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Hey there RotoBallers! Week 5 saw huge offensive performances out of the Dallas and Green Bay game while Teddy Bridgewater finally came to life with 314 passing yards and four touchdowns. Deshaun Watson and Will Fuller went nuclear, connecting for three touchdowns that could have been five if Fuller didn't get tackled at the goal line twice. This week has a smaller player pool as there are four teams on bye and the Buccaneers/Panthers game is being played in London, giving it a 9:30 EST start time.
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 6 DFS stacks will be listed below, loosely sorted by my preference. This article will center on the main slate (1:00 PM and 4:00 PM Sunday) games across both DraftKings and FanDuel. Each stack will reference two pass-catchers along with their quarterback. The pass-catchers will be listed in preferential order but sometimes a three-man stack is in play as full-game stacks led to several wins in the Milly Maker in 2018. If you feel strongly about how an offense will perform in a given week then consider loading up on several offensive players from that offense. All references to team defense DVOA come from Football Outsiders while cornerback and wide receiver matchups and grade references come from Pro Football Focus. Data referring to a player's air yards comes from www.airyards.com.
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Week 6 DFS Stacks
Houston Texans @ Kansas City Chiefs
QB Deshaun Watson ($6,700 DraftKings, $8,400 FanDuel)
WR DeAndre Hopkins ($7,400 DraftKings, $8,400 FanDuel)
WR Will Fuller ($6,000 DraftKings, $6,600 FanDuel)
The Houston stack finally paid off in Week 5! Not only did it hit but it smashed, with Deshaun Watson throwing five touchdowns, three of which went to Will Fuller. DeAndre Hopkins was left out of most of the fun but still finished with a solid seven catches for 88 yards. Watson is primed for another big outing in a Week 6 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City has the offense to force the Texans to air it out, which is what we want to see for stacking purposes.
Fuller finished a dominant Week 5 performance with 14 catches for 217 yards and three scores. Hopefully you slotted him into those lineups last weekend. He returns as an excellent, albeit more popular, play in Week 6 against the Chiefs. Fuller will run the majority of his routes against left corner Charvarius Ward but he will also run about one-fourth of his routes against slot corner Kendall Fuller. Of the Fullers, Kendall has 4.48 wheels and will struggle to keep up with the blazing Will (4.32 40-yard dash) on the field.
Hopkins has been mostly quiet since his Week 1 performance but he remains the lead receiver in an explosive passing attack. This game has a massive 55.5-point over/under and should be one of the highest-scoring contests on the entire slate. The Chiefs are expected to shadow Hopkins with Bashaud Breeland, the owner of a 47.5 grade from Pro Football Focus since the beginning of 2018. Look for Hopkins to have a huge afternoon in Week 6.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals
QB Lamar Jackson ($6,900 DraftKings, $8,200 FanDuel)
WR Marquise Brown ($6,200 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel)
TE Mark Andrews ($4,800 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel)
The Ravens, and Lamar Jackson, have cooled on offense over the past two weeks. The Browns shut them down in Week 4 and Jackson turned in a mistake-filled outing against the Steelers in Week 5. A Week 6 matchup against the Bengals should be just what Baltimore needs to get back to their high-scoring ways of early in the season. Cincinnati's pass defense has been one of the worst in the league, ranking 31st in DVOA and allowing the 10th-most fantasy points per game to the quarterback position. Jackson's elite rushing ability gives him slate-breaking upside whenever he's active.
Marquise Brown has been dealing with an ankle injury but according to coach Jim Harbaugh, the injury is not serious. The rookie wideout has been up-and-down but he has flashed elite play-making ability throughout his first five NFL games. Brown is in a great position to keep it going in Week 6 as he will face off against a leaky Cincinnati defense. He will mostly see coverage from Dre Kirkpatrick and slot corner B.W. Webb, both of whom are among the top-10 in the league in fantasy points allowed per route covered.
Andrews is also on the injury report, this time with a shoulder issue and not the pesky foot that he's been dealing with for much of the season. His status is a little less clear as he potentially might not be able to play in Week 6, although his ability to practice on Thursday is encouraging. If Andrews does suit up, he is a top-three tight end option on the slate and worth targeting in lineups. If Andrews ends up inactive, consider Hayden Hurst as a viable option to round out three-man stacks.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons
QB Kyler Murray ($6,500 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel)
WR Christian Kirk ($5,200 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel)
WR Larry Fitzgerald ($6,100 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel)
The Arizona offense is tough to get away from, partially due to their continued soft schedule and partially due to the extremely fast pace that they have been utilizing. Arizona will square off against the Atlanta defense that was responsible for Deshaun Watson's crazy Week 5 outing. While expecting five scores out of Murray is a bit much, the rookie signal-caller has been producing yards on the ground, which raises his floor. After rushing for just 17 yards in his first two games, Murray has 189 yards and two scores over his past three contests. This is a smash spot for the multi-talented quarterback.
Kirk is tentatively expected to return to the field after missing Week 5 with an ankle injury. The second-year wideout is averaging 9.25 targets per game while operating as one of the team's top options in the passing game. Both Kirk and Larry Fitzgerald are in play as stacking options this weekend, especially if target-hog running back David Johnson (back) is unable to play. Fire both up with Murray as a high-upside three-man stack for Week 6.
Under-owned Week 6 Stack
San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams
QB Jimmy Garoppolo ($5,700 DraftKings, $7,200 FanDuel)
TE George Kittle ($5,200 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel)
WR Marquise Goodwin ($4,500 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel)
Those who watched the 49ers roll over the Browns on Monday night probably came away from the game much more impressed with San Francisco's running game than they were with the passing attack. That could continue in Week 6 against the Rams, but Los Angeles' defense is stout against the run and weak versus the pass, which should funnel extra opportunities onto Jimmy G's plate. The Rams also play at one of the fastest paces in the league, which should force San Francisco to run more plays than usual.
Kittle finally enjoyed some positive touchdown regression after being held out of the end zone through his first three games. He thoroughly dominated the Browns and could have had a much bigger game had the 49ers not gone extremely run-heavy in the fourth quarter of the Monday night blowout.
I prefer a two-man stack with Jimmy G and Kittle but if you want to roll out a third San Francisco pass-catcher, Marquise Goodwin is a viable play. Goodwin has the tendency to disappear at times but he also has elite speed and the ability to go off for multiple touchdowns at any time. Helping his cause is a Week 6 matchup against Marcus Peters. Peters has been solid in coverage this season but he has a reputation as a risk-taker and a gambler, which could lead to some long touchdowns for Goodwin if Peters gambles poorly.
Thanks for reading, go win some money this weekend!
