches their potential production. For example, last week we had Tom Brady and Mike Evans as one of our suggestions. Brady was only rostered by 13.4% of DraftKings players in the Millionaire Maker, and Evans was down at 9.6%. The two combined to score 55.14 fantasy points and were scattered throughout all of the lineups that ended up winning big, despite not being all that expensive.
With that in mind, these are the five combinations you should think about rolling with in Week 3 of the NFL regular season:
Minnesota Vikings (vs. Seattle Seahawks)
- QB – Kirk Cousins (DraftKings: $6,300 / FanDuel: $7,700 / Yahoo: $31)
- WR – K.J. Osborn (DraftKings: $3,500 / FanDuel: $5,100 / Yahoo: $13)
It’s hard to find quarterbacks that have played as well as Cousins has through two weeks, with the 33-year-old having thrown for 595 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions thus far. Now, Cousins finds himself in a matchup with the Seahawks that currently has the highest betting total of any game on the board. That’s right, boys and girls. You should expect fireworks in this one.
Last week, Tennessee’s Ryan Tannehill shredded this Seattle secondary in a stunning comeback victory, throwing for 347 yards in a 33-30 overtime win. Tannehill and Cousins aren’t all that different as quarterbacks, as both are extremely accurate but can occasionally connect on a big throw down the field. With Dalvin Cook dealing with injuries to both his ankle and shoulder, the Vikings are going to lean even more on Cousins’ arm in this one. He has thrown the ball a ridiculous 81 times this season, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he throws another 40 or so passes in this game.
At wide receiver, Osborn looks like the perfect running mate for Cousins in daily fantasy. Whereas Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen are both extremely expensive, Osborn is still super affordable, despite coming off a performance in which he had five catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. Like a Randy Orton “RKO”, the rookie has come from out of nowhere to emerge as Minnesota’s third receiver this season. Cousins clearly trusts him to make plays, which is why he has targeted him 15 times already. And the ability of both Jefferson and Thielen make it so that Osborn won’t face anything but single coverage all season.
This combination comes in as our fifth-best value on DraftKings, so you just have to ask yourself one question: You like that?
New York Giants (vs. Atlanta Falcons)
- QB – Daniel Jones (DraftKings: $5,800 / FanDuel: $7,400 / Yahoo: $25)
- WR – Kenny Golladay (DraftKings: $5,600 / FanDuel: $5,600 / Yahoo: $16)
Jones might not be winning games for the Giants right now, but the 24-year-old is turning into a fantasy football monster. Thanks to his ability to run the football, Jones is now fourth in the league in fantasy points per game at the quarterback position. He is behind only Kyler Murray, Patrick Mahomes and Brady, putting him in some very impressive company.
Last week, Jones threw for 249 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions against the Washington Football Team, and he also added nine rushes for 95 yards and a score on the ground. New York is really starting to mix in some nice read-option plays for Jones, who is one of the fastest quarterbacks in football. Look for his running ability to continue to be a serious weapon, especially with the Giants needing to get creative to make up for a miserable offensive line.
Up next for Jones is a meeting with the Falcons, who are allowing a league-worst 40.0 points per game through two weeks. In Week 1, Atlanta allowed Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts to throw for 264 yards with three touchdowns and no picks, and Hurts also added another 62 yards on the ground. Jones isn’t quite as good of a runner as Hurts is, but he’s not that far off. Overall, the two are somewhat similar in what they can do on the football field, and Jones could be looking at one of the best weeks of anybody at his position.
Quick Links
As for Jones’ best receiving option, the best move would be to go with Golladay over Sterling Shepard. The latter already has 16 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown this season, so he’s on everybody’s radars by now. However, Golladay is off to something of a slow start this year, so he won’t be rostered by too many fantasy players this week. Golladay also voiced his displeasure with the offense in the loss to Washington last week, and star receivers tend to get peppered with targets after complaining.
Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Kansas City Chiefs)
- QB – Justin Herbert (DraftKings: $6,500 / FanDuel: $7,500 / Yahoo: $32)
- WR – Keenan Allen (DraftKings: $6,600 / FanDuel: $6,900 / Yahoo: $26)
Last week, everybody was crazy about the Herbert-Allen connection heading into a meeting with the Dallas Cowboys. Herbert ended up throwing for 338 yards and a touchdown in that game, but the second-year signal caller also threw two interceptions. The expectation was that he would turn in a much better effort than that. The same also goes for Allen, who had four receptions for 108 yards but didn’t find the end zone.
With Herbert and Allen not living up to the hype in a prime matchup last week, now is actually the time to back them. The two of them are now priced a bit more fairly, and most fantasy players get scared off by bad performances. Also, while the Chiefs are a very good football team, this is actually a better matchup than it looks like on paper.
