4 FanDuel Stacks to Target in Week 5

Stacking in daily fantasy football on FanDuel is a key strategy and a way to shoot for upside. There are a few different ways to correlate lineups that can help us maximize our ceiling.

The classic stack is a quarterback with one of his pass-catchers. Sometimes, it makes sense to use two pass catchers with their signal-caller, especially when the target share is concentrated around two players.

In other situations, we can pair a running back and a defense on the same team. This makes sense when a team is a huge favorite and expected to dominate, which can lead to carries for the back and chances for sacks and turnovers for the D/ST. We also can look to deploy a game stack -- rostering a QB, one of his pass-catchers, and a pass-catcher from the other team. Game stacks can work best in matchups that have high totals and close spreads.

Our Brandon Gdula did a study on stacking that is worth checking out before you make your lineups.

Here are four of the best stacks to zero in on in NFL DFS for this week's main slate.

Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings

Patrick Mahomes ($9,200), Travis Kelce ($8,789), and Justin Jefferson ($9,200)

We'll start off with a premium stack from the best game on the slate.

The Kansas City Chiefs will play the Minnesota Vikings on the road and indoors at U.S Bank Stadium. This game has a 52.5 total, three points higher than any other game on the main slate.

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce haven't lit things up the way fantasy managers have hoped just yet. Mahomes is only the QB8 in fantasy points per game, and Kelce is the TE3 in half-PPR points per game, but for a player who is supposed to dominate the position, that's a tad disappointing.

Both will have a chance to play well this week in this matchup. Minnesota ranks 24th in adjusted fantasy points per drop back and 24th in numberFire's pass-defense metric. They also are 21st in adjusted fantasy points per target allowed to tight ends.

Kelce is seeing 26% of the targets (via PFF) for the Chiefs since returning to the field in Week 2. He's also seen 50% of the end zone targets, so a touchdown or two isn't out of the question.

On the other side, Justin Jefferson has been just what we had hoped for and more. He was the first overall pick in many fantasy football drafts and is the number-one WR in half-PPR scoring. Jefferson is getting elite usage, holding a 34% target share and 48% air yards share.

We should want to roster Jefferson every week, so this week in the best game environment on the slate makes a ton of sense.

It will be tricky to fit in these three players in one lineup. It's certainly not the only way to stack this game, but if you want the most upside, you want these three players. Some value plays will definitely be necessary if you want to use this stack.

Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts ($8,600), A.J. Brown ($8,200), and Devonta Smith ($7,500)

Next, we have another stack with high-salaried players. These guys will likely not get as much attention as the Chiefs and Vikings but could have a lot of upside as well.

A.J. Brown demonstrated this upside last week with nine catches for 175 yards and two TDs. It was his second consecutive game with nine catches and over 100 yards. That's exactly what we want to see from him after he had two quieter games to start the season.

He combines with DeVonta Smith to dominate the majority of pass-game usage for the Philadelphia Eagles. Brown and Smith have combined for a 59% target share, 80% of the team's air yards and 87% of the end zone targets.

When you add in the fact that Jalen Hurts can deliver value with his rushing, this stack has three players that could break a slate. It's acceptable to play Hurts with just one of these pass catchers and hope he also gets some rushing touchdowns, but if he's dominating through the air, both guys could be necessary.

The Eagles are on the road this week against the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams' defense is 18th against the pass this season, according to numberFire's schedule-adjusted rankings. With Philly having an implied team total of 27.0 points, it doesn't seem like the bookmakers expect the Rams to be able to slow them down.

This stack gets you the second-highest projected QB with two top-five projected receivers, according to numberFire's model. That's a lot of access to big games and -- likely -- will go a bit under the radar.

Houston Texans

C.J. Stroud ($7,200), Nico Collins ($7,000), and Robert Woods ($5,000)

We probably didn't expect to want to stack the Houston Texans at the beginning of the season, but now in Week 5, it's an appealing option.

A lot of it has to do with the impressive play of rookie C.J. Stroud. He's on pace to smash the rookie record for passing yards, and that's even true if he was playing a 16-game season. After a rough Week 1, Stroud has at least 20.6 FanDuel points in his last three starts.

The Texans didn't appear to have elite weapons for Stroud to utilize heading into the season, but a combination of a great scheme and some underrated players have worked out well for him. Nico Collins is experiencing a breakout year, currently sitting as the half-PPR WR7.

As good as Collins has been, he hasn't totally dominated in the usage metrics. He does lead the team with 23% of the targets and 34% of the air yards, but others are getting significant work.

While Tank Dell is getting a lot of attention for being exciting rookie, Robert Woods has been seeing better usage. Woods has a higher target share (21% to 17%) and has the highest route participation on the team (83%). You can save $1,000 in salary using Woods instead of Dell, and the latter might end up being more popular.

Houston will play against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5. Atlanta's pass defense is 23rd in the league, and they are also 23rd in adjusted fantasy points per drop back. Stroud was able to play well against the Pittsburgh Steelers' 10th-ranked pass defense last week, so he shouldn't have much trouble this week.

This stack probably doesn't have the same ceiling as the Chiefs or Eagles, but it will allow you to use salary at other positions to add upside.

Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa ($8,000), Tyreek Hill ($9,400), and Jaylen Waddle ($6,800)

If you were expecting the Miami Dolphins to score 70 points every week, they let you down in Week 4. Of course, that was never going to happen, yet overall, it was a fairly disappointing game for them.

It was especially true if you stacked their passing game. Tua Tagovailoa had just 14.98 FanDuel points, Tyreek Hill had his worst fantasy game of the season, and Jaylen Waddle didn't seem to be back to his best after missing Week 3 with an injury.

A passing game with this many explosive elements is unlikely to be kept down too often. They had a tough matchup last week against the Buffalo Bills, who rank as the best pass defense in numberFire's metrics.

Hill has been the receiver you want from Miami so far this season. He's gotten 30% of the team's targets and 46% of the air yards. Even after just 8.7 FanDuel points last week, he's still the WR2 on the season.

Tyreek projects as the best receiver by over two points in numberFire's model, so getting exposure to him is a good way to build lineups this week. Waddle hasn't done much this season, but that's reflected in his salary. It's rare to get someone this explosive and proven at the NFL level for just $6,800 on FanDuel.

The running game -- and specifically De'Von Achane -- has been grabbing a lot of headlines for the Dolphins. That could keep the passing game stack under the radar in tournaments this week.

Miami is playing against the New York Giants at home this week, and carries the highest team total on the slate (29.5). According to numberFire, the Giants are 16th against the pass and are 24th in adjusted fantasy points per target against wideouts.

If you can get an under-utilized part of a team that has a team total of 29.5 points, it's a good way to attack large-field tournaments.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.