Fantasy football drafts are full of strategies, but few generate as much buzz as “stacking.” At its core, stacking is about pairing players from the same NFL offense. When that quarterback connects with his teammate for a touchdown, fantasy managers reap double the reward. The approach has long been popular in daily fantasy formats, but it’s becoming a staple in season-long and best ball leagues as well.
Below is an in-depth analysis, including players who fit an effective stacking strategy that you can target this season, whether it be re-draft leagues at Sleeper Fantasy or Underdog Best Ball drafts.
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What is the Stacking Strategy?
The stacking strategy in fantasy football drafts is a deliberate approach to draft multiple players from the same NFL team—most commonly a quarterback and one or more of his pass catchers (wide receivers or tight ends). The idea is to maximize upside by capitalizing on big offensive performances. For example, when a quarterback throws a touchdown to his wide receiver, both players in the stack score points simultaneously, creating a compounding effect. While stacking can increase week-to-week volatility, it’s especially powerful in tournament-style or best ball leagues where high ceilings matter more than consistent floors. The strategy also adds a game-theory element, allowing drafters to differentiate their lineups and gain leverage over opponents when their chosen team’s offense has a breakout game.
Last season, fantasy owners that paired Bengals teammates Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase were rewarded with two top-5 fantasy finishers. The road to get there, however, highlights the volatility potential in the stacking strategy. Cincinnati struggled at the beginning of the season and Burrow finished in the top 12 just four of the first eight weeks. Likewise, Chase has four weeks outside the top 30 wide receivers through Week 9.
In the second half of the season, the Bengals offense with their superstar tandem turned things on and the pair combined for six top-2 finishes at their positions. Hopefully, season-long teams won enough of those early-season games to capitalize on their fantasy playoff performances.
Pros of the Stacking Strategy
One of the biggest advantages of the stacking strategy is its ability to amplify scoring upside. When you pair a quarterback with one of his primary pass catchers, every touchdown connection delivers double the fantasy points—once for the quarterback’s throw and once for the receiver’s catch. This compounding effect can create explosive weeks that singlehandedly swing matchups in your favor. In formats where ceiling matters most, such as best ball or large tournament-style leagues, stacking gives managers a chance to differentiate their rosters and capture the kind of high-end production needed to outperform the competition.
Another pro of stacking is that it simplifies draft-day decision-making by giving your roster a clear identity and correlation. Instead of building a lineup of scattered one-off players, you’re betting on an offense you believe will consistently produce at a high level. This not only streamlines your draft strategy but also allows you to lean into favorable game scripts—like high-scoring shootouts—where your stacked players can thrive together. By aligning your roster with a single offensive ecosystem, you increase the odds of multiple players hitting at once, rather than hoping for isolated performances from unrelated teams.
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Cons of the Stacking Strategy
The biggest drawback of the stacking strategy is the increased volatility it brings to your lineup. Because your players’ performances are tied to the success of a single offense, you risk having multiple starters underperform in the same week if that team struggles. A poor game script, bad weather conditions, or simply a tough defensive matchup can sink your stack, leaving you with fewer points across multiple roster spots. This can be especially punishing in head-to-head season-long leagues where consistent weekly production is more valuable than occasional boom weeks.
Another con is that stacking can force you into reaching for players or ignoring better overall talent on the board. Drafting with the intent to stack sometimes leads managers to overvalue certain receivers or tight ends just because they pair with their chosen quarterback, even if other players at the position offer more individual upside. This creates opportunity cost—passing on higher-quality assets for the sake of correlation. Additionally, if the offense you’re stacking suffers a major injury or fails to live up to expectations, your team can be left with a significant hole that’s hard to recover from over the course of the season.
Top Stacking Targets in 2025
Dak Prescott, QB, and CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Another year of offseason turmoil in Dallas seems to have tamped down expectations for the entire team. Dak Prescott lost much of the 2024 season to a hamstring injury, but he is just two seasons removed from finishing third in quarterback fantasy scoring. Since 2019, Prescott has posted a top-7 season in each of the odd years…it’s now 2025.
In 2023, star receiver CeeDee Lamb topped all receivers in fantasy scoring with 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 scores. The Cowboys defense is a work in progress, especially with the uncertainty around Micah Parsons, and they declined to invest any draft capital in a talented running back. Expect an air show again in Dallas.
Lamb is the third wide receiver in Sean Koerner’s rankings and Prescott is down at QB11. Owners that grab Lamb in the first round should strongly consider picking up his signal caller later in the draft.
Check out our expert fantasy football rankings to see what other stacks may be possible during your drafts.
JJ McCarthy, QB, and Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Yes, JJ McCarthy is a complete unknown in fantasy football, but that uncertainty creates upside value in fantasy drafts. The stacking strategy bets on a high-scoring fantasy offense. Kevin O’Connell’s offensive system in Minnesota has proven to succeed regardless of which guy is taking the snaps and McCarthy may be the most talented quarterback to dress in purple since O’Connell has been there.
Last season, Sam Darnold posted a top-10 fantasy year and Justin Jefferson finished only behind his former college teammate Ja’Marr Chase at the wide receiver position in a “down” year by his standards. The Vikings should have an improved offensive line and running game this season, which may lead to a slightly more ball-control-style offense, but there will still be plenty of play-action shots to Jefferson in the plan each week.
Koerner has Jefferson as the WR2 going into the season. McCarthy is virtually free at QB17.
Check out Sean Koerner’s WR Tiers article to see how he stacks up all the wide receivers this draft season.
Baker Mayfield, QB, Mike Evans, WR, and Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Stacking can also include multiple receiving threats on a roster and Tampa Bay may be the best option for owners realistically grabbing multiple pieces of a strong offense in the mid-rounds of the draft. Baker Mayfield has resurrected his career with the Buccaneers and quietly finished fourth in QB fantasy scoring last season with 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdowns.
Mike Evans reaching the 1,000-yard mark yet again was a wonderful story to end 2024, but he still has gas left in the tank, especially around the goal line. He posted three top-5 fantasy weeks in the last six games of 2024 and found the end zone 11 times in 14 games.
Evans is joined by first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka from Ohio State, who may be the most complete receiver of the 2025 draft. With the continuous injury concerns of Chris Godwin, Egbuka should be on the field a lot for the Buccaneers and Mayfield is not shy about taking shots. The consensus projections have Mayfield at QB7 with Evans and Egbuka at WR18 and WR33. Those feel like strong values to stack in the mid rounds after grabbing some high-end playmakers early in the draft.
Pictured: Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb
Photo Credit: Imagn
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