Last year, Herbert’s first taste of NFL action came against this Kansas City team, and the youngster threw for 311 yards with one touchdown and one pick in that game. He also added another score on the ground. Herbert then faced the Chiefs again in his final start of the year. He was sensational in that one, throwing for 302 yards with three touchdowns, while also adding nine yards and a touchdown as a runner. Herbert might not be able to exactly replicate those numbers in this one, but this game has a high betting total of 55.0 right now. And his team will be counting on him to keep pace with Mahomes.
As for Allen, you might not get a better bang for your buck than him this week. The star wideout isn’t priced as a top-10 receiver anywhere, but he’s extremely likely to turn in that type of production. Last year, Allen had seven catches for 96 yards in his lone meeting with the Chiefs. He should be good for 100 or so yards in this game, and he’s also due for a trip to the end zone.
Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Arizona Cardinals)
- QB – Trevor Lawrence (DraftKings: $5,500 / FanDuel: $6,600 / Yahoo: $26)
- WR – Marvin Jones Jr. (DraftKings: $4,900 / FanDuel: $6,300 / Yahoo: $17)
Lawrence is coming off a really rough showing against the Denver Broncos, as the rookie completed just 14 of his 33 passes for 118 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Broncos do, however, have one of the best collections of defensive backs in the league, and it’s not easy to win on the road a rookie. Lawrence should be in line for a much better outing against the Cardinals, especially with this game being played in Jacksonville.
The Cardinals shut down the Titans in Week 1 of the season, but Tennessee is still trying to find out what its offense will look like with Arthur Smith now the head coach in Atlanta. The real Arizona defense is more like the one we saw in last week’s game against Minnesota. The Cardinals have serious issues in the secondary, which was clearly exploited by Cousins and the Vikings passing game. Look for the Jaguars to look at that film closely to try and find a way to put Lawrence in similarly favorable situations.
Jones is an easy pick as Lawrence’s complement. Not only is the wideout extremely cheap, but he has done nothing but produce so far. The Jaguars paid Jones good money to come in and be a veteran leader for this offense, and they clearly are big believers in his ability, too. Through two games this season, he’s been targeted 20 times and has scored in both contests. Lawrence has a lot of trust in the 31-year-old and he should be able to keep rolling here.
This is our third-ranked value of the week on DraftKings, and it’s one that should be fun to follow. The Lawrence breakout game is coming soon enough, so why not try to be on it when it happens?
Detroit Lions (vs. Baltimore Ravens)
- QB – Jared Goff (DraftKings: $5,200 / FanDuel: $7,100 / Yahoo: $25)
- WR – Quintez Cephus (DraftKings: $3,900 / FanDuel: $5,300 / Yahoo: $12)
Goff was written off a bit after being traded by the Los Angeles Rams, but we’ve seen some impressive things out of the former No. 1 pick through two games. The 26-year-old threw for 338 yards with three touchdowns and one pick against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1, and he followed it up with 246 yards with two touchdowns and one pick against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night. Goff also had four rushes for 46 yards in that game against the Packers. That’s not something he likes to do often — he’s very slow — but it’s hard to ignore from a fantasy perspective.
In Week 3, Goff has a matchup with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Normally, this would be a situation you wouldn’t want to touch with a 10-foot pole, but Baltimore is just completely depleted in the secondary. The Ravens lost Marcus Peters to a torn ACL before the season, and the team then lost one of his replacements, Chris Westry, as well. It would definitely help Baltimore if veteran Jimmy Smith is able to play in this game, but there’s also no way he’d be able to perform at 100 percent.
With all those guys out last week, Mahomes was able to shred this defense in Week 2, going 24 for 31 for 343 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. The Ravens genuinely had no answer for the passing game in what ended up being a 36-35 win for Baltimore, but it was a careless interception by Mahomes — one in which a lack of focus and awareness really doomed him — that gave the Ravens a chance in a back-and-forth game with little defense on display. Sure, Goff is no Mahomes and doesn’t have as good of talent around him, but this Lions passing game has had a little more juice than expected. And Detroit’s lack of pass-catching talent won’t look as bad with Baltimore running out no-names at corner.
As far as the wide receiver position goes, it has been Cephus that has started to separate himself from the pack a bit. The former Wisconsin receiver has racked up 13 targets through two weeks. He had four catches for 63 yards and a score against Packers in Week 2, giving him back-to-back games with a touchdown.
Given how these two played in Week 2, it’s hard to beat these prices. It’s also likely that most fantasy players will ignore this duo because of the reputation of the Ravens defense.
