In this weekly DraftKings article, we will discuss some cash game stacks that should provide a high floor for your 50-50 and H2H cash game contests. These stacks are safe to use in your GPP tournaments as well, but they will most likely carry a high ownership percentage. In the second half of this article, we will review some lower-owned GPP stacks along with a defensive stack.
$$ Cash GAME STACKS $$)
Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons
QB Aaron Rodgers $7,400 with RB Ty Montgomery $5,800 (Cash/GPP)
Correlation Play: WR Julio Jones $9,200
Vegas has set the Packers/Falcons game with the second highest total of the week at 53.5 total points. As a 2.5 point underdog, the Packers are projected to score 25.5 points but they are a source of value on DraftKings this week. Aaron Rodgers is priced at an affordable $7,400 and Ty Montgomery is grossly underpriced at $5,800. Montgomery was the focal point of the Packers offense last week against the Seahawks with 23 touches for 93 yards and 1 touchdown. The Falcons defense surrendered 11 receptions to the Bears running back combination of Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard. By pairing Rodgers with Montgomery, you are provided with a safe floor in your cash games. Keep in mind that Montgomery will be very popular in both cash games and GPP tournaments.
Los Angeles Chargers Stack vs. Miami Dolphins
QB Philip Rivers $5,800 with WR Keenan Allen $5,800 (Cash/GPP)
There are 14 quarterbacks priced higher than Philip Rivers on DraftKings main slate this week. Even Patriots backup quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, is priced at the same $5,800 salary. Talk about no respect! Rivers led a respectable second half comeback this past Monday night at Denver before the Chargers came up short by missing a late field goal which would have sent the game to overtime. He finished with 22 completions on 33 pass attempts for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns. Not too shabby on the road versus last seasons’ number one ranked pass defense. If not paying up at quarterback, Rivers is your best quarterback value option this week. In a difficult matchup, Keenan Allen was still targeted 10 times and finished with 5 receptions for 35 yards and 1 touchdown. If you start your cash lineup with a Rivers/Allen stack, you have a healthy $5,485 average remaining/per player to comfortably fill out the rest of your roster.
GPP STACKS
Here are some GPP stacks that should carry a low ownership percentage but provide multi-touchdown upside.
New England Stack vs. New Orleans Saints
QB Tom Brady $7,900 with TE Rob Gronkowski $5,900 (GPP)
Correlation Play: WR Michael Thomas $7,500 or TE Coby Fleener $3,100
The Chiefs shocked the world when they went to Foxborough on Opening Night and conquered the Patriots by a score of 42-27. The key takeaway of the game was the poor play of the Patriots defense as they surrendered 537 total yards. Tom Brady and the Patriots were embarrassed on national television and that is not good for the rest of the NFL. Vegas expects the Week 2 matchup versus the Saints to be a shootout as they have it currently listed with the highest total of the week at 55 points. The Saints defense looked atrocious as well on Monday night as Sam Bradord passed for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns. A ticked off Brady will not have any trouble posting similar passing yards. Most will choose to pay down at tight end again this week as DraftKings has underpriced Coby Fleener at $3,100. Game log watchers will shy away from Rob Gronkowski after his lackluster 2 receptions for 33 yards in Weeks 1. Don’t fall victim to recency bias as Gronkowski was blanketed by Chiefs safety Eric Berry throughout the game. Expect a strong bounce back performance from Brady and Gronkowski this week.
Pittsburgh Steelers Stack vs. Minnesota Vikings
QB Ben Roethlisberger $6,700 with WR Martavis Bryant $5,500 (GPP)
Correlation Play: TE Kyle Rudolph $4,200
If it were not for Antonio Brown the Steelers would have lost in Week 1 to the Cleveland Browns. Brown put the team on his back with an inspiring 11 receptions on 11 targets for 182 yards. This week will be more challenging as he will be matched up against one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL, Xavier Rhodes, who does well shutting down the short to intermediate passing game. Ben Roethlisberger’s home/road splits have been debated over the past couple of seasons. He simply looks more comfortable playing at home while lined up out of the shotgun formation. But Roethlisberger is not the only Steelers player with drastic home/road splits. Over his first two seasons in the NFL, Martavis Bryant produced 11 touchdowns at home as compared to 3 touchdowns on the road. Roethlisberger will take a few deep shots to Bryant and he will find the end zone at least once.
DEFENSIVE STACKS (Cash/GPP Tournaments)
There is one defensive stack that stands out this weekend and can be used in Cash Games or GPP tournaments.
Oakland Raiders vs. New York Jets
RB Marshawn Lynch $6,000 with D/ST Oakland Raiders $3,500 (Cash/GPP)
The Jets are the largest underdogs of the week at 14 points as they travel across the country to face the Oakland Raiders. This game projects to be over by halftime as the Raiders will find the end zone early and often. Marshawn Lynch came out of retirement so he could play for his hometown Oakland Raiders. This week he gets his welcome party! LeSean McCoy rushed for 110 yards and added 49 passing yards against the Jets last week. Game script suggests that Josh McCown will be playing from behind and forced to pass during the second half. This is not a good scenario in the hostile environment of the Oakland Coliseum. Expect multiple turnovers for the Raiders defense with a strong possibly of a defensive touchdown.
Thank you for reading! And as always, feel free to send any comments, suggestions, or nasty remarks to me on Twitter @shiposki75
