NFL DFS – Main Slate Optimizer Groups & Stack Rankings – Week 11 – Sunday Update

This article focuses on building lineups with a quality foundation by utilizing the powerful Groups and Rules/Limits tools within the industry’s optimization tools. All of the concepts and pairings included below can be applied to hand-building as well. The goal is to create lineups that have high-scoring correlation and take advantage of combined outcomes within stacks while limiting the likelihood of building inefficient or negatively correlated entries for a full slate of NFL DFS lineups.

This video was made in a former life and features a detailed demonstration of how to apply these concepts in one leading optimizer tool: Fantasy Cruncher – How-To Video

All references to Sims were done via friends of the site: acemind.io

Don’t miss the new Above/Below feature article for a few of our top picks, coming Sunday morning

Join us on Saturday for a marathon game-by-game breakdown of every little piece of the slate, check back for a link or subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Week 11 DraftKings & FanDuel NFL DFS Stack Rankings

The following stack rankings were created by pairing each team quarterback with his top three scoring options, whether they are three wide receivers, two wide receivers and a tight end, a wide receiver, tight end, and running back, or any viable combination. In some cases, an expensive running back, such as Tony Pollard, can push the overall price point of his team stack in the value rankings.

Week 11 DraftKings & FanDuel NFL DFS Stacks & Optimizer Groups

Overview

Rules and limits are powerful tools for lineup creation for NFL DFS where our primary focus is creating highly correlated lineups via stacking players from the same game. Lineups will typically be coordinated around the quarterback selection, which informs at least one pass-catcher choice, establishes a budget, eliminates a defense, and sets the tone for the lineup. We will typically look to correlate a quarterback and at least one of his pass-catchers in every lineup, with most of those including a skill player from the opposing team who will have a chance to support the stack in a high-scoring game that drives offense on both sides to create additional correlated scoring potential. Stacking multiple pass-catchers in the same lineup is a sound approach as well, though there are typically overall ceilings on how much volume is available at any given position. We do not typically include running backs who are not pass-catchers as priorities in NFL DFS groups, they typically stand alone with the selection of the quarterback-based stack informing remaining salary which then informs the running back selections. High-volume backs and pass catchers out of the backfield can be included in the groups utilized below, but it is frequently not necessary to do so with the very best players, they arrive in lineups without help.

The following rules and limits are typically applied in an optimizer’s Advanced Options menu. Notes are included to elucidate the reasons behind each rule and to explain what it does during the lineup creation process. These settings can typically be saved for re-use, which is highly recommended. Saving the Week 1 groups that will be created below is also a very good idea to save time with updates instead of recreation each week. These groups are created manually, but most optimizers include automated group creators that can help accelerate the curation process.

DraftKings + FanDuel Settings & Advanced Options

Unique Players Per Lineup– This setting forces the optimizer to utilize at least X new players who were not in Lineup 1 when it creates Lineup 2, and so on. It is recommended to utilize at least two, and more can be applied depending on the degree of differentiation desired within lineups.

Team Salary– a minimum or maximum salary spend can be applied here as needed, though this is not a part of the recommended process in this space as leaving salary on the table is an easy path toward creating unique lineups while not necessarily making a negative expected value play.

FLEX position– allows restrictions on what positions can be rostered at the FLEX spot. The only position to consider in this case is tight end, but that is something to be restricted at the individual level via Groups, rather than at the global level.

Global Exposure Setting – allows caps on the maximum percentage of lineups a player can appear in within a given pool of lineup construction. This is a powerful tool for shaping lineups but if settings are too low attempts to build a full set will fall short due to a lack of available players, one of the most common errors in optimizer building. Most optimizers include the ability to calculate ownership caps continuously or at the end of the pool creation process. If caps are calculated continuously, a player with a 25% cap who is utilized in Lineup 1 will not be available for use again until Lineup 5 , we recommend turning OFF continuous calculation.

Randomness – provides a random multiplier to each player’s projected point total based on the set values. This is a valuable tool that helps differentiate lineups instead of simply creating them in order of highest median projected scores. Using some randomness for lineup generation is strongly recommended but the degree to which it is applied is down to personal preference, but 15-25% is fine to get started. We suggest heavier randomness to more event-based players like wide receivers while tracking volume-based positions like running backs more toward their median or ceiling projections.

