DraftKings Week 3 Starting Stacks
In this weekly article, we will provide you with some popular "chalk" stacks and some "under the radar" stacks to use in your DraftKings GPP tournaments. (GPPs)
"Chalk" Stacks:
In Week 3, there is one chalk stack in play, the New England Patriots. The Patriots 40-32 victory over the well respected Buffalo defense has opened the eyes of many in the fantasy community. They have the highest team total of Week 3, 30.5 points, and the benefit of playing at home. Brady/Gronkowski and Brady/Edelman will be the high owned stacks this week as well they should be. The first question that you need to ask yourself when constructing your Week 3 GPP lineups is: How much exposure do I want to have to the New England offense? If you only have one or two GPP lineups, it is probably best to fade the popular Patriots stacks and look elsewhere. If you are constructing 10 GPP lineups, you probably should have at least 1-2 Patriots stacks this week.
New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Team Total 30.50 points
QB Tom Brady $7,700-TE Rob Gronkowski $7,400 Total Stack $15,100 (30.2% of salary)
A Brady/Gronkowski stack leaves you with $4,985 for the remainder of your GPP lineup. With the large number of early season injuries, it will not be difficult to find value plays to complement this stack. If Gronkowski scores multiple touchdowns on Sunday, you will want this stack in your GPP lineups even despite the high ownership.
QB Tom Brady $7,700-WR Julian Edelman $7,000 Total Stack $14,700 (29.4% of salary)
A Brady/Edelman stack leaves you with $5,042 average remaining per player. Based on DraftKings point per reception scoring, Edelman has one of the highest floor/ceilings at the wide receiver position. Edelman produced 11 receptions in each of the Patriots first two games.
QB Tom Brady $7,700-WR Julian Edelman $7,000-TE Rob Gronkowski $7,400 Total Stack $22,100 (44.2% of salary)
The Patriots are one of the few teams where it is a profitable strategy to roster 2+ players in your GPP lineups. Many will pair Brady not only with Edelman but also with Gronkowski. This double stack leaves you with $4,650 average remaining per player. This is not a bad strategy if you expect the Patriots key playmakers to produce similar results as compared to the first two weeks of the season.
Alternate New England Patriots stacks:
A strategy that many will use for Week 3 is to differentiate their Patriots stacks. Pairing Brady with a player not named Edelman or Gronkowski carries a higher risk/reward. This is a viable strategy that often works well with GPPs. Or you could add a Patriots player to a Edelman or Gronkowski stack. Alternate players that you can mix and match into your Patriots GPP stacks are:
Dion Lewis $4,200 Lewis is priced too cheap based on his production the first two weeks of the season. He will be popular this weekend along with Patriots stacks.
LeGarrette Blount $4,000 The Patriots have a good chance of building a dominant lead and grinding the clock out in the 4th quarter.
Scott Chandler $2,700 Chandler got into the end zone Week 1 vs. the Steelers. He has multi touchdown upside in this offense and will carry significantly lower ownership percentage as compared to Gronkowski.
Patriots Defense $3,100 Let's not forget about the Patriots defense. The Jaguars have the second lowest team total this week. If the Patriots build a large lead, they will be in a position to generate turnovers and defensive touchdowns.
"Under the Radar" Stacks
With high ownership expected with Patriots in Week 3, any non-Patriots stack will be lower owned than most weeks. Here are my three favorite options:
Seattle Seahawks, Team Total 29.5 points
Marshawn Lynch $7,400-Seahawks Defense $3,400 Total Stack $10,800 (21.6% of salary)
The Seahawks are 15 point favorites in their home opener playing vs. backup QB Jimmy Clausen. They are 0-2 and in desperate need of a win. The Seahawks have the second highest team total, 29.5 points, and the Bears carry the lowest team total of the week, 14.5 points. This Vegas line heavily favors the running game and defense. This stack leaves you with a healthy $5,600 average remaining per player.
*Another option to include with your Seahawks defense stack is wide receiver/return specialist, Tyler Lockett, $3,400. If Lockett returns a kick for touchdown you receive the points not only for Lockett but also from the defense.
Pittsburgh Steelers, Team Total 24.5 points
Ben Roethlisberger $7,200-Antonio Brown $8,900 Total Stack $16,100 (32.2% of salary)
The Steelers are -1.5 favorite in St. Louis this week with a higher than expected game total of 47.5 points. Some will shy away from this game in fear of the Rams defense. This is the same defense that is allowing an 81% completion rate so far this season. Antionio Brown has been uncoverable over the past year. A Roethlisberger/Brown stack is expensive only allowing $4,842 average remaining per player.
Carolina Panthers, Team Total 24.5 points
Cam Newton $6,800-Greg Olsen$4,800 Total Stack 11,600 (23.2% of salary)
Cam Newton is healthy and back to utilizing his legs with 111 rushing yards through the first two weeks. He has the potential to win you a GPP each and every week. Olsen rebounded last week and is fairly priced at $4,800. A Newton/Olsen stack very affordable with $5,485 average remaining per player. The Saints are in disarray having just lost to Tampa Bay at home. All the attention is on Drew Brees this week. It feels like a week where the Panthers stomp the Saints.
