4 NFL FanDuel Stacks for Week 9
If you're new to daily fantasy football, then you'll have to make some changes to your fantasy football strategy. You don't have "your guys" on a weekly basis -- and you need to adjust to each and every matchup.
A big part of building your roster is weekly quarterback selection. In terms of salary, passers range from the top of the player pool to the bottom, with some replacement-level passers at the same price point as kickers and defenses on FanDuel.
Along with those quarterbacks, though, you have the option of pairing pass-catchers with your signal caller, and per 4for4's TJ Hernandez, a quarterback's top receiver has a moderately strong correlation to the quarterback's performance -- and his tight end and second receiver aren't too far behind.
If you're going to stack, though, you need to have a purpose. If you're trying to win a big tournament, you'll want to find a combination that can put up points in bunches -- all while possibly being under-owned. Which teammates might fit the bill in Week 9 on FanDuel's 11-game main slate?
New Orleans Saints
QB: Drew Brees ($8,600)
WR: Michael Thomas ($5,800)
The New Orleans Saints are generally a team we want to target at home, but this week against the uptempo San Francisco 49ers, we can make an exception. Brees will be facing the 25th-ranked fantasy defense against quarterbacks with a 27.5-point implied team total, and he has three viable wide receivers at his disposal: Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead, and Michael Thomas.
Really, the reason to like Thomas most is his price. At $5,800, he's cheaper than Cooks ($7,600) and Snead ($6,500), but you can really justify any of the three along with Brees. The 49ers are most easily beatable on the ground, but the Saints have a messy situation with Mark Ingram and Tim Hightower. If they happen to lean on the pass, Brees should have a stat line typically reserved for the Superdome.
Indianapolis Colts
QB: Andrew Luck ($8,000)
WR: Donte Moncrief ($6,100)
The Indianapolis Colts are 7-point underdogs against the Green Bay Packers, but they still have an implied team total of 23.5 because of the 54-point over/under. No, 23.5 isn't a great total to have, but if this game hits the over, then we'll certainly be wanting exposure to this offense. Andrew Luck is the fifth-most expensive quarterback on FanDuel, and he faces a defense that's 16th against fantasy passers, per our DFS tools.
Really, I'm more interested in Moncrief at $6,100. Moncrief played 89% of the team's snaps in his return to action last week, and T.Y. Hilton is dealing with a hamstring injury. Hilton did return to practice on Thursday, but he doesn't appear to be 100%. Moncrief drew a team-high nine targets last week and faces a team with the fourth-best run defense, per our metrics. Even if you don't stack him with Luck, you have to like Moncrief's prospects for Week 9.
San Diego Chargers
QB: Philip Rivers ($8,300)
WR: Tyrell Williams ($5,600)
Tyrell Williams has an ugly, orange banner under his name on FanDuel because of a knee issue, and he put up just 0.9 points last week and 4.3 points two weeks prior. The issue? Those came against the Denver Broncos. The other two games in his past four were good for 17.5 points and 20.2. He missed practice Wednesday, so that's something to worry about, but if he's a full-go for Sunday, he's a fantastic play.
As for Rivers, he's our fifth-ranked passer by projected FanDuel points. His price of $8,300 ranks him third among some big names. He might go overlooked even if Williams doesn't. The ownership on this duo probably isn't going to be as high as it should.
Dallas Cowboys
QB: Dak Prescott ($7,600)
WR: Dez Bryant ($7,800)
This week, Ezekiel Elliott has a ton of appeal, as his Dallas Cowboys are seven-point favorites over the Cleveland Browns. If other players are paying up for Elliott, they won't be rostering Prescott and Bryant, making this a potential tournament stack. Per our DFS tools, Bryant has seen 34.04% of his team's targets over his past three games, second only to Mike Evans. Of course, there's a big gap between those games, but he is coming off a 14-target game. As heavy favorites, Dallas won't need to throw much late in the game -- probably -- but Bryant can help produce in the first half to generate that anticipated lead.
As for Prescott, he's scored at least 18.1 FanDuel points in every game since Week 1 and has rushed for a touchdown in four of his past six games. He provides a floor and a ceiling in this matchup against the Browns, who rank 29th against fantasy quarterbacks.
