Week 1 of the 2020 NFL Season is finally here! The first week of the season this year maybe more than any other will be full of surprises since there were no preseason games, so I’m going to focus most of my attention on teams and players that have continuity from last season especially in the passing game for those quarterback to receiver connections we need in GPPs. For those of you who are new to NFL DFS or may have forgotten since last football season, “stacking” is a viable and successful strategy to use when building lineups for GPP tournaments.

The most common type of stack is pairing up a QB with one of his receivers (WR and/or TE) so that when he accumulates yardage and throws touchdowns to your receiver you benefit from both the passing stats and the receiving stats to make large leaps up the standings. Another fairly common stack is when you roster an RB and a Defense from the same team. The idea with this stack is that the team you are stacking is ahead in the game and thus the RB is getting a large volume of carries to kill the clock while the defense can generate more sacks and turnovers with the opposing team passing often to try to catch up. These will be the primary two types of stacks in my article each week, however, there could be some variations if the matchup dictates it.

Finally, my QB/WR stacks will also list a player on the opposing team that you can consider to include as part of a game stack. Often when one team is scoring a lot of points the opposing team will need to keep up by also piling up stats and points turning the game into a shootout with big fantasy scoring on both sides. I call this my “Bring it back” player.

So, with that let’s stack’em up for Week 1.

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Stacking Options

Matt Ryan (QB – ATL): $7,800 / Julio Jones (WR – ATL): $8,200 / Calvin Ridley (WR – ATL): $6,600
The Falcons stack will be fairly popular since the game with the Seahawks features one of the highest Vegas point totals on the Sunday main slate. However, the Falcons passing game meets one of my early season requirements of a unit that has continuity as Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Calvin Ridley have been working together for multiple seasons. While the Falcons stack will be popular, I’m hoping to gain a little leverage by going with a double-stack by using both Jones and Ridley. The duo has had some big days in the same game including the first two weeks of last season when they each scored a touchdown in both games. They also combined for 14 receptions for 222 yards in a game against the Seahawks last season. Bring it back on the Seahawks side with DK Metcalf who started to become the go-to option for Russell Wilson last year.

Bring it back with: DK Metcalf (SEA): $6,400

Gardner Minshew (QB – JAC): $6,700 / DJ Chark (WR – JAC): $6,600
While the Falcons stack could be popular, this Jaguars stack should carry very low ownership. The Jaguars are expected to be one of the worst teams in the league this season, which is a perfect recipe for Gardner Minshew and the passing game to rack up garbage time fantasy production much like former Jaguar Blake Bortles did back in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Minshew proved he can provide fantasy goodness last season both with his arm and his legs. Meanwhile, he had good chemistry with wideout DJ Chark who blossomed in his second year in the league with over 1,000 yards receiving and eight scores. You’ll have to be patient with this stack for the points to come mostly in the second half. On the Colts side, I’m expecting big things from Ty Hilton this season with a professional quarterback, Philip Rivers under center for the Colts. So, be sure to get Hilton while his price is low.

Bring it back with: TY Hilton (IND): $6,400

Austin Ekeler (RB – LAC): $7,700 / DEF Chargers: $4,200
Finding a running back and defense stack for Week 1 was a little bit of a challenge, but I have landed on the Chargers with Austin Eckler and the Chargers defense facing a rookie in his first action. With Melvin Gordon out of town, Eckler is expected to get the lion’s share of the workload in the Chargers backfield this season and provides a solid floor with this use in both the passing game and on the ground. With Tyrod Taylor and his running ability starting at quarterback, it could free up some big holes for Eckler on the ground, as well as, be a reliable dump-off option for Taylor. The Chargers’ defense is loaded with talent and should be able to throw some unique looks at rookie Joe Burrow making his first professional appearance after no preseason action.

High-Priced Stud

Josh Jacobs (RB – LV): $8,200
In this section, I’ll give you a high-priced option that I’m willing to pay up for regardless of their ownership, due to their potential to break the slate. That player in Week 1 is running back Josh Jacobs for the Raiders. The Raiders are likely staring to rookies at wide receiver, so they will likely look to pound the rock on the ground with Jacobs against a Panthers run defense that ranked dead last (32nd) in Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) according to Football Outsiders while giving up 1.7 rushing touchdowns per game to running backs. Jacobs is one of the most likely players to get two or more scores in Week 1.

Low-Owned Fliers

• Josh Allen (QB – BUF): $7,900
• Joe Mixon (RB – CIN): $7,300
• Raheem Mostert (RB – SF): $6,200
• Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND): $5,400
• Chris Godwin (WR – TB): $7,700
• John Brown (WR – BUF): $6,100
• DeSean Jackson (WR – PHI): $5,700
• Darren Waller (TE – LV): $6,800

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Brad Richter is a featured writer at FantasyPros and a contributor at DailyOverlay. For more from Brad, you can view his archive or follow him @RotoPilot.