Ok, so let me set the scene before I start this article. Week 10 is in the books and your fantasy team just had a gritty couple of bye week wins, you’re making a little playoff push. You have played this season just as you wanted but you’re not totally confident in the playoffs up against some of the stud teams. What can you do to get your good team, that you have built perfectly over the season by drafting well and playing the waiver wire like a fiddle, over the top into a great team?
Stack It, Baby!
If your league is half as competitive as the FTLS then you need to get yourself a stack, homie! I’m not talking pancakes (although pancakes are always great). I’m talking a QB/WR stack. The cat is probably out of the bag on this strategy in fantasy football, but just in case you don’t know what I’m talking about, let me blow your mind. The concept is to pair your QB with his top receiver option so every time they link up for a touchdown it’s a 10+ point swing in your match (standard scoring). Look at some of the top scores from your league this year. I’m willing to bet those teams used that strategy to put up some monster numbers.
The idea is easy. Your QB has a big week, you’re betting on his top receiver to have a big game as well. This article is about finding those stacks out there that might be cheaper to get come fantasy trade deadline, but could CRUSH it for you down the stretch on your way to kicking your buddies asses to win your league!
Stack #1
Obviously, I could get on here and say “go get Drew Brees and Micheal Thomas and your all set” but that’s boring. Truth be told, those guys are already owned and the person who owns them won’t want to trade them, or it would cost you an arm and a leg to get them. I want to help you find those ones that people might be disrespecting now, but looking forward, can heat up in the playoffs. I’ll start off on this first stack with a doozy.
Lamar Jackson and John Brown
That was weird to even type, but hear me out! The Ravens offense is getting stale and people are directly looking Joe Flacco’s way. There was murmurs on the streets since the draft about when the switch to Lamar Jackson is going to be. Now they are growing louder going into the bye week. Flacco is dealing with a hip injury, he isn’t playing well, the Ravens are losing playoff hopes, and they have a first round Heisman talent on the bench. That’s a recipe for a QB change if I have ever seen one. Ok fine, so Lamar Jackson takes over for the Ravens. But why am I so high on why he will be on fantasy championship teams? Glad you ask! Let’s start with what would be his remaining schedule after the bye week:
Week 11: Cincinnati
Week 12: Oakland
Week 13: Atlanta
Week 14: Kansas City
Week 15: Tampa Bay
Week 16: LA Chargers
Why It Works
All those teams are in the bottom 10 for team defenses but have good offenses (besides Oakland). I’m expecting high scores. High scores are great for fantasy and a great game script for a big play guy like John Brown. He has been slumping as of late but I think Lamar Jackson’s skill-set can open things up for him. His running ability as a QB is next to none and has to be respected. This should suck the defenses down to protect against that, and then BOOM! Insert John Brown.
A deep threat guy who can expose that, paired with a mobile QB that will force those situations, I’m all about it. Lamar Jackson is going to be available on your waiver wire for sure, and John Brown you can trade for without giving up a major piece of your championship caliber team. So I’m not saying its going to be pretty or mean a ton of wins for the Ravens, but I am saying that it has the recipe for a fantasy lethal combo.
Stack #2
Next stack I’m excited to see come fantasy playoffs is going to be another one that hurts, but here goes nothing.
Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper
Yup, that definitely sucked to type and I can’t believe I’m about to put forward a case on why you should be excited for these guys on your team. Dak did start off slow, but he is starting to show life since acquiring Amari Cooper. When Dak was playing well and putting up fantasy points is when he was running. He is another Cam Newton type, he needs his legs to have those big QB1 type weeks for you. I think they are coming, if only because of his juicy upcoming schedule:
Week 11: Atlanta
Week 12: Washington
Week 13: New Orleans
Week 14: Philadelphia
Week 15: Indianapolis
Week 16: Tampa Bay
Why It Works
Those matchups are not the most exploitable defenses on paper, but all of those offense will put up points. So that’s why I think Amari Cooper will be utilized to move the ball down field to keep pace with these teams. Amari Cooper has shown some rapport with Dak lately and is clearly his #1 option at WR.
Jury is still out on Cooper, though, because he hasn’t had that big boy WR1 type week yet in Dallas. This is where you can take advantage. If you’re struggling at QB and have been streaming all year, go look and see if Dak is out there. If he is, then grab him. Then reach out to the Amari Cooper owner and get yourself that ugly, but possibly oh so sweet, stack for the playoff run. Or even better, be the Amari Cooper owner making a playoff push and just grab Dak off waivers and lean into that Dak-Stack.
Stack #3
The reason why I put this stack at the end is just because of their availability or cost, but last and certainly not least.
Baker Mayfield and Jarvis Landry
Like I said, this stack is going to be a little harder to come by in most home leagues because of two things, Hard Knocks and Bakermania. Baker is quickly becoming a household name, I’ll be honest I’m falling in love with him more every day! That said, he is still not looked at as an elite fantasy QB and the Browns are still the Browns. People are always willing to sell a little lower on Browns. Sadly it’s just the way we are programmed right now.
But here are the facts I care about in this stack, Targets and Schedule. Jarvis has 106 targets on the season. That’s over 10 a game. Looking at it closer, he has had a little dip since the head coach and offensive coordinator change, and that’s to be expected. Landry owners might be on a little tilt because of it though and its always worth the ask. Targets mean opportunity in fantasy, and in the playoffs, all you’re trying to do is give yourself the best opportunity to score fantasy points that week. Now we get to the next great stat about this stack and that’s their remaining schedule:
Week 11: Bye
Week 12: Cincinnati
Week 13: Houston
Week 14: Carolina
Week 15: Denver
Week 16: Cincinnati
Why It Works
All those teams are exploitable through the air. The game script will look to keep Landry force-fed to keep the Browns in these games. The Browns D is playing well, so being able to play offensively the way Baker and Kitchens want to play could, in my opinion, mean more targets for Landry. I know it’s hard to say “put your faith in a couple browns come playoffs,” but what I’m saying is they could just heat up in time to surprise you.
If you own Landry and need some help at QB, all I’m saying is you don’t need to pay up big time to go get a guy like Luck or Watson (who both have a brutal schedule to end the season). You can give up a little less and get by just fine or better with Baker. Go get that stack and wake up every morning feeling dangerous!