DraftKings + FanDuel Team Stack Rules

This set of rules will force optimizers to build lineups with certain combinations. We are looking to stack at least one skill player, almost always a pass-catcher, with his quarterback while also playing a skill player from the opposing team in the lineup. The theory behind this build is that a high-scoring stack will require some response from the opposing team to deliver a ceiling score in most situations. When that is not the case, the team that is winning will simply slow down and run out the clock. Most optimizers utilize a “complete the sentence” approach for rule creation with selections from drop-down menus following a very straightforward logic. Exceptions to these rules can be added for specific teams and players on most optimizer products.

• QB with at least one WR/TE from Same Team (note: It is fine to set this to two or to utilize two versions of this rule, one with WR/TE and one with RB/WR/TE, but we refine this via Groups)
• QB with at least one RB/WR/TE from the Opposing Team (we typically prefer the pass-catchers but high-volume running backs can be effective here)
• QB with at most zero DST from the Same Team (this is a personal preference; high-scoring teams and quarterbacks tend to leave their defenses on the field, exposing them to simple point-scoring negatives)

Limits & Custom Rules and Requirements

Limit rules can be applied to restrict certain combinations from coming together. This is powerful for limiting multiple running backs from the same team or getting overweight to a certain stack within a lineup.

• Limit QB/RB/WR/TE from Same Team to three
• Limit RB/WR/TE from the Same Team to one unless paired with QB from the Same Team OR the Opposing Team
• Limit RB from Same Team to one (we also do this with WR in a separate rule that adds an “unless paired with QB or opposing QB” but it’s a personal preference for NFL DFS, we typically do not want two pass-catchers from the same team without their quarterback)

We will maintain the list of rules and limits throughout the season, with occasional tweaks, if needed. Each week sees yet another fresh crop of value plays as situations change and injuries create opportunities around the league. These changing roles and emergent value plays are accounted for in the process of creating these groups from week to week. After a large pool of lineups is created utilizing these groups, it is still of critical importance to filter them for factors including ceiling projections and leverage potential. These groups should help ensure that a highly correlated premium set of options that rotates through a variety of combinations is utilized to create the full lineup pool.

Sunday Updates

Any changes and recommended boosts to specific players will be provided in an early morning update each Sunday.

NFL DFS Week 11 Features & FREE Projections

• Week 11 FanDuel & DraftKings Projections – FREE
• Week 11 Above/Below – Key Picks
• Week 11 Quarterback Scoring & Value Rankings
• Week 11 Running Back Scoring & Value Rankings
• Week 11 Pass-Catcher Scoring & Value Rankings
• Week 11 Defense Scoring & Value Rankings

Construction Concept

Team groups are built by utilizing the quarterback as the KEY player in group settings. The quarterback decision in each lineup is the driving factor in which stack is utilized in that lineup and which corresponding plays are then made to work within the structure and requirements. Built to specification, each team will have two groups, a team group, and an opponent group, both of which utilize the same quarterback as the key player. Each game will have a total of four groups. This is the best approach to truly capture the requirement of playing individual “run-back” plays from the opposing team. A more basic approach would be to include all of the skill players from a game in each quarterback’s group and rely on rules and limits to restrict any potential overflow. It is highly recommended to save the Week 1 groups as a foundation that will be updated for the rest of the season. The recommended groups will include skill players who have an active role in their offense and provide significant correlation with their quarterback’s scoring, often bell-cow running backs who do not specialize in the passing game will not be included in groups as they are projected highly and appear on their own in basically correct distributions, while also not always providing the strongest positive correlation plays. Stacking quarterbacks with pass-catchers and allowing running backs to fall into the lanes then created by settings, available salary, and randomness should create a well-distributed set of quality lineups. These groups are updated weekly to account for changes in utilization, schemes, injuries, target shares, and more.

Team Groups for DraftKings & FanDuel – Week 11

The goal is to create a large pool of well-built lineups that can be utilized in any large-field GPP contest. Our approach is to build far more lineups than needed and utilize a sorting table or sim process to filter to the best set of lineups for entries. The lineups created in these crunches should provide a broad distribution that includes some of the lower-owned high-upside skill players from each stack. Applying boosts is critical in pushing and pulling ownership to individual players within their team’s stacked lineups if they are appearing too much or too little.

The groups below are designed so that each quarterback will have two groups to create, one with his skill players and another with the opposing team. A more basic approach would be to add them all to one large group with an “at least three” and let rules and limits set things, but there is a more granular level of control in creating them separately.

