By Jordan Stiers
Drafting two players from the same offense is called a stack. The most common type of stack in fantasy is a QB and WR stack. More importantly, it’s usually your starting QB and WR1. Although if you have any of the big 3 at TE (Kittle, Ertz, Kelce) you may be drawn to QB/TE stack. Fantasy stacks aren’t a necessity to have. In fact, not everybody agrees that stacking is even a good idea. I personally am a huge believer in stacking your stars. However, there is a certain way to go about it. Trying to force a stack can throw off your entire draft. You want the players to fall to you. Ideally, your WR1 has a QB who isn’t an early-round pick.
First, don’t overdraft your QB just so you have a stack. There are plenty of stacks that you can overspend on that would be amazing to have. The problem is, they require you to take a QB in the 6th round or sooner. If you’re okay with that, here’s some stacks worth targeting:
Aaron Rodgers/ Davante Adams: Aaron Rodgers ADP is 5.08, while Davante Adams ADP is 1.7. Last year they combined for 642 fantasy points.
Baker Mayfield/ Odell Beckham Jr: Baker Mayfield's ADP is 6.05, while OBJs is 1.12. This year they are projected to combine for 555 fantasy points.
Deshaun Watson/ DeAndre Hopkins: Deshaun Watson’s ADP is 5.9, while DeAndre Hopkins ADP is 1.5. Last year they combined for 665 fantasy points.
Out of these stacks, the most intriguing is the one in Houston. Both players scored over 330 fantasy points last year. 5.9 is pretty early for a QB, and you aren’t going to be happy with your RB1 if you go WR early in the first. Going into every week virtually guaranteed over 40 fantasy points a week should help you sleep at night, though. Where’s Pat Mahomes and Tyreek Hill? Or Pat Mahomes and Travis Kelce? It’s virtually impossible to get either of the duos because their ADPs are all jumbled in the second round.
Now, the stacks that you can realistically acquire in this year's drafts without overdrafting players: Let’s start with Drew Brees and Michael Thomas. They have ADPs of 8.01 and 1.10, and they combined for 620 points last year. That is with Brees not playing in week 17 against Carolina. They combined for nearly 40 points a game last year in games played. This is my least favorite of the 3 stacks we are going to discuss. My faith in Brees is fading year by year, and taking him in the 8th just doesn’t excite me. Having him and Thomas on the same squad would be very exciting though, and overdrafting Brees is the only way to make that happen.
Next is Jameis Winston/ Mike Evans. They have ADPs of 10.3 and 2.08. Last year they combined for 36 points a game last year. With the addition of Bruce Arians, I can’t help but only see that number increase up near the 40 points a game mark. This stack is very good to have because it still allows you to get a strong RB1 in the first round. Obviously, there is a risk in drafting Winston, but in the 10th round, it’s definitely worth the risk. As for Mike Evans, he’s one of the most consistent fantasy players in the NFL. Regardless of who is throwing the rock to him.
Now for the most favorable stack of 2019, Big Ben and JuJu Smith-Schuster. They have ADPs of 11.04 and 2.03. They combined for 639 points last year, averaging 40 points a week. This stack is my favorite because not only are you getting the opportunity to get your RB1 in the first round still (JuJu going 2.03), Big Ben isn’t going until the early 11th round. This is a guy who was the QB3 last year. Now obviously we are expecting some regression from Ben, but we should also expect some improvements from JuJu Smith-Schuster. Either way, this is a very affordable stack in terms of ADP.
Most stacks I find myself having generally include a touchdown monster (Sorry Julio Jones /Matt Ryan). Stacks involving players who don’t score as many touchdowns isn’t a bad thing, it’s just a preference that varies person to person. Most of all, I try to get what I call a natural stack. Basically meaning I didn’t force myself to overdraft to get the stack. Having multiple players from the same offense is a risk. If that team has an off week, your team is more than likely going to also have an off week. That’s why it’s important to try to only stack on teams that have high scoring offenses that you can trust to put up good stats week to week.