Top GPP Stacks of Week 8

Eliot Crist (@EliotCrist) is back with his stacks of the week! Eliot is rising up the ranks of DFS player leaderboards and he is determined to keep that up, taking down some more GPP's this week.

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. Josh McCown, Terrelle Pryor, and Gary Barnidge

I rarely use a triple stack, but I think that this is the time to take advantage of it. Browns QBs have performed well above expectations this year for fantasy, often playing catch up and putting up big numbers. Josh McCown returns from injury this week and all reports are saying he looked fantastic in practice, putting good zip on this throws. Gary Barnidge last season was a top 10 tight end in every week that McCown was his quarterback and gets a matchup versus a Jets team that has been killed by tight ends this season. Barnidge is only 3.3k on DK and should see 10 targets in a great matchup is an amazing stack with McCown. Terrelle Pryor is a great GPP play this week going up against a Jets team that has been prone to giving up the big play. Pyror will likely be matched up against Revis, who has really struggled with speed. Pyror has 4.4 speed that should give him issues. On plays Revis isn’t on him he will face Marcus Williams or Buster Skrine both under 5’10” and will struggle with his size. This will be a low owned combo that I think has 90 points combined upside. If this hits you will shoot up leaderboards and will have the money to roster superstars to combine with them.

2. Derek Carr and Amari Cooper

Carr started the season as a darling for everyone when he rattled off four straight games where he finished as a top 12 QB. He has struggled the last two weeks versus the Chiefs and Jaguars. One game the Raiders got up big and didn’t need to throw and the other was ruined by the weather. Carr takes on a Bucs team that has been lit up all season long by QBs, even Carson Palmer who has been awful this year lit them up. Cooper is my preferred player to stack with Carr as when he doesn’t have an elite CB trailing him he gets all the targets. The only two games where Crabtree out targeted him was when Trufant and Ramsey followed him. The Bucs have Brent Grimes and Vernon Heargraves who will not be able to stop Cooper. In games where the Raiders have played weaker corners Cooper has gone off. I expect more of the same as Carr has 3 touchdown upside, and Cooper has 100 yards and 2 touchdown upside.

3. Drew Brees and Brandin Cooks

Drew Brees at home is money. 8 straight games with 300 yards at home one shy of the NFL record. He is basically a lock to be a top 5 QB every game he is at home, but this week he gets one of the top defenses in the league in the Seahawks. I think this is a perfect week to play Drew Brees in tournaments as his ownership should be low as people are scared off by the matchup. The good news for Brees is that Seattle will be missing two All-pro defenders in Bennett and Chancellor. Brandon Cooks has been awesome at home this year where he has scored 33 or more points in two out of three games. Richard Sherman is one of the best corners in the NFL, however he has been beat this year and has historically struggled with speed. Last week JJ Nelson got the better of him multiple times, and Cooks is 5 times the player he is. This stack at home has gone over 60 combined points twice at home this season and I’m betting it will be a third time Sunday.

4. Cam Newton and Greg Olsen

Cam Newton is a similar QB to Drew Brees in terms of home and away splits. Newton has been a top 10 QB in 7 of his last 10 home games, one of the ones he wasn’t was versus a Vikings defense this season who has shut down every team they have played. Newton gets a Cardinals team that he lit up last year in the playoffs. The Cardinals defense is good, and gets good pressure which is always concerning versus a Panthers team that struggles to block rushers. However, I think that Newton had the bye week to get healthy and will be back to form of his MVP self. Newton hasn’t looked the same since the Denver game where he was amazing in the first half took to many big hits. Healthy Newton in a must win game, with low ownership is something I am willing to take a risk on. I think that Olsen is the best stack option as Peterson should get the better of the Benjamin matchup, funneling targets to Olsen. Last week Graham dominated the Cardinals when Wilson had time to throw, and I expect Olsen to do the same as Graham. Despite playing one less game than a lot of other tight ends he leads the NFL at the tight end position with 58 targets in 6 games. This is a high risk high reward GPP only stack for me, but one I feel I have to take the chance on.

RB and Defense Stack

1. Devontae Booker and Broncos Defense

This stack is the most obvious stack on the entire slate, but it doesn’t make it a bad one. Booker is the best value player on the board, and after Anderson was ruled out for the season Booker will step up to be an every down player for the rest of the season. Booker is a guy who gets a good matchup and will be getting at least 20 touches. He may be 50 percent owned in tournaments, but I think you have to win elsewhere and play Booker on every lineup on Draft Kings and a majority of lineups on FanDuel. The defensive pool is a weak one this week and the Broncos are the top play at home. The Chargers offense is no joke, but they have a weaker o-line and are prone to giving up sacks. The Broncos provide as much pressure as anyone else and are the safest bet on the slate to get double digit points.

2. Spencer Ware and Chiefs Defense.

Ware is a top 3 running back play this week versus a terrible Colts front and with Charles out. Ware is a work horse back who will also do damage catching the ball out of the backfield. Ware two straight twenty point games and is a safe bet to get 3x value again this week. The Colts have been lit up on the ground for over 100 yards for three straight weeks and Ware will make it 4 after Sunday. The Chiefs defense and Ware stack worked for me last week and I am going back to it. This is not an elite defense, but it is a defense that can make the big play. The Colts get back weapons this week with Dorsett and Moncrief coming back. However, they will still be banged up on the offensive line and I expect the Chiefs to get pressure on Luck. Luck is an amazing QB who is forced to do too much, which often leads to turnovers, sacks, and mistakes. I like Marcus Peters and the Chiefs defense to be able to take advantage of a few of them this week.