RADIO
Hey there RotoBallers! Week 4 brought some monster performances from Alvin Kamara, Ezekiel Elliott, Calvin Ridley, and Taylor Gabriel while some of the chalk wide receivers like Michael Thomas and Allen Robinson let us down. One thing is for sure: NFL offenses are scoring at a record pace, which makes filling out daily fantasy lineups all the more enjoyable.
The goal of this weekly column will be to locate some of the best DFS stacks each week. Stacking, or pairing a quarterback with one of his pass-catchers, is a great way to maximize point scoring. This method is generally viewed as a strategy in tournaments, but I also have no problem using safe, high-floor stacks in cash games, as well.
The top Week 5 DFS stacks will be listed below, loosely sorted by salary. The focus will be on the main slate (1:00 PM and 4:00 PM Sunday) games across both sites. All references to team defense DVOA come from Football Outsiders while cornerback and wide receiver matchups and grade references come from Pro Football Focus.
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High-Priced Week 5 DFS Stacks
Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger and WR Antonio Brown vs. Atlanta
Roethlisberger turned in a slow (by his standards) performance in Week 4, finishing with just one touchdown and failing to reach 300 passing yards for the first time this season. That being said, he faced off against a stout Baltimore pass defense which has done a good job limiting opposing quarterbacks this season. Roethlisberger will find it much easier to navigate the offense in Week 5 against an Atlanta secondary that is allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. This game has one of the highest over/unders on the slate and should provide plenty of fireworks.
Antonio Brown is not quite performing like the elite fantasy wide receiver that we have come to know this season. He's averaging "just" 7.25 receptions per game and has only 11 over his previous two contests. That being said, he is still scoring touchdowns, having reached the end zone three times in four games. He simply isn't tacking on the gaudy yardage totals that he's been known to do in the past. Atlanta has struggled against opposing wide receivers, allowing the seventh-most fantasy points per game to them this season. Brown will draw primary coverage from cornerback Robert Alford, who Pro Football Focus grades out at just 66.7. That score actually makes Alford Atlanta's highest graded cornerback this season. Juju Smith-Schuster is also a fine stacking partner but he still isn't scoring touchdowns at the high rate of Brown. We know that touchdowns are the thing to chase when trying to take down DFS tournaments, which keeps Brown ahead of his talented teammate.
Atlanta QB Matt Ryan and WR Julio Jones @ Pittsburgh
The Falcons are on the other side of this projected shootout in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon. Atlanta's offense has been red-hot of late, having racked up at least 31 points in three straight contests. Matt Ryan is back in MVP form, which is good news for all of his pass catchers. The once-proud Pittsburgh defense has not been very effective at slowing opposing offenses this season, ranking just 19th in pass defense DVOA and allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to enemy quarterbacks. Ryan has tossed 10 touchdowns over the past three weeks and is well-positioned again in an expected Week 5 shootout.
Jones did what he does best in Week 4, racking up plenty of yards but failing to find the end zone. That being said, the veteran receiver has crested 169 receiving yards twice in four games. His penchant for rolling up the receiving yards makes him an excellent play on DraftKings, where he can earn a point bonus for his 100-yard outings. Steelers right cornerback Coty Sensabaugh is likely to cover Jones on the majority of his routes in one of the bigger mismatches on the slate. Sensabaugh has just a 54.8 grade over at PFF this season. Many daily gamers will flock to Calvin Ridley after a second straight multi-touchdown outing, but keep in mind that Ridley is still just a part-time player, seeing just 59.3% of the Falcons' offensive snaps in their four games. He will bust once he stops scoring touchdowns at his unsustainable rate.
Moderately-Priced Week 5 DFS Stacks
Los Angeles QB Jared Goff and WR Brandin Cooks @ Seattle
Goff and the Los Angeles offense exploded for 38 points and five touchdown passes against a talented Vikings defense in Week 4. While many continue to dismiss Goff as a system quarterback, it is hard to ignore the fantasy points that he's putting up at the helm of Sean McVay's offense. This week the Rams travel to Seattle to take on a Seahawks pass defense that, put simply, isn't as effective as the "Legion of Boom" years. Goff sets up as an excellent mid-tier fantasy quarterback this week who continues to prove that he has a massive weekly ceiling.
