If you played Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (513 yards, four touchdowns) last week, that was a great move. If you paired Carr with wide receiver Amari Cooper (12 receptions, 173 yards, one TD), that was a brilliant move. Hitting on a majorly productive stack like Carr and Cooper can often be the difference between a decent daily fantasy lineup and an elite, prize-winning lineup.
The goal of this weekly column is to help find the most profitable DFS stacks, while avoiding the duds. Stacking, or pairing multiple players from the same NFL team, is an ideal way to maximize your point production, which is crucial in larger GPP (guaranteed prize pool) tournaments. Let's take a look at some of the top DFS stacks for Week 9, loosely sorted by salary.
Editor's Note: New users that sign up on FantasyAces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive our full season NFL (or NBA) Premium Pass for free, a $59.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium pass.
High Priced Week 9 DFS Stacks
New Orleans QB Drew Brees and WR Brandin Cooks at San Francisco
Cooks has been on the receiving end of a Brees touchdown pass in each of the Saints' last three games. That streak has a great chance to continue Sunday. The 49ers are seventh in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (222), but they're tied for 25th in touchdown passes allowed (15).
Brees is more productive at home than he is on the road, but this feels like a matchup New Orleans should be to exploit. Brees and Cooks should be in store for big performances.
New York QB Eli Manning and WR Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Philadelphia
The Eagles are coming off a game in which they were burned by a still-recovering Dez Bryant. That should bode well for Beckham, who will be ready to roll Sunday despite being limited Wednesday in practice due to a hip issue.
Philadelphia's defense has allowed exactly one touchdown to wide receivers in its last four games, but Beckham isn't most receivers. Manning looks to Beckham early and often. Beckham has been targeted at least nine times in each of the last six games. This is a high-upside stack.
Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Davante Adams vs. Indianapolis
Rostering Rodgers is a no-brainer -- he's tossed seven touchdowns over his last two games, and even added a career-high 60 rushing yards in last week's game. He's pricey but let's be real, you're never going to get Rodgers at a discount.
The tricky part is figuring out which player(s) to stack with Rodgers. Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Ty Montgomery, along with Adams, are all viable options. Adams caught 12 passes last week, but Nelson caught a touchdown. We're betting on Adams to find the end zone this week.
Moderately Priced Week 9 DFS Stacks
Seattle QB Russell Wilson and WR Doug Baldwin vs. Buffalo
Wilson has now gone three straight games without a touchdown. That's not good. But hey, it's he isn't going to go the rest of the season without another touchdown...right? Eventually, Wilson and the Seahawks' offense will put it together.
Head coach Pete Carroll said this week he wants to see Baldwin more consistently involved on offense. Remember how dominant Wilson and Baldwin were in the second half of last season? A Monday night game in Seattle feels like an ideal time to take a chance on these two.
Dallas QB Dak Prescott and WR Dez Bryant at Cleveland
Bryant returned from a knee injury that sidelined him for three games this past Sunday, and he made an immediate impact. Prescott connected with Bryant on four completions for 113 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown.
That kind of success against a solid defense like Philadelphia's should bode well for the upcoming matchup with the still-winless Browns. Cleveland's pass defense ranks 25th (278 yards allowed per game). There's plenty to like about this Dallas duo in Week 9.
Denver QB Trevor Siemian and WR Emmanuel Sanders at Oakland
The Raiders' defense is terrible. This is a week-in, week-out given, and it's generally a solid strategy to target players facing Oakland. Siemian hasn't exactly resembled Peyton Manning in his prime, but he's been efficient and occasionally spectacular.
Siemian should be able to exploit the Raiders' beatable secondary, but will it be Sanders or Demaryius Thomas that produces the most? Sanders hasn't scored since Week 4 -- look for that streak to end Sunday night.
Bargain Week 9 DFS Stacks
Kansas City QB Nick Foles and TE Travis Kelce vs. Jacksonville
Foles will step into the starting role this week for an injured Alex Smith, after looking sharp in relief of Smith last weekend. Foles' cheap salary will make him a fairly chalky play against a struggling Jaguars team, but he's still worth consideration.
Kelce had his best game of the season last week and was on the receiving end of a touchdown strike from Foles. Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is another option to pair with Foles, but Kelce has more upside.
Miami QB Ryan Tannehill and WR Kenny Stills vs. New York Jets
OK, this is NOT a stack for the faint of heart. But hey, you've got to go big or go home, right? It's easier to look at the matchup here than at Tannehill. The Jets are allowing an NFL-worst 289 passing yards per game this season and have given up long touchdown passes seemingly every week.
Wide receiver Jarvis Landry is the safer, more conventional stack, but Stills gives you the boom-or-bust angle. If Stills scores, it's going to come on a 40-plus-yard pass; a type of play that the Jets' secondary has been burned by numerous times this season already. Again, this stack carries significant risk, but there's nice upside here.