Utilizing two groups also allows us to place running backs into the “run-back” position in certain teams while not including them in the primary stack for their team. This is useful when there is a situation with an extremely highly projected running back who does not necessarily fit into his team’s passing game. These players are threaded throughout the following construction recommendations.

Note for the Rotogrinders optimizer, we recommend trimming the automatically created groups that can be accessed under Team Groups, Opponent Groups, and Max Position Groups to match these groups for lineup building. We typically utilize the Stacks tab to enforce constructions as well, but a key requirement is missed in the automated groups. The Max Position groups need the manual addition of the running backs and tight ends to the group that is created with the wide receivers with a setting of max 1 and the team’s quarterback selected as a key player with the designation of using that group when the quarterback is NOT in the lineup. This is done to eliminate the possibility of three skill players from the same team appearing at running back, tight end, and wide receiver together without their quarterback involved. A simple limit of three players per team will keep things to just a quarterback with two skill players in stacks after that. Update: if one were to reset their saved settings on RG’s optimizer new options will reveal themselves, including thankfully a toggle to take care of this from the main build rules page. There is also a non-QB group with a max-1 setting that works better for this purpose because the toggle on the main page will limit stacks to just a 1-1 combination, seemingly as a bug.

Note for all optimizers the rules can be utilized to force bring-back plays in some sets of crunches and turned off for others as a global function instead of changing each group to “exactly one” bring-back play, wherever applicable, but it will apply to all teams.

Arizona Cardinals

Key Player: Kyler Murray

Setting: at least one

Team Group: James Conner, Marquise Brown, Trey McBride, Rondale Moore

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Devin Singletary, Tank Dell, Nico Collins, Dalton Schultz, Robert Woods

Lineup Notes: Michael Wilson is now unlikely to play, this remains a high-profile game on both sides, with both teams providing strong points-per-dollar results across sites. This game has the highest point total in Vegas at 48.5, with Arizona landing as stack 8 by points and 1 by value on DraftKings and stack 8/5 on FanDuel. Houston slots in as stack 7/8 on DraftKings and 7/10 on FanDuel. Even with Wilson out, the Cardinals have strong value-based weapons in James Conner, Marquise Brown, the emergent Trey McBride at tight end, and Rondale Moore who has seen an uptick in volume and gets touches in the passing game and on the ground. This game features strong two-way action with bring-back plays available on both sides.

Buffalo Bills

Key Player: Josh Allen

Setting: at least one

Team Group: Stefon Diggs, James Cook, Dalton Kincaid, Gabe Davis, Khalil Shakir, Deonte Harty (large field), Trent Sherfield (Q/large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson (Q), Allen Lazard, Tyler Conklin, Xavier Gipson

Lineup Notes: The Bills are a team with excellent weapons that lands just in the middle of the board against a strong Jets defense. Buffalo stacks do not rate as well as they typically do for points or value this week, but Josh Allen is not far off of the top of the quarterbacks board and Stefon Diggs approaches the peak of the receiving board by raw projections. James Cook is a playable running back whose opportunity comes against a Jets defense that ranks better against the pass than the run. Buffalo lands just 11/22 on DraftKings and 11/14 on the FanDuel slate as a team stack, while the Jets do not offer much in the way of bring-back options outside of Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson.

Carolina Panthers

Key Player: Bryce Young

Setting: exactly one

Team Group: Adam Thielen, Jonathan Mingo, DJ Chark Jr., Tommy Tremble, Laviska Shenault (Q/large field), Terrace Marshall Jr. (large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: CeeDee Lamb, Tony Pollard, Jake Ferguson, Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, Jalen Tolbert

Lineup Notes: The Carolina side of this game has little to no appeal, while Dallas stacks are a high-priority option. Bryce Young seems as likely to support the Dallas defense with his passing as any of his individual receivers. Adam Thielen has a nice stretch early in the season but has cooled significantly, the backfield is a 70-30 split in favor of Chuba Hubbard but that is not an appealing situation, and the balance of the receiving corps is limited at best.

