Last week’s NFL DFS slate was a bit difficult to navigate. Only a couple of top-tier QBs were available, but this week, Josh Allen and a few others will return from prime-time games and bye weeks to provide daily fantasy football players more options for their DraftKings and FanDuel lineups. With several top-flight D/STs among the six bye-week teams (Cowboys, Giants, 49ers, Broncos, Steelers, Browns), there are more high-upside sleepers and stacking opportunities available in both cash games and tournaments.
As always, there are also some pricing inefficiencies to exploit. Sleepers have been created thanks to injuries and the NFL trade deadline, so getting in on those players while they are underpriced, which we’re doing with Chase Claypool in our Bears stack, is a smart move.
Stacking is one of the most effective ways to win DFS prizes. Just asked those who paired Jalen Hurts with A.J. Brown last week. The strategy involves selecting multiple players from the same team in the hopes that they can have success together, not just as individuals. That synergy creates an opportunity to earn double points, which raises the ceiling of lineups significantly.
You can approach stacks in a traditional sense, targeting QBs and their top receiving weapons or opting for RBs and D/STs — basically, any grouping of players whose success tends to correlate with one another. You can also take a contrarian approach and hope that your lineup differentiation is strong because of your unique choices.
DraftKings and FanDuel remain the top DFS platforms worldwide, but DraftKings has the more variable pricing. That makes it a bit easier to craft creative stacks, especially when targeting cheaper receivers. That’s not to say you can’t stack on FanDuel; it’s just sometimes harder to find value when doing so.
Below are some of our favorite sets of teammates for Week 9 DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.
Week 9 NFL DFS Picks: Top cash game stacks for DraftKings, FanDuel
QB Josh Allen, WR Stefon Diggs, and TE Dawson Knox, Bills at Jets (DK Stack)
It’s nice to have the Bills as an option in the Week 9 main slate after their “Sunday Night Football” game in Week 8. They have a solid matchup against the Jets, who have yet to face a passing attack as potent as Buffalo’s.
Allen is justifiably the highest-priced quarterback on the slate. He is a high-floor, high-ceiling player who will do a lot as a passer and runner, so he is a great anchor for any cash-game unit. Pairing him with Diggs, who is averaging 10.4 targets per game, and Knox, who has posted a touchdown in consecutive outings, seems like a high-upside move.
Some might be scared off this stack because of the Jets’ strong defense, which allows the sixth-fewest yards and 11th-fewest points this season. That said, the Bills have the weapons needed to stress any defense, so starting this Bills trio could prove to be a boon.
WEEK 9 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
QB Kirk Cousins, WR Justin Jefferson, and WR Adam Thielen, Vikings at Commanders (DK/FD Stack)
Can you count on Cousins to get revenge on his former team? This seems like a good matchup for him.
The Commanders have allowed 14 passing touchdowns to quarterbacks this season, tied for the fourth-most in the NFL. That will give Cousins and the Vikings passing game plenty of opportunities to score, especially considering that the Commanders are pretty good against the run.
Cousins has a high floor as a result while Jefferson and Thielen each have high ceilings. Washington has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to receivers and doesn’t have much high-quality depth at cornerback. That will make it hard for them to cover Jefferson, and even if they bracket him, that will leave Thielen open for a big day.
Both Jefferson and Thielen may not have huge outings, but if each catches a touchdown, this stack will pay off with ease.
WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
RB Leonard Fournette and Tampa Bay D/ST, Buccaneers vs. Rams (DK/FD Stack)
The Buccaneers might seem like a team that you’d want to avoid, but rolling with their defense in Week 9 is a smart move.
The Rams have issues on the offensive line; Cooper Kupp is dealing with an ankle injury; and Matthew Stafford has thrown eight interceptions this season, tied for the second most in the NFL. All of that points to a potential Tampa Bay bounce back, especially if it can get some of its cornerbacks back and healthy.
Meanwhile, trusting Tom Brady and the Bucs’ inconsistent passing attack isn’t appealing, but trusting Fournette is. The Rams have generally been good against running backs this year, but Fournette has averaged 75.6 scrimmage yards and a touchdown over his past five games. He should have a chance to score again or be a PPR threat out of the backfield.
Week 9 DraftKings, FanDuel Picks: Best stacks for daily fantasy football tournaments
QB Marcus Mariota, RB Tyler Allgeier, and TE Kyle Pitts, Falcons vs. Chargers (DK/FD Stack)
The Falcons’ offense has been surprisingly solid this year under Arthur Smith’s watch, and it figures to have a favorable matchup in this one.
The Chargers have the NFL’s sixth-worst run defense and allow 137.6 yards on the ground. The Falcons average 158.1 rushing yards per game and have the second-highest run rate of any team at 57.63 percent.
What does that mean? Well, assuming Cordarrelle Patterson (knee) is out again, Allgeier will be asked to shoulder a heavy workload in this matchup. Mariota will also contribute to the ground game. That will give both a high floor despite their lower-end salaries, and that makes them appealing for DFS purposes. If Patterson is active, he makes for a good pivot, as ownership tends to be low for players coming off multi-week injuries.
You could stack only those two players if you’d like, but adding a mismatch weapon like Kyle Pitts, who had 80 yards and a touchdown last week, makes sense, as well. We’re buying low on Pitts as opposed to chasing points, so this feels like a good strategy.
QB Aaron Rodgers, RB Aaron Jones, and RB AJ Dillon, Packers at Lions (DK Stack)
The Lions have allowed the third-most FPPG to running backs this season and have allowed more rushing touchdowns than any team in the league. That makes this a great matchup for a Packers team that should start to skew run-heavy if it wants to make a playoff push.
Jones is coming off a game during which he totaled 143 rushing yards on 20 carries against an excellent Bills defense. Imagine what he will be able to accomplish against a far more porous Lions stop unit. Meanwhile, Dillon hasn’t gotten as many carries of late. However, if the Packers come with a run-heavy game plan, he could get 15 touches and make a big impact.
By playing Jones and Dillon, we are guaranteed virtually all of the Packers’ rushing production. Adding Rodgers gives us a way to get in on all of the passing action, as well. Considering that this could be a high-scoring game and Jones can catch passes, this seems like a good spot to load up on Green Bay’s top offensive threats.
QB Justin Fields, WR Darnell Mooney, and WR Chase Claypool, Bears vs. Dolphins (DK/FD Stack)
Fields is starting to put things together as he becomes more familiar with Luke Getsy’s offense. He has totaled five touchdowns in his past two starts and is averaging 165 passing yards. Those numbers aren’t great, but when you add in his 142 total rushing yards, he has a solid floor for one of the lowest-priced quarterbacks on the slate. If he decides to scramble even more, especially in the red zone, his ceiling is through the roof.
The good news for Fields is that the Dolphins have allowed 192 rushing yards to quarterbacks this year. That’s good for fifth most in the NFL, so Fields should be in for a nice day on the ground.
Meanwhile, Mooney is a dynamic playmaker and Claypool is a big-bodied receiver who should be rejuvenated with his new team. Both are solid dart throws against a Miami defense that has allowed the eighth-most FPPG to wide receivers.
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