Ever heard of the stacking strategy in fantasy football? It is the process of starting players from the same NFL team whose production is correlated. The idea of starting a quarterback and his No. 1 wide receiver is not a new concept. It’s very common in daily fantasy football, especially in winning lineups in GPP tournaments. Yet, is it viable in a season-long league?
Stacking strategy volatility can go both ways
The short answer to the question I posed above is yes, but the risk-averse side of many fantasy football players begins to creep in. If the QB and WR connect for a passing touchdown, your fantasy team locks in 10 points plus yardage. A game with 2 or more touchdowns could help win your matchup.
What happens when these players are on a bye week, if one gets hurt, and if one or both underperform? The QB-WR stack is the most popular and highest correlated in winning DraftKings lineups.
You have to take calculated risks to win fantasy football leagues. Additionally, you must carefully weigh and consider the advantages and disadvantages of any draft strategy prior to implementation. Here are seven team stacks you can implement in various formats.
Stacking Strategy: Fantasy football targets for 2021
With Julio Jones gone, how valuable is a Matt Ryan/Calvin Ridley stack?
Atlanta Falcons: QB Matt Ryan and WR Calvin Ridley
Ryan has been under center for every snap of Ridley’s career. Since 2018, the veteran quarterback has averaged 297 passing yards and 23 fantasy points per game. According to Fantasy Football Calculator, Ryan’s ADP is in the 10th round of 12-team PPR formats.
Injuries derailed Jones’ 2020 campaign, and Ridley filled the void nicely. Ridley averaged 91.6 receiving yards and 19 PPR fantasy points per game. His ADP is currently in the middle of the second round.
Ryan had a passer rating of 102.3 when targeting Ridley last season. You should consider drafting Ridley and Ryan as your WR1 and QB1.
Tennessee Titans: QB Ryan Tannehill and WR Julio Jones
Tannehill was still able to prosper in the Titans’ run-heavy offense last year. He averaged 24.3 fantasy points per game and finished as a QB1 in half of his 16 active games. Tannehill is readily available in the ninth round of drafts.
Jones has ended as a WR2 or better in 61% of his games since his rookie season in 2011, averaging 18.6 PPR fantasy points per game. He is available in the fourth round of fantasy drafts. Despite playing alongside YAC machine A.J. Brown, Jones can still see around 120 targets.
Kansas City Chiefs: QB Patrick Mahomes and TE Travis Kelce
Over the last three seasons, Mahomes has averaged a ridiculous 27.4 fantasy points per game. He’s finished as a QB1 in an astounding 71% of his contests. Mahomes is typically drafted in the third round.
Kelce’s ADP is in the late-first-to-early-second-round range. He’s averaged 18.5 PPR fantasy points per game since 2018. The Kansas City stack is costly from a draft capital perspective, but this duo should have similar fantasy production in 2021. Mahomes generated a passer rating of 125 when targeting Kelce last year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: QB Tom Brady and WR Antonio Brown
Brady threw 4,633 passing yards and 40 touchdowns in 2020. He finished as a QB1 in 62% of his games. As a result, Brady’s ADP is in the seventh round.
When you think of Tampa Bay pass catchers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin immediately come to mind. Thus, Antonio Brown is often an afterthought when discussing the Buccaneers’ receivers. He joined the team halfway through last season and started slow. Brown eventually developed some chemistry with Brady toward the end of the year.
Brown is readily available in the ninth or 10th rounds of drafts. Moreover, Brady recorded a passer rating of 125 when targeting him last year. With a full season, Brown is projected to see a little over 100 targets in 2021.
Dallas Cowboys: QB Dak Prescott and WR Michael Gallup
Prescott averaged 50 pass attempts, 422.5 passing yards, and 36.3 fantasy points in his first four games last season. After his season-ending injury in Week 5, the Cowboys’ offense fell apart. Dallas played musical chairs at the position for the rest of 2020, with Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci, and Garrett Gilbert all making starts. As a result, Gallup only averaged 11 PPR fantasy points per game with three WR1 performances.
There is a good chance that Gallup will finish with the third-most targets in 2021, behind Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb. Still, it is worth noting that all three Cowboys receivers could exceed 100+ targets with a healthy Prescott under center. Additionally, Gallup ended last season with the most receiving air yards (1,243) amongst Dallas receivers.
Prescott’s ADP lands in the fifth round of drafts, while Gallup is readily available in the 12th. Dallas quarterbacks had a passer rating of 105 when targeting Gallup last season.
Philadelphia Eagles: QB Jalen Hurts and WR DeVonta Smith
Jalen Hurts was sensational during the final four games of the 2020 campaign, averaging 26.3 fantasy points per game.
The Eagles hired former Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni as their new head coach following the firing of Doug Pederson. Sirianni also brought on former Florida offensive coordinator Brian Johnson as the quarterbacks coach. Johnson has known Hurts since he was four years old. He grew up in the Houston area and played high school football at Baytown Lee High School under Averion Hurts, Jalen’s father.
Philadelphia’s receivers struggled mightily over the last two seasons. So, the Eagles selected former Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. His skill set will translate well to any offense. He holds the SEC and Crimson Tide record for career receiving yards (3,965) and touchdowns (46). Smith can terrorize defenses anywhere on the field.
Hurts is available in the eighth round of drafts. Furthermore, I’ve seen Smith drafted as early as the seventh round and as late as the 10th. Hopefully, this duo will terrorize NFC East defenses for many seasons to come.
Minnesota Vikings: QB Kirk Cousins and WR Justin Jefferson
Cousins finished last season with 4,265 passing yards and a career-high 35 passing touchdowns. Were you aware that this was his fifth season with 4,000+ passing yards? Cousins finished as a QB1 in eight games and had a passer rating of 116.4 when targeting rookie receiver Justin Jefferson.
Jefferson averaged 87.5 receiving yards and 17 PPR fantasy points per game. Cousins is readily available in the 12th round, while you’ll need to use a third-round pick to land Jefferson. This dynamic duo should pick up where they left off last season.
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Eric is a Senior Fantasy Analyst for Pro Football Network and a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers Association). You can read more of his work here and follow Eric on Twitter @EricNMoody.