Chicago Bears

Key Player: Justin Fields

Setting: at least one

Team Group: DJ Moore, Cole Kmet, Darnell Mooney, Tyler Scott, Equanimimeous St. Brown (large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Sam LaPorta, Josh Reynolds, Jameson Williams (large field), Kalif Raymond (large field)

Lineup Notes: Justin Fields projects highly in our model, but he is slightly behind the industry average and he has just two high-end options in the passing game in DJ Moore and Cole Kmet. Fields has game-breaking ability on his own, but he will be facing a tough defensive front from Detroit that could limit his potential on the ground while pilling up sacks and applying pressure in the passing game. Fields and Moore stacks are easily playable and he can be paired with Kmet as well, but down depth chart options like Darnell Mooney and Tyler Scott are difficult to trust, and the backfield is a split situation with the return of Khalil Herbert. The Lions provide ideal bring-back options against stacks of Bears players, though the reverse is not necessarily true.

Cleveland Browns

Key Player: Dorian Thompson-Robinson

Setting: exactly one

Team Group: Amari Cooper, David Njoku, Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman (large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Jaylen Warren, Diontae Harris, George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth (Q)

Lineup Notes: this game has one of the lowest Vegas game totals of the last 15 years. Cleveland ranks 19/13 on DraftKings and 19/20 on FanDuel as a stack. The Browns are starting backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who saw action in Week 4, completing 19-36 passes for 121 yards and zero touchdowns while throwing three interceptions. Amari Cooper and David Njoku are limited by their quarterback and the backfield is a split situation with both Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt drawing carries. Hunt has scored in five straight games, while also getting out-snapped and out-touched by Ford.

Dallas Cowboys

Key Player: Dak Prescott

Setting: at least one

Team Group: CeeDee Lamb, Tony Pollard, Jake Ferguson, Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, Jalen Tolbert (large field), KaVontae Turpin (large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Adam Thielen, Chuba Hubbard, Jonathan Mingo, DJ Chark Jr., Tommy Tremble

Lineup Notes: The Cowboys are a high-flying offense that has been incredibly productive for DFS purposes over the past few weeks. The connection between Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb has been undeniable, with Lamb setting an NFL record for receptions with 100 or more yards in consecutive games. The Cowboys are a deep passing offense with strong down-board options including tight end Jake Ferguson, Brandin Cooks, and Michael Gallup. KaVontae Turpin and Jalen Tolbert offer a bit of wildcard home run play upside with Turpin also returning punts and kicks. The offense has a major weapon in Tony Pollard but he has not been the gem that fantasy owners were expecting through most of this season, that could swing dramatically in what looks like an excellent spot for Pollard for both points and points-per-dollar value. Carolina ranks 24th with 4.3 yards allowed per rush attempt this season. The primary concern in this game is the 10.5-point spread favoring Dallas and a limited 42-point total in Vegas, there is not much expectation of Carolina holding up their end offensively.

Detroit Lions

Key Player: Jared Goff

Setting: at least one

Team Group: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Sam LaPorta, Josh Reynolds, Jameson Williams (large field), Kalif Raymond (large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: DJ Moore, Khalil Herbert, Cole Kmet, Darnell Mooney, Tyler Scott

Lineup Notes: The Lions are stack 3/4 on DraftKings and 3/1 on FanDuel, and Jared Goff is our highest projected quarterback of the week in an excellent matchup against a Bears defense that has allowed 6.8 yards per pass attempt to rank 21st this season. Chicago has managed just 13 sacks on the season and they gain pressure on the quarterback just 16.5% of the time, Goff will have all afternoon to find his highly capable receivers. Amon-Ra St. Brown looks like a premium option at the position once again this week, the Lions have a strong dual-threat backfield in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, both players “got there” scoring last week but their success has a limiting impact on the passing game and something has to give somewhere. Sam LaPorta is a leading tight end option, Josh Reynolds, Jameson Williams, and Kalif Raymond are all also playable weapons in the passing game in dual stacks and as individuals at lower prices. Reynolds is the most frequently targeted in the group, while Williams offers big play upside and Raymond is simply cheap while remaining involved.

Green Bay Packers

Key Player: Jordan Love

Setting: at least one

Team Group: Aaron Jones, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks (large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen (Q), Jalen Guyton (Q), Quentin Johnston, Donald Parham Jr.