While it can be hard to determine which Rams receiver will have a big day in any given week, it should be noted that there's enough to go around for all three primary receivers in Los Angeles. Any single one of Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp, and Robert Woods is a fine stacking partner with Goff this weekend. That being said, Cooks draws the best matchup of the three as he will mostly draw coverage from right corner Tre Flowers. Flowers is significantly slower than Cooks and has allowed receivers to rack up 13 receptions in his coverage in his three games played.
Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Davante Adams @ Detroit
Outside of his impressive Week 1 comeback where he returned from a knee injury, Rodgers has been mostly quiet this season. He has just seven touchdown passes in his four games played, although it should be stated that the Bills didn't force him to do much heavy-lifting in a Week 4 win. Rodgers may start to go overlooked in daily contests with young, exciting quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes lighting up the league. He draws a plus matchup in Week 5 against a Lions pass defense that ranks just 28th in the league in DVOA. Look for Rodgers to have a big game on the turf in Detroit in Week 5.
Week 4 went down as the first week that Adams didn't find the end zone but he still finished with a solid eight catches for 81 yards. The veteran receiver should see a huge target share with both Randall Cobb (hamstring) and Geronimo Allison (concussion) looking unlikely to play in Week 5. Solid cornerback Darius Slay could be used to shadow Adams in Week 5, but Adams should have no trouble drawing double-digit targets against an average pass defense.
Bargain-Priced Week 5 DFS Stacks
Carolina QB Cam Newton and WR Devin Funchess vs. New York Giants
Newton and the Panthers will be fresh coming off their Week 4 bye. The veteran quarterback draws a Week 5 matchup against an unimposing Giants pass defense that ranks just 22nd in the league in DVOA. Newton is almost always in play as a top fantasy quarterback thanks to his elite rushing upside. Newton is averaging just over 45 rushing yards per game this season while the Giants have allowed a league-high 150 rushing yards to enemy quarterbacks.
Funchess scored his first touchdown of the season in his last game but he remains relatively cheap on daily fantasy sites. The young wideout has been operating as the team's No. 1 wide receiver and is the best red zone option when the Panthers choose to throw near the goal line. He is likely to be shadowed by New York cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who PFF has graded at just a 57 this season.
Detroit QB Matthew Stafford and WR Kenny Golladay vs. Green Bay
Outside of a dismal Week 1 performance against the Jets, Stafford has been a rock-solid fantasy quarterback, passing for multiple touchdowns in three of his four games and reaching 300 passing yards twice. The Packers pass defense has been much improved this season, but Stafford has one of the top receiving corps in the league and has owned Green Bay over the past two seasons, averaging 354 passing yards and 2.50 touchdowns in four games. He's worth a look in tournaments in what could be a high-scoring contest.
Golladay has emerged as one of Stafford's new favorite offensive weapons, having caught two touchdowns and averaging eight targets per game. Of the Detroit receivers, Golladay draws the best matchup as he will line up across from Kevin King for much of the afternoon. King's PPF grade this season is just 59.9, giving Golladay a significant advantage in this contest.
Jacksonville QB Blake Bortles and WR Keelan Cole @ Kansas City
Bortles will be without star running back Leonard Fournette this week, which means the Jaguars will once again lean on their passing game against the Chiefs. This is a dream matchup for Bortles, who will go against a Kansas City pass defense that is ranked 30th in the league in DVOA and is allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing signal-callers. Bortles has passed for multiple touchdowns in two games this season and has been solid as a rusher, gaining 132 yards on 18 carries.
Cole was the odd man out in Week 4 as he watched teammates Dede Westbrook and Donte Moncrief each explode for 100-yard games. That should allow Cole to go overlooked in Week 5 against a burnable Chiefs secondary in one of the best matchups he will see all year. Cole showed fantasy gamers in 2017 that he has a huge ceiling and he remains the most polished of the Jacksonville pass-catchers.
"YOLO" Contrarian Stack
Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes and WR Tyreek Hill vs. Jacksonville
Mahomes and the Chiefs aren't going to sneak up on anyone after setting the league on fire over the first month of play. That being said, they may go overlooked in Week 5 as they draw a brutal matchup against an elite Jaguars defense. While using the Chiefs in cash games isn't advisable, they are in play in tournaments for Week 5.
One way to exploit the Jacksonville secondary has been through the slot where Tyler Patmon is the weak link in a secondary that boasts studs A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey. Hill is expected to run the majority of his routes out of the slot and has the speed to burn any defense deep. Hill will see some coverage from Ramsey and Bouye in this game, but both corners have been playing below expectations through the first four games, grading out at 60.4 and 71.3 respectively over at PFF.
