4 NFL DFS Stacks to Target in Week 17

Stacking in NFL DFS on FanDuel is a vital strategy as 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 double-stack and 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. One example is 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.

I did a study on stacking that is probably worth checking out before you make your lineups.

Using our NFL DFS projections as a guide, here are four of the best stacks to zero in on in NFL DFS for this week's main slate.

All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

NFL DFS Stacks for Week 17

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield ($8,200), Mike Evans ($8,600), and/or Jalen McMillan ($5,900)

No team has a higher implied team total than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week, and they're facing a Carolina Panthers team that is 30th in adjusted pass defense, via numberFire's metrics.

This is a huge game for the Buccaneers from a playoff standpoint, too.

Baker Mayfield has ripped off three straight games with at least 21.0 FanDuel points (21.0, 29.02, and 26.32 the last three) while throwing for 295, 288, and 303 yards, respectively, in those games.

Mayfield also has 12, 25, and 42 rushing yards in this span. With playoff odds at stake, Baker's odds of scrambling are likely increased, as we've seen in recent games.

In five post-bye games, Mike Evans has a 26.1% target share and a 42.2% air yards share for 96.6 yards per game and 106.5 air yards per game. Evans is averaging 5.2 downfield targets (10-plus air yards) per game in this split and 3.38 yards per route run, an absurd number.

Jalen McMillan's role has scaled up in recent weeks, and he has scored four times over the last three games. But when tied to an offense this efficient and expected to score points -- based on the total and spread -- then we can hope the touchdowns don't stop this week.

While McMillan is a bit of a recent touchdown regression candidate, he's also a regression candidate in terms of downfield passing. McMillan has a bottom-10 number in receiving yards over expectation (RYOE), via NextGenStats, on downfield passes this season.

The Panthers are 32nd in pressure rate and can allow downfield plays to develop.

Minnesota Vikings

Sam Darnold ($7,700), Justin Jefferson ($9,000), and/or Jordan Addison ($7,000)

We're not that far removed from a slate-busting double-stack of Sam Darnold with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and the Minnesota Vikings are now in the overall game of the week (for playoff implications and for fantasy purposes) against the Green Bay Packers.

Although Green Bay does rank fourth in adjusted pass defense on the year, this game is indoors with a high total and a tight spