Week 8 of the NFL season is here and we now have a decent amount of data to work with as we try and figure out what defenses to pick on when it comes to putting together our stacks. The obvious stacks are the QBs-WRs; however there are a few others that we get to take a look at. Let’s take a look at who we should be looking at to pair together this weekend.
QB/WR Stacks
My top stack for this weekend is going to be pretty popular, however I just love the connection as Jameis Winston-Mike Evans should have the highest target number this weekend as they take on a weak Oakland secondary at home. Evans has averaged over 13 targets per game over the last 5 weeks and I would bet that he surpasses that number this weekend. The stack that I originally thought would be the highest owned is Matt Ryan-Julio Jones. The GB-ATL game is going to be a lot of fun to watch and I definitely want to get a piece of the game as my third stack comes from the game as well and that is Aaron Rodgers-Randall Cobb. Both offenses are dealing with some banged up RB’s and we know each are capable of throwing the ball 50 times in a game. I went with Cobb as I think Jordy is not 100% and most will look at Montgomery or Adams and leave Cobb a bit under owned.
My last stack is going to be one that is a bit under the radar; however I do not believe it should be. Russell Wilson-Doug Baldwin gets to travel to New Orleans to take on one of the weakest D’s in the NFL. Wilson does not look 100% and people will shy away because of it and while I would prefer he have his scrambling ability, he has shown the ability to take advantage of weak pass D’s even while being hobbled.
RB/DEF Stacks
For the most part, all of the RB-DEF combinations have some warts to them this weekend as there aren’t many D’s in a gravy spot. My first combo is Devontae Booker-Denver as they look to get revenge on the Chargers. This game is at home so I expect the crowd to be a big factor and we recently learned that CJ Anderson may be missing a few weeks with a knee issue. My next stack is David Johnson-Arizona as we know that David Johnson is always at the top our list. Johnson needs no explanation here, but the Defense might as they travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers. The Panthers offense is just not 100% in sync and I love the pressure that Arizona brings. I could see this being a long day for Cam as he is forced to throw the ball 40+ times. My last two stacks are both playing on the road, which is somewhat concerning.
Spencer Ware-Kansas City travel to Indy to take on Andrew Luck. You may think I am crazy, however KC always surprises on D and they tend to find ways to score TD’s which is the most important thing to me when picking out a D. The Colts O-Line is just not very good and I could see 4-5 sacks to go along with 2 picks and maybe a fumble recovery for the D. My last one will surprise you as I like Melvin Gordon-San Diego. The Chargers D had their best performance of the season the last time these two teams met and we know that Trevor Siemian isn’t an elite passing option. We also know that Melvin has been a TD machine so far so I think this is a sneaky option this weekend.
Returner/DEF Stacks
This stack is usually one of my favorites to incorporate however it has really gotten to be pretty weak this season. I am not ready to completely abandon because there are a few guys that can reward us for taking a chance. My first one is Darren Sproles-Philadelphia as they take on a Dallas team that is allowing 14.4 yards per return so far. The Eagles defense just continues to put up points and while it is a tough match-up, I can’t put anything past them at this point.
My next combo is Adam Humphries-Tampa Bay as they face an Oakland team that has allowed the 4th most PR yards on the season. We know Humphries is expected to be a bigger piece of the offense without Vincent Jackson and while the TB D leaves a lot to be desired, they are facing a Raiders offense that throws quite a bit and that always can lead to picks. My last two are ones that will appear basically every week as we know my love affair for the struggling Tyler Lockett-Seattle and my new love for Tyreek Hill-Kansas City. We know how dangerous Lockett is and while Brees at home is generally a sure thing, I find it hard to believe that Seattle won’t pick him off a couple times as it’s too tough to throw on Seattle’s D 35+ times. I have already talked about why I like KC’s defense and we know that people think that Hill is the fastest player in the NFL right now, so we know he is dangerous when he touches the ball. He is second in the NFL in PR yardage so far.
There you have it for Week 8, a list of my favorite stacking options. Make sure you let me know how you feel about my article in the comments below or on Twitter. Make sure to let me know how terrible I am, however if you do that be ready for me to point out when I nailed it! Best of luck and may your accounts be plentiful come Tuesday morning!
