Stacks aren’t a totally foreign concept to standard leaguers. However, the best comparison of the value of stacks in DRAFT best-ball formats is seen comparing it to daily football GPPs. Stacks are the lifeblood of daily football GPPs because they create a high ceiling, and since ceiling is also the name of the game in DRAFT leagues, it stands to reason stacks should be treated similarly in them.
There are a ton of valuable and viable stacks worth drafting, and I won’t touch on all of them. Instead, I’ll start with a general rule of thumb and highlight a handful of my favorites below.
Here’s the rule of thumb. Draft a quarterback after drafting a star receiver like Antonio Brown (ADP 3.5), Julio Jones (5.3), Odell Beckham Jr. (6.0), A.J. Green (9.0), or Mike Evans (9.3) with your first-round pick. This could even apply if you draft a wideout at the top of the second in the event Green or Evans slips in a 10-team DRAFT league.
The reasoning behind pairing the stud receiver with his quarterback is simple. Assuming the quarterback stays healthy, each of the touchdown passes that stud receiver catches is being tossed by his quarterback, so you’re double dipping on fantasy points by owning the pair. Put another way, if Brown erupts for a 12-180-3 line, there’s a really good chance Big Ben had a damn good game himself, and owning the two will result in a big point total for that given week.
Given the ADP of the stud receivers highlighted in this intro, not all of these stacks will be available to everyone. If you hold pick 10, you’re not in a position to draft the AB/Big Ben stack. With that in mind, the stacks below are available to everyone.
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Pricey Stacks
Drew Brees (44.6) with Michael Thomas (16.1) and Willie Snead (56.3)
I’ve already professed my love for Brees in DRAFT leagues, and how can I not love him? He led the league in passing yards with 5,208 last year, and it was his third year in a row leading or tying for the lead in passing yards. The last time he wasn’t atop the league in passing yards was 2013, and all he did was pass for 5,162 yards and rank second that year.
He’s eclipsed 5,000 yards passing four times in the last six years, and his season-low yardage total in that span is 4,870 yards. He’s also been a touchdown-throwing machine besting 35 TD tosses four times in the last six years with 32 touchdowns in 15 games played in 2015 marking his low in that time span.
The addition of Adrian Peterson — who seems to have gas left in the tank — and the presence of Mark Ingram gives New Orleans a couple of workhorse-caliber backs if they opt to run more this year. But there’s plenty of room for Brees to pass less and still rank among the league leaders. Also, the Saints’ awful defense will likely necessitate them throwing a lot to keep up or stay up.
Thomas had a huge rookie season ranking ninth in receptions (92), just 22nd in targets (122), ninth in receiving yards (1,137), and tied for sixth in touchdown grabs (nine). Those numbers were accumulated with Brandin Cooks still in the fold and accounting for 117 targets, 78 receptions, 1,173 yards receiving, and eight touchdown passes. Cooks was dealt to the Patriots, and that opens up more opportunities for Thomas in his sophomore campaign.
It also opens the door for Snead to step up. The undrafted receiver has already carved out a sizable role in the offense already with 141 receptions on 206 targets for 1,879 yards and seven scores through his first two seasons, but there’s room for more this year. I’m completely enamored with this trio, but if you can only nab Brees with one of the two receivers, that’s fine as well.
Russell Wilson (76.9) with Doug Baldwin (21.7)
I’m a big fan of Baldwin in standard leagues, as I’ve recently voiced, but I also love him in DRAFT leagues. He’s a legit top-10 receiver, and he’s capable of big weeks. Baldwin hasn’t even needed a great deal of volume to put up big numbers reeling in 94 of 126 targets last year.
His receptions total was tied for the seventh most despite ranking only 21st in targets. Imagine the upside if the vaunted defense slips a bit and causes the Seahawks to air it out more. The 28-year-old receiver is easily Wilson’s favorite target.
Baldwin led the team in receptions, targets, receiving yards, and touchdown receptions the last two years, and he fell one touchdown reception short of tying for the team lead in 2014, but led the way in receptions, targets, and receiving yards that year, too.
Wilson’s pass attempts and yardage totals have increased every season in the NFL. He can also do damage with his legs, and last year’s 259 yards rushing on 72 attempts while banged up represents what’s probably his floor.
Tom Brady (32.2) with Brandin Cooks (28.1)
I’ve already mentioned a distaste for selecting Rob Gronkowski in the linked piece in the first stack write-up. I’m not crazy about Julian Edelman, either. Last year’s 1,106 yards receiving were a single-season high, and he’s bested five touchdown grabs just two times with his best total of seven coming in a nine-game, injury-shortened season.
It’s probable he would have reached double-digit touchdowns that season if not for injury, but he’s got more weapons to compete with for touches and touchdowns this year. Cooks is one of those weapons, and his explosiveness will be a welcome addition to the steamroller that is New England’s offense. Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season, so looking at his raw yardage total isn’t as telling as noting he ranked fifth in yards-passing per game (296).
It was the second season in a row he cracked the top five in passing-yards per game. He does an elite job of taking care of the football with just 18 interceptions over the last three years, and 44 games played, and that hasn’t come at the expense of touchdowns with 97 touchdown passes in that three-year span.
Derek Carr (103.7) with Amari Cooper (20.2) and Michael Crabtree (47.7)
Marshawn Lynch wasn’t impressive when he last played in 2015, and that could have represented a cliff season. It’s possible the year off from punishment — for a back who seemed to seek out collisions — could do him well, but I’m skeptical of how much success the Raiders will have running the ball. If they falter on the ground, it’ll be more of the same of Carr airing it out to his talented one-two combo at receiver.
