Stack Em Up DraftKings Week 5 2018

If you look at most winning lineups at the end of each slate, many if not most of them will have a stack. For those who are not familiar with what stacking means, let’s define what we are calling a stack. Stacking is pairing multiple players from one team. In this instance I will be referring to a quarterback and one of his receivers, tight ends, or running backs. When you pair up a quarterback with one of his pass catchers, you are increasing upside. Generally you want to pair up a signal caller with his primary receiver, but at times, you can change that approach depending on matchups, potential game script, or any other variable that can have an impact on your decision making. Each week I’ll go over some of my favorite stacks and provide you with multiple ways to approach the stack, as well as give you my favorite option. That said, let’s jump right into it and go over my top stacks on the main slate this week.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Game Over/Under: 57.5
Team Implied Points: 30.25

Ben Roethlisberger $6,900 was disappointing last week, but in his defense, he drew a tough matchup. This week, that is not the case, as the Steelers take on the Falcons who rank 27th in DVOA against the pass. Atlanta is also yielding the fourth most DKFP per game to opposing signal callers, while allowing 1,185 passing yards and nine passing touchdowns this season. Throughout his career, Big Ben has played better at home than on the road, which is where this game will take place. We saw his potential ceiling in Week 2 where he topped 45 DKFP. The Steelers defense has struggled this season and the Falcons can put points on the board, so I could see where Roethlisberger is forced to sling it.

Antonio Brown $9,100 has yet had a ceiling game this season, but it is only a matter of time before he has one. He leads the team in targets with 53, which is good for 28 percent of the target share and also accounts for 21 percent of the red zone targets. He is expected to see one-on-one coverage from Robert Alford, who grades out below average on PFF, and it is a matchup that Brown has an eight percent advantage rating in. Brown is currently fifth among all pass catchers in the league in air yards with 544 and despite scoring a touchdown in all but one game thus far, he has yet topped 100 receiving yards in a game this year. I am expecting some positive regression in that department for him and I would not be totally shocked if it began this week.

JuJu Smith-Schuster $7,500 has really put himself in an elite category this season. He is second on the team with 49 targets (26 percent of the target share) and leads the Steelers with 54.2 percent of the red zone targets. Smith-Schuster draws a nice matchup against Brian Poole who grades out below average on PFF and a matchup that he has a 23 percent advantage rating in. Not to mention, the Falcons are currently allowing the seventh most DKFP per game and have surrendered seven receiving touchdowns to opposing wide outs. Smith-Schuster has topped 100 receiving yards and has seen double-digit targets in three of four games this season. This is a prime spot for him and he should capitalize in this favorable matchup.

Since the season opener, James Conner $7,500 has come back down to earth. In that first game, he scored 38.2 DKFP, but since then, he has scored a combined 43.4 DKFP. The positive news is that he is still being targeted often, averaging six targets per game and accounting for 13 percent of the target share for Pittsburgh. This might just be the matchup he has needed to get back on track as the Falcons are absolutely awful against pass catching backs, allowing a league high 42 receptions to the position, as well as 310 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. In addition to that, they have surrendered four rushing touchdowns to opposing backs, which is tied for third most. Lastly, Atlanta ranks 30th in DVOA against the run. If you are planning to game stack this contest, I really like the idea of plugging Conner into the mix.

Other Options: Vance McDonald is an interesting option in this contest as well, as he has been peppered with five targets in each game that he has played this season, converting that into 12 catches for 200 yards and a touchdown. This game has shootout written all over it, which increases the upside for McDonald in this spot. If you are trying to get contrarian with your Steelers stack, this is the way to go.

My favorite option: Roethlisberger/ Smith-Schuster

Atlanta Falcons
Game Over/Under: 57.5
Team Implied Points: 27.25

After a rocky start to the season, Matt Ryan $6,600 has posted three consecutive 30+ DKFP games and draws a juicy matchup this week. The Steelers have surrendered the third most passing yards (1,297) and the second most passing touchdowns (12), while also giving up the second most DKFP per game to opposing signal callers. In addition, they rank 18th in DVOA against the pass. The Falcons defense has struggled this year, so this could be a matchup where Ryan is forced to throw the ball, in a favorable situation. He should have no trouble dissecting this secondary apart and once again finish the day exceeding expectation in comparison to his salary.

Julio Jones $8,500 has yet to score a touchdown this season, but has still posted two 29+ DKFP games. He leads the team by a wide margin in targets (46), which is good for 33 percent of the target share. Jones currently leads the league in air yards with 713 and has a respectable 15.5 aDot. It is only a matter of time before he finds the end zone and I think this could be the week. The Steelers have allowed seven receiving touchdowns to opposing wide outs (tied for fourth most), while also yielding the third most DKFP per game. His one-on-one matchup against Artie Burns is a favorable one, as he grades out below average on PFF, and it is a matchup that Jones has a healthy 34 percent advantage rating in. Considering how well Calvin Ridley is playing, I expect Jones to go under owned in a smash spot. I would not be at all surprised to see a ceiling game for him this week.

Calvin Ridley $5,800 has scored six touchdowns, has averaged 27.3 DKFP per game, and has received 19 targets in the last three games. He leads the team with 20 percent of the red zone targets. When you take everything into consideration, this is still a fair price for Ridley, especially in this matchup against the Steelers who are yielding the third most DKFP per game to wide outs. His one-on-one matchup against Joe Haden is a favorable one, as Haden ranks below average on PFF. It is also a matchup that Ridley has a 13 percent advantage rating in. Ridley makes a lot of sense in a Falcons stack, and playing him and Jones in the same stack is not something I would be totally opposed to doing.

Other Options: Mohamed Sanu and Austin Hooper could be considered in a Falcons stack, but are secondary options for me. The Steelers have struggled immensely against opposing tight ends, surrendering the most receptions (30), fourth most receiving yards (339), and tied for second most touchdowns (3) to the position. Not to mention, they are allowing the most fantasy points per game, so Hooper does have a phenomenal matchup.

My favorite option: Ryan/Jones

Los Angeles Chargers
Game Over/Under: 53
Team Implied Points: 29

Philip Rivers $6,700 has had some big performances against the Raiders in recent years. In their last six meetings, he is averaging 305.5 passing yards per game against them and has tossed 14 touchdowns. The Raiders rank 24th in DVOA against the pass, so this is certainly a matchup that he should have success in. Rivers has thrown at least 30 passes in all but one game this season and is never shy to sling it. Considering the Vegas numbers, this should be a high-scoring affair and a pretty close game, which is an ideal situation for Rivers. We saw in Week 1, what Rivers is capable of doing and if you look at his history against the Raiders, he has two 400+ passing yard games and has topped 330 passing yards in three of their last six meetings.

Keenan Allen $7,800 leads the Chargers in targets with 36, which is good for 24 percent of the target share. He draws a nice matchup here against the Raiders defense that is allowing over 40 DKFP per game, and has surrendered 47 receptions, 761 receiving yards, and six touchdowns to opposing wide outs. Allen has been relatively quiet since Week 1, but is in a good spot to bounce back. The last time he faced this defense, he went off for 133 yards and a touchdown on nine catches. His one-on-one matchup against Leon Hall is a favorable one, as Hall ranks below average on PFF and it is a matchup that Allen has a 15 percent advantage rating on. I like this stack this weekend because it has plenty of upside, and could go overlooked.

Other Options – You cannot leave out Melvin Gordon when talking about the Chargers offense as he is heavily involved. If you want to go this route and stack him up with Rivers, by all means, go ahead and do so. That said, I prefer playing Gordon in my non-Rivers lineups, unless I am game stacking this contest, which is not my intention at the time I am writing this article. The Raiders have struggled defensively and this is a really favorable spot for Gordon. Mike Williams let people down last week, but is in a good bounce back spot against a bad Oakland defense. He is not a primary target in this stack, but does come in as a secondary option.

My Favorite Option: Rivers/Allen

Additional Notes
The Packers and Lions game is an intriguing game stack as both offenses are in good situations. I actually like Aaron Jones at his cheap price against the Lions atrocious run defense. I would not fault you for rostering Aaron Rodgers in this spot, but it is really dependent on the receivers that suit up, as this group is dealing with a lot of injuries. On the opposite side, I have interest in Matthew Stafford and his pass catchers. Golden Tate continues to be a PPR monster and while Marvin Jones leads the team in air yards. This game has a very high over/under, so we should get some fantasy goodness here.

Call me crazy, but I have some interest in Josh Rosen this week at this low price. The 49ers rank 23rd in DVOA against the pass and are yielding the seventh most DKFP per game to quarterbacks. This secondary is bad, so even though Rosen is volatile, this is a good spot for him to have a nice performance. Pairing him up with Christian Kirk or Ricky Seals-Jones is a good way to get in a cheap stack with upside and have plenty of salary left to pay up for some of the elite players on the board this week.

Blake Bortles is appealing this week in a great matchup, but the concern I have in playing him is finding the receiver to pair him up with. They tend to spread the ball in Jacksonville, however, if I am choosing one of his pass catchers, it will be Dede Westbrook. That said, playing a naked Bortles is also in play.


Good luck to all this week. If you have any questions, you can always find me on the Twitter machine @Armando_Marsal