Top GPP Stacks for Week 7

Eliot Crist (@EliotCrist) took down ANOTHER GPP last week using the stacks he wrote about here. He has now taken down 3 GPPs in two weeks winning over $18K. If you want advice from one of the best up and coming tournament dfs players, continue reading. Here are his favorite “stacks” for week 7:

A very popular and successful strategy in GPPs (tournaments) is to stack a QB and one of his top WR/TE. This is a great way to get “double points” for a touchdown, and shoot up the leader board whenever they make a connection. Another good way to stack is a running back and defense. A running back’s success often greatly depends on game script. When a team has a lead, they run more which means the defense is also playing well. With the basic understanding of the strategy down, here are my top stacks of the week.

QB/WR or TE

1. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones

This is going to be a popular stack, but that doesn’t make it a bad GPP play. Matt Ryan has been the NFL MVP through 6 games so far this season and gets a San Diego secondary banged up and missing their star corner Jason Verrett. Matt Ryan has been a big play waiting to happen this season as he leads the NFL in yards per attempt, averaging 9.88 yards. Ryan also leads the NFL in passing yards and is second in touchdowns. Matt Ryan returns home for only his third game this season at home, where he has thrown for 737 yards and 6 touchdowns. Julio Jones and Matt Ryan have gotten their chemistry back after a slow start to the season. Jones has 30 targets the last three weeks, which is the second most in the NFL. This stack allows you to have the highest ceiling exposure to the game with the highest total of the week.

2. Andy Dalton and AJ Green

The Browns have given up 3 touchdown passes to opposing quarterbacks for 4 straight weeks, so it is safe to say that they have a bad pass defense. The Bengals are a team that has struggled versus their strong opponents, but beaten their two weak ones in the Jets and the Dolphins. In those two games, Dalton threw for a combined, 662 yards and two touchdowns. I am willing to bet that the yardage average will stay the same, but the touchdowns will go up. AJ Green in those games had 10 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown versus the Dolphins and 12 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown versus the Jets. As of right now Joe Haden isn’t practicing and looks doubtful for the game. He is the only player who can stop AJ Green on the Browns. This is a high ceiling stack with a QB who will be low owned.

3. Kirk Cousins and DeSean Jackson (Crowder if Jackson doesn’t play)

The Detroit defense is bad, there is no way two ways around it. Case Keenum just lit them up along with Kenny Britt, and Cousins should be able to do the same. Brian Hoyer, Carson Wentz, and even Aaron Rodgers had big games against this defense. Now, in steps Cousins who has the 6th most pass attempts in the league to take on the Lions. Cousins seems to have fixed some of his Redzone woes that he had at the beginning of the season, throwing 6 touchdowns in his last three games. The Lions defense has proven it can get beat deep and as I wrote last week DeSean Jackson is the man to do it. Last week he had 3 targets over 20 yards, dropping one of them which would have been a 40-yard touchdown. This week I expect him to get another 3-4 deep targets and get the touchdown. If he is out, however, Jamsion Crowder will be both a volume guy and the top deep threat in the offense, making him an excellent play as a stack or stand-alone play with Cousins.

4. Geno Smith and Brandon Marshall

I know, I know, Geno Smith isn’t good, but on FanDuel he is minimum price which makes him someone you have to consider. This is not a stack I am interested in on Draft Kings as a minimum price QB does very little when better QBs can be had for just a few hundred more. On FanDuel, however, this stack opens up your entire line-up to be filled with star players. Geno Smith needs 200 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 20 rush yards to smash his value and put up 18 points, which I think this is very reasonable. The last time Geno got a full game of action was versus the Dolphins two years ago where he had a perfect passer rating and over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. Geno has always been a guy who focuses on his number one target, and for the first time in his career he gets to focus on a legit star target. Brandon Marshall may lead the league in targets this week taking on a secondary that just gave up over 200 yards and two touchdowns to Odell Beckham. Jimmy Smith is likely out with a concussion which means that Shareece Wright will likely draw the matchup and he has given up the most touchdowns in the NFL. I like Smith to force the ball to Marshall, get his yards, and get the ball in the end zone a couple of times. Put these two in your lineup and enjoy loading your lineup with other studs.

RB and D/ST

1. DeMarco Murray and Titans Defense

Murray had his worst game of the year last week versus a surprisingly tough Browns run defense. He was saved by a late touchdown from a very poor performance. With so many people on this stack last week and it not working, it is a good time to go back to the well. The Colts run defense is horrid, with Lamar Miller carving them up on primetime with ease. Murray shouldn’t struggle to get to 100 yards and a touchdown, and will hopefully continue to add yards through the air as well. The Titans defense has been solid all year long coming off back-to-back 6 sack weeks, and faces a Colts team that has given up 23 sacks this season, 4 more than the second closest team the Bengals. Brian Orakpo is third in the league in sacks and has quietly had one of the best seasons of any defender this season with 7 sacks. He should give problems all day long to a Colts offensive line that allowed 16 pressures combined from Clowney and Mercilus last week.

2. Mike Gillislee and Bills Defense

The Bills defense has been a top 3 fantasy unit this year having scored double digit points in 4 of 6 weeks. They take on a Dolphins team that is gives up the 5th most points to fantasy teams. Ryan Tannehill has been sacked 18 times this year, which is the third most in the NFL and is tied for third in the league in interceptions this season. Unfortunately this stack isn’t going to be made with LeSean McCoy as he hurt his hamstring in practice and the Bills are being smart probably holding him out for a week so he doesn’t do more damage. Gillislee is a cheap option who will be highly owned versus the NFLs worst run defense, but he is still great play. He is a safe bet to get 20 touches, going up against the team that drafted him, playing in the city he is from. It’s both a great game script and narrative game for the Florida Alum, who I expect to have a great day.

3. Spencer Ware and the Chiefs Defense

I know that Jamaal Charles is back, but Spencer Ware is good and the Chiefs know it. Ware out touched Charles 26-10 last week and looked dominate doing so. He should continue to get 20 touches a game on a run first team playing a Saints defense that has been horrid versus the run, allowing the most fantasy points to running backs this season. The Chiefs defense is a bit more of a risky play, but the part of the stack with the lowest ownership. The Saints offense is big time and maybe the best in the league at home, but on the road they are not the same team. Brees has only thrown for 225 yards a game on the road and has 2 interceptions. He has proven in the past he can struggle on the road and turn the ball over, so I am willing to take a chance that it happens again in one hardest places to play in the entire NFL.