Both Cooper and Crabtree bested the thresholds of 80 receptions, 130 targets, and 1,000 yards receiving while Cooper hauled in five touchdown grabs and Crabtree reeled in eight last season. The offense provided ample opportunities to both wide outs in Carr’s sophomore season in 2015, too, with Cooper targeted 130 times and Crabtree targeted 146 times.
Carr earned the sixth highest QB ranking at Pro Football Focus (PFF), and it’s not unreasonable to expect his growth to continue. Pairing Carr with just one of his top receivers is fine, and if you do that, consider a dart throw in the direction of athletic tight end Jared Cook (148.3).
Middle-tier Cost Stacks
Kirk Cousins (96.1) with Terrelle Pryor (43.2)
Cousins has bested 4,000 yards passing in back-to-back seasons while completing a high percentage of his passes in each year and totaling 54 touchdown passes. He came up just short of the 5,000-yard threshold last year with 4,917, and he’s being underrated despite the way he’s blossomed into a top-flight fantasy signal caller. The Redskins lost both DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon in free agency, and they added Terrelle Pryor to help fill the void.
As you’re likely well aware, Pryor’s a converted quarterback who had a breakout 2016 season playing with a revolving door at quarterback in Cleveland. He’s a huge target listed at 6-foot-4 and 228 pounds on ESPN, but he’s not a plodder and has big-play ability.
It’s probable he just scratched the surface last year, and as he learns the nuances of the position while working with a much better quarterback than any he caught passes from last year, he has the potential to turn into a stud at the position. Make note of who selects Jordan Reed (35.6), as they could present you competition for drafting Cousins as a stack partner.
Tom Brady (32.2) with Mike Gillislee (50.2)
This might seem like a head-scratching selection since Gillislee isn’t New England’s pass-catching back, but let me quickly explain. The former Bill projects to be LeGarrette Blount’s replacement as the jackhammer back who salts away games the Patriots are leading.
If Brady and the offense, including Gillislee, hang a big number quickly in a game, logic dictates they’ll be in a position to salt away the clock for a win. This stack isn’t specifically about Brady targeting Gillislee; it’s about the Patriots pounding opponents into submission and Gillislee putting them out of their misery.
Philip Rivers (115.1) with Keenan Allen (38.7)
Allen’s been snake bitten tearing his ACL in the season opener last year and missing half of 2015 with a lacerated kidney. When he’s been on the field, though, he’s been Rivers’ number-one target.
Allen has hauled in 16 touchdown grabs in only 38 games played, and he was on pace for a huge year in 2015 when he caught 67 of 89 targets for 725 yards and four touchdowns in only eight games. The risk that Allen has rust to shake off is baked into his ADP, and Rivers is a cheap option who makes for a solid QB2 or part of a three-headed QB mix for those who wait at the position.
Tyrod Taylor (124.6) with Sammy Watkins (29.6)
Rotoworld’s Evan Silva hit the nail on the head with this tweet. Watkins passes the eye-ball test, and beyond that, he’s demonstrated a nose for the end zone with 17 touchdown receptions in 37 games and big-play ability averaging 16.1 yards per reception in his career. There’s no question he’s the top pass catcher for the Bills, and Taylor’s deep-ball skills play well with Watkins’ ability to stretch the field.
Watkins is participating in training camp and has declared his surgically-repaired foot “fine.” I’m far more willing to take a chance on an injury-risk receiver than one of the top tight ends due in large part to the number of wide receivers I’d advocate selecting. As for Taylor, he’s a running threat with back-to-back seasons of surpassing 550 yards rushing in his two seasons starting for the Bills.
He’s rushed for 1,148 yards and 10 touchdowns in 29 games played with the Bills. The ground output helps offset his underwhelming passing yardage (6,058 yards).
He has been quite effective with 37 touchdown passes against just 12 interceptions. Taylor’s already a good, cheap target like Rivers as a QB2 or part of a three-QB mix, and he’s more appealing to roster if you’ve already drafted Watkins.
Value Stacks
Tom Brady (32.2) with James White (119.9)/Chris Hogan (191.9)/Malcolm Mitchell (210.2)
I don’t need to further elaborate on Brady’s greatness or the excellence of New England’s offense. I’m not suggesting you draft all three of these cheap, ancillary pieces in the offense, but grabbing one or two of them once you’ve already selected Brady provides you cheap pieces of a high-powered machine.
Philip Rivers (115.1) with Hunter Henry (106.0)/Tyrell Williams (111.3)
Have questions about Allen’s ability to come back and produce at a high level after suffering a torn ACL last year? This stack should be up your alley then. As a rookie, Henry was one of the top touchdown scorers through the air ranking tied for ninth with eight touchdown receptions.
Antonio Gates also caught seven, so if you think Henry will usurp a larger share of the tight end production, that’s worth noting. Williams stepped up in the absence of Allen and ranked 17th in receiving yards with 1,059, and he, too, regularly found pay dirt with seven touchdown grabs. He caught just 69 passes on 120 targets, but he made them count by racking up 15.3 yards per reception.
Brian Hoyer (188.0) with Pierre Garcon (76.6)
I love this value stack. Garcon is an underrated gem at wide receiver and the no-doubt top option in the passing attack. Hoyer has plenty of blemishes, but a fear of throwing to his wideouts isn’t one of them. With Hoyer playing in 11 games for the Texans in 2015, DeAndre Hopkins ranked fourth in targets (192).
Garcon isn’t the same caliber of player as Hopkins, but like Hopkins, he should get the bulk of the love through the air from Hoyer. According to Bovada, San Francisco’s team over/under win total this year is only 4.5 games, so they’ll likely be playing catch up in most of their games. Catch-up time bodes well for Hoyer airing it out and Garcon piling up receptions.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