Lineup Notes: the Packers are standing out as a reasonable value stack this week, they rank 14th by DraftKings points but 3rd by points per dollar while landing 13/9 on the FanDuel slate. Jordan Love is not a premium quarterback, but he has demonstrated ability to find his receivers in the end zone and he does not come at a high price while carrying a quality projection against a 31-st ranked pass defense that has allowed 7.5 yards per pass attempt on the season. The Chargers have allowed 11 passing touchdowns while gaining pressure just 18.3% of the time, though they have managed 26 sacks and 9 interceptions in their 9 games. Love has strong options in Christian Watson, though he has not been at the same level of production as last year, and Romeo Doubs, who has potentially surpassed Watson in the pecking order, we have them very close in projections as a solid 1/1A tandem. Tight end Luke Musgrave has been involved but he is not the highest-priority play at his position, Jayden Reed is a good target in the red zone but he is fairly touchdown-dependent with limited volume overall. Aaron Jones is the primary running back and he should see the bulk of the team’s touches at the position both on the ground and in the passing game.

Houston Texans

Key Player: CJ Stroud

Setting: at least one

Team Group: Devin Singletary, Tank Dell, Nico Collins, Dalton Schultz, Robert Woods

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: James Conner, Marquise Brown, Trey McBride, Rondale Moore

Lineup Notes: CJ Stroud is getting MVP buzz in his rookie season, he has been that good this year. Stroud has thrown 15 touchdown passes to only two interceptions in his 9 games this season, while completing 62% of his 35 pass attempts per game and racking up 291.78 yards per game. The quarterback should have a fully healthy receiving corps in play as well, with Tank Dell joined once again by Nico Collins at the top of the list, and solid third banana Robert Woods occupying a strong space in the red zone plans while slipping a bit under the radar for fantasy purposes, Wood is a strong pivot option at a lower price in an offense that ranks highly for value up and down the depth chart. Tight end Dalton Schultz has been one of our leading plays at the position all season, he is a frequent target in the red zone and has strong scoring potential. The Cardinals provide strong bring-back options in stacks in a game that has value and a slate-leading game total. Noah Brown is not expected to play. Dameon Pierce is out, Devin Singletary will have a chance for another big game as the team’s lead running back.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Key Player: Trevor Lawrence

Setting: at least one

Team Group: Travis Etienne Jr., Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones (Q), Evan Engram

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Derrick Henry, De’Andre Hopkins, Chig Okonkwo, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Lineup Notes: The Jaguars have excellent skill players and a very good quarterback, but the returns for DFS scoring have been somewhat limited throughout the season. Lawrence has not thrown for more than 2 touchdowns in a game this season and he has crested 300 yards only once, with several far more limited totals. The Titans do not offer much of a challenge through the air, they rank 27th with 7.2 yards allowed per pass attempt this season. Lawrence will have a chance to shine in this situation, running back Travis Etienne Jr. is a strong option in stacks and as an individual, despite the Titans 3.9 yards allowed per rush attempt, the 10th-best mark in the league. Etienne has enough volume and scoring upside on any given slate, while the pass game is focused on Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, and Evan Engram, all of whom draw targets and have the potential to score multiple touchdowns, though that has not been the case this season. Zay Jones is a potentially sneaky lower-cost option from further down the depth chart if he plays. Titans’ bring-back options primarily should be focused on Derrick Henry and DeAndre Hopkins.

Las Vegas Raiders

Key Player: Aidan O’Connell

Setting: exactly one

Team Group: Davante Adams, Josh Jacobs, Jakobi Meyers, Michael Mayer, Hunter Renfrow (large field), DeAndre Carter (large field), Tre Tucker (large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane (Q), Raheem Mostert

Lineup Notes: this game is highly appealing for stacks on the Miami side, the Dolphins rank 1st by points on both sites, but the Raiders are far more limited with rookie Aidan O’Connell at quarterback. This team is best approached for individual skill player potential around Davante Adams, Josh Jacobs, and Jakobi Meyers, who are the priority options in any somewhat misguided stacks of Raiders players. It would be a good idea to require bring-back options from Miami in any Raiders stacks.

