This piece will identify some of my favorite NFL DFS stacks of the weekend. Be sure to use our Stacking Tool within our Player Models to find the highest projected stacks, the stacks that figure to be chalky, and more. Our Correlation Dashboard is also an excellent resource for finding hidden edges in stacking positions and games.
You can also plug these stacks into our Lineup Builder to hand-build the rest of it, or you can optimize it with our projections. And if you like to create multiple lineups, our Lineup Optimizer allows you to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups.
The Lineup Optimizer has endless customization opportunities.
Or you can just use our NFL DFS sims to effortlessly create advanced lineups.
Finally, make sure to check out all the projections available for purchase within the FantasyLabs Models. Subscribers now have the option to purchase Derek Carty’s THE BLITZ from our Marketplace.
You can also combine them to create your own aggregate projection:
Week 9 NFL DFS Stacks and Picks
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Brock Purdy + Christian McCaffrey + George Kittle + Ashton Jeanty
- Brock Purdy ($6,800 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel)
- Christian McCaffrey ($8,000 DraftKings, $8,700 FanDuel)
- George Kittle ($6,000 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel)
- Ashton Jeanty ($5,900 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel)
Coming off the bye week, the San Francisco 49ers are still dealing with injuries. Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel are both missing practice, while Christian McCaffrey has been limited in practice. Despite the injury situation, they are still nearly double-digit home favorites against the Raiders, with the highest implied team total on the slate at 30.5 points. This is an explosive offense worth targeting on this large slate.
Even with a respectable 4-4 record, the Raiders rank 30th overall in defensive EPA per play. They are allowing 28.8 points and 381.9 yards per game. The Raiders are 1-4 in their last five games, allowing 35.2 points per game and at least 30 points in every contest during that stretch. Meanwhile, the 49ers rank first in EPA per play and are averaging 28.1 points per game through seven games.
Brock Purdy is currently second in MVP voting and first in QBR with a career-high 79.3. He is playing fantastic football at the quarterback position despite his weapons dropping like flies. Purdy hasn’t had a ceiling performance since Week 3, but the Raiders defense brings out the best in their opponents. They are currently allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this season.
Purdy is coming off his worst game of the season against the Falcons, when the 49ers suffered their first loss. It was just the second time all season that Purdy failed to throw two or more touchdowns. Over the Raiders’ last five games, opposing quarterbacks are averaging 2.4 passing touchdowns and 267.8 passing yards per game. Expect a bounce-back performance for Purdy against a horrendous Raiders defense.
Keep an eye on the status of Christian McCaffrey to make sure he is able to suit up this week. If not, backup running back Kaelon Black will arguably be the best value on the slate. However, assuming full health, McCaffrey is an elite pay-up option across the industry. He has scored at least one rushing touchdown in six straight games and is averaging 21.9 DraftKings points per game during that time.
Due to the wide receiver injuries, McCaffrey has a 26% target share and has drawn a target on 34% of his routes over the past two weeks. He will be impossible to ignore on this slate with the highest ownership and highest projected Plus/Minus among all players. Not only that, but McCaffrey also has the highest optimal lineup rate in our NFL Sims at 42.6%. McCaffrey is a staple in cash games and a fantastic tournament option.
The other 49ers player to pair with Purdy and McCaffrey is tight end George Kittle. Similar to McCaffrey, Kittle is popping in our NFL Models as an elite play. He has a 28.1% optimal lineup rate, which is far and away the highest at the tight end position. Kittle had to ease into the season after tearing his Achilles last year. However, since Week 3, Kittle has been one of Purdy’s top receiving options with a 26% target share.
In his seven games this season, Kittle has reached double-digit DraftKings points five times. With all the 49ers’ injuries over the last two weeks, Kittle has averaged 6.5 receptions on nine targets for 78.5 receiving yards per game. The Raiders have been particularly susceptible to tight ends this season, allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to the position. Kittle is a strong option in all formats.
How often is there a chance to play one of the most talented running backs in the league for under $6,000? The cheapest Ashton Jeanty has been all season is $6,500. He is coming off a season-low two carries and only played 37% of the offensive snaps last week, so the price decrease is legitimate. However, after his comments in the media last week, the benching was intentional, and Jeanty is fine moving forward.
Jeanty is only projected for 10% ownership and could be a smash bringback to this 49ers stack if he gets a full workload at this cheap price tag. He has shown the ability to be a huge asset in the receiving game with a 17% target share. Jeanty still has a home run ceiling, and the Raiders are playing at the third-fastest pace in the league at 27.7 seconds per play. Take a chance on Jeanty with his tournament-winning upside.
According to the DraftKings sportsbook, McCaffrey is basically automatic to score a touchdown at -340, and Kittle isn’t far behind at -125. The 49ers are currently a concentrated offense built around these two studs. Jeanty, for what it is worth, is +165 to score a touchdown, giving him the fourth-highest touchdown probability in this game. Load up on the 49ers offense with their 30.5-point team total and bring it back with a star running back.
Drew Lock + Jaxon Smith-Njigba + Trey McBride
- Drew Lock ($4,000 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel)
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($9,300 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel)
- Trey McBride ($7,700 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel)
This NFC West showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals offers a contrarian stack with the potential for a slate-winning ceiling. Separated by only one game in the standings, the Seahawks are 8.5-point home favorites with an implied team total of 24 points. This game has the second-lowest total on the slate at 39.5 points, which is why the projected ownership for these three players is incredibly low this week.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is out this week due to injury, setting up Drew Lock for his second start of the season. Ironically, Lock’s only start of the season was against the Cardinals in Week 2, when he put up big numbers in a 31-7 road victory. Lock threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns, accumulating 21.4 DraftKings points. He was $4,900 in that game and is the minimum $4,000 this week.
Lock is projected for less than 5% ownership but has the highest optimal lineup rate at the quarterback position at 11.1%. Darnold has had a problem taking care of the ball with nine interceptions and only 10 passing touchdowns. If Lock has another strong start and takes care of the ball, it would not be surprising if he were granted more opportunities. It also helps that the Cardinals rank 28th in defensive EPA per play.
The matchup is what makes this Lock play look even better this week. The Cardinals are allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. They rank 31st in pass defense EPA per play and are allowing a league-high 29.8 points per game this season. Not only has Lock shown the ability to take care of the ball, but he can also push the ball down the field. Having an elite wide receiver is helpful.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba leads all wide receivers in DraftKings points per game at 30.1 and target share at 36%. He is proving to be arguably the best wide receiver in the league. Smith-Njigba has nine receiving touchdowns and is already just 15 receiving yards away from 1,000 yards. Even with a poor running game and no true second option in the passing game, Smith-Njigba is still beating double coverage every week.
Smith-Njigba is at his highest salary of the season at $9,300 and is drawing less than 10% projected ownership. Several strong plays in the upper pricing tier, including Puka Nacua ($8,800), CeeDee Lamb ($8,300), and Amon-Ra St. Brown ($8,100), are all in great spots, making Smith-Njigba a contrarian pay-up option. However, playing a cheap quarterback allows you to pay up for two of these guys.
In Lock’s lone start in Week 2 against the Cardinals, Smith-Njigba accounted for 155 of Lock’s 235 yards. He had a 42% target share in that contest and caught all three of Lock’s touchdown passes for a season-high 45.5 DraftKings points. With Rashid Shaheed likely out again and the other receiving options being extremely inconsistent, a repeat performance is on the table against this putrid Cardinals pass defense.
Similar to the Seahawks, the Cardinals will be going with a backup quarterback. Jacoby Brissett was traded this week to the Ravens, making veteran Gardner Minshew the starter. Minshew came in last week in the third quarter and led the Cardinals to a 33-30 comeback victory over the Cowboys with three passing touchdowns and 188 passing yards. The journeyman quarterback can still sling the rock.
Like Smith-Njigba, Trey McBride is expensive and is drawing less than 5% projected ownership at the tight end position. He had 72 receiving yards and a touchdown last week for 20.2 DraftKings points. He is leading all tight ends in fantasy points per game and has a position-leading 26% target share. He had eight receptions and a touchdown against the Seahawks in their Week 2 game and is worth paying up for given his consistency.
Keep this a Seahawks skinny stack with Lock and Smith-Njigba. Smith-Njigba is their only option offensively, and this is quite possibly the best matchup for opposing wide receivers. He is expensive but worth every penny. If salary is an issue with this stack, take the $1,000 discount from McBride to Michael Wilson.
Pictured: Trey McBride
Photo Credit: Imagn