Los Angeles Chargers

Key Player: Justin Herbert

Setting: at least one

Team Group: Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen (Q), Jalen Guyton (Q), Quentin Johnston, Donald Parham Jr., Derius Davis (large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Aaron Jones, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed

Lineup Notes: The Chargers have plenty of weapons left, with Keenan Allen excelling at the wide receiver position and a fully healthy Austin Ekeler as a high-end running back who can be deployed in stacks or individually. The team has an excellent quarterback with Justin Herbert helming the offense, but injuries have sapped some of the depth in this stack. Quentin Johnston will continue to have a chance with an extended role for volume, while a very cheap Jalen Guyton has appeal with some touchdown and volume upside, assuming he plays after getting injured in Friday’s practice. Donald Parham Jr. will be the lead tight end for the team, he had a two-touchdown game early in the season and scored three times in the season’s first three weeks. Parham is a fair play for value at the tight end position and Derius Davis has big play upside that would increase if Guyton does not play, while also returning punts and kicks. Keenan Allen is expected to play through a shoulder injury that he played with in Week 10.

Los Angeles Rams

Key Player: Matthew Stafford

Setting: at least one

Team Group: Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Tyler Higbee, Tutu Atwell, Darrell Henderson Jr.

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Kenneth Walker III, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett (Q), Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Noah Fant

Lineup Notes: this game has the week’s second-highest total in Vegas at 47 points, with the Seahawks favored by just one and strong skill player options on both sides. The Rams stand out for passing game potential with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua pairing well with quarterback Matthew Stafford, though both receivers have seen a downturn in recent weeks. Kupp’s lack of production over the last four weeks has been particularly alarming, but the cost for both players is down somewhat. The backfield is a true split between Darrell Henderson Jr. and Royce Freeman, while Tutu Atwell and Tyler Higbee are playable in stacks but more limited on volume and scoring potential in the passing game. The Seahawks have strong bring back options on a similarly structured team, both DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett should be available as the two leading selections in that role.

Miami Dolphins

Key Player: Tua Tagovailoa

Setting: at least one

Team Group: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane (Q), Raheem Mostert, Durham Smythe (Q), Braxton Berrios (Q/large field), Cedrick Wilson Jr. (large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Davante Adams, Josh Jacobs, Jakobi Meyers, Michael Mayer

Lineup Notes: Miami ranks as stack 1 by points on both sites, they land 11th by points-per-dollar on DraftKings and 4th by value on the blue site. The Dolphins have been a prolific scoring offense all season, with strong fantasy potential condensed around wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and running backs Raheem Mostert and (when healthy) De’Von Achane. The options from further down the depth chart are far more of the dart throw nature with the intense volume demands of the team’s top players, but Braxton Berrios and Cedrick Wilson can be included for large field play while Durham Smythe is a limited but playable tight end at a cheap price. Any of Adams, Jacobs, or Meyers makes for a good bring-back play.

New York Don’t Stacks

Key Player: Tommy DeVito

Setting: at least one

Team Group: Saquon Barkley, Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, Daniel Bellinger

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Brian Robinson Jr., Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Logan Thomas, Curtis Samuel

Lineup Notes: the Giants are unplayable as a stack with DeVito at quarterback, only Saquon Barkley has value as a regular while the cheap receiving options can be considered extreme value darts as individuals.

New York Jets

Key Player: Zach Wilson

Setting: at least one

Team Group: Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson (Q), Allen Lazard, Tyler Conklin, Xavier Gipson (large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Stefon Diggs, James Cook, Dalton Kincaid, Gabe Davis, Khalil Shakir, Latavius Murray

Lineup Notes: the Jets have a chance to provide a bit of frisky value against a Buffalo defense that has allowed 6.6 yards per pass attempt to rank 18th and 4.6 yards per rush attempt to sit 29th. The Bills are targetable, but the Jets will, as usual, be limited to whatever Zach Wilson can give them. Wilson has two excellent options in Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson, with Allen Lazard looking like the other playable receiver and Tyler Conklin landing squarely as a value tight end. Wilson stacks are not great, the quarterback has managed just five touchdown passes in his 9 games while throwing six interceptions and piling up just 6.1 yards per pass attempt. Wilson and Hall are potentially better played as individuals in other lineups, Hall ranks 6th by points and 4th by value on DraftKings while sitting 7/4 on FanDuel.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Key Player: Kenny Pickett

Setting: exactly one

Team Group: Jaylen Warren, Diontae Harris, George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth (Q), Calvin Austin III (large field), Allen Robinson II (large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Amari Cooper, David Njoku, Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman (large field)

Lineup Notes: this game has one of the lowest Vegas game totals of the last 15 years. Tight end Pat Freiermuth is expected to return for an extremely limited Steelers offense, he checks in at extreme value pricing on the DraftKings slate where he ranks as TE1 by points-per-dollar while sitting 10th by raw scoring projections. Freiermuth is not a high-volume tight end, he is somewhat touchdown dependent and if popularity gets out of hand he could be a bit of a trap at the price, though he currently looks like a very good building block in sims of the DraftKings slate. Jaylen Warren is expected to lead the backfield, Diontae Harris and George Pickens are playable receiver options, but the team is limited both by Vegas and by quarterback Kenny Pickett.

Seattle Seahawks

Key Player: Geno Smith

Setting: at least one

Team Group: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett (Q), Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, Noah Fant

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Tyler Higbee, Tutu Atwell, Darrell Henderson Jr.

Lineup Notes: The Seahawks match well with their opponent, they have two premium receiving options who act as high-volume 1/1A weapons, with a two-headed backfield and more limited down-board options and tight ends. Seattle has three options at the tight end position, Noah Fant is the most playable, but the situation is not ideal. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is limited by his extremely light average depth of target, he is a good receiver who has not been a fantasy scoring weapon this season. The Rams offer strong bring-back options, primarily Kupp and Nacua, stacks with two receivers from either of these teams with their quarterback and one passing game counterpart from the opposition should be a high-end construction for tournament play on both sites. Tyler Lockett has been questionable but is expected to play.

San Francisco 49ers

Key Player: Brock Purdy

Setting: at least one

Team Group: Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings (large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Mike Evans, Rachaad White, Chris Godwin, Trey Palmer, Cade Otton

Lineup Notes: the 49ers are a prolific scoring offense, Christian McCaffrey himself has been in the end zone in every game with the exception of Week 10, and he is typically good for 20+ touches and more than 100 yards of combined production. Deebo Samuel is a similarly talented hybrid weapon with a role in the pass and rushing games, he has major upside along with McCaffrey while Brandon Aiyuk is more of a pure receiver with plenty of volume and scoring potential. George Kittle is the top tight end on the board by salary, he ranks 2nd by points on FanDuel and 7th by value while sitting 3/17 on the DraftKings slate. The Bucs have just enough to make it realistic that they could provide value in a bring-back sense and they could keep the game lively if Baker Mayfield is on form. Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and running back Rachaad White are all bring-back players with passing game volume.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Key Player: Baker Mayfield

Setting: at least one

Team Group: Mike Evans, Rachaad White, Chris Godwin, Trey Palmer, Cade Otton

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle

Lineup Notes: the Bucs will have to keep pace with a good 49ers offense while facing a strong 49ers defense. The team has weapons in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and Rachaad White is far less popular this week than he has been in recent games. White sees major target volume in the backfield and he is operating as the team’s lead running back, he has significant scoring potential on both sites, more so in a full PPR sense. Evans has the most touchdown potential, while Godwin has been more limited but possesses a clear ceiling in any given week. The team’s potential will come down to quarterback play, the Bucs rank just 16/21 on DraftKings and 16/18 on FanDuel this week, they may be a better source of individuals and bring-back options than a true stacking target.

Tennessee Titans

Key Player: Will Levis

Setting: exactly one

Team Group: DeAndre Hopkins, Derrick Henry, Chig Okonkwo, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Chris Moore (large field), Kyle Phillips (large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Travis Etienne Jr., Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Evan Engram

Lineup Notes: The Titans are not a strong option with Will Levis at quarterback, though he does have big throw ability that has been on display early. DeAndre Hopkins and Derrick Henry are the primary weapons from the Titans’ side, while the Jaguars provide plenty of viable bring-back plays. Overall, this is probably a situation that is better to use as a source of Hopkins/Henry bring-backs or individual plays around those two stars.

Washington Commanders

Key Player: Sam Howell

Setting: at least one

Team Group: Brian Robinson Jr., Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Logan Thomas, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown (large field), Byron Pringle (large field)

Opposing Setting: at most one

Opposing Group: Saquon Barkley

Lineup Notes: Antonio Gibson is expected to miss this game, Brian Robinson Jr. looks like a very high-end option at the running back position this week. Robinson joins a quality passing game that includes Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Logan Thomas, and Curtis Samuel, as well as downfield dart throws Dyami Brown and Byron Pringle, both of whom are involved in the offense. The Giants offer almost nothing in the form of defensive resistance or bring-back plays, they rank 25th against the run with 4.4 yards allowed per rush attempt and 28th against the pass with 7.2 yards per pass attempt yielded so far this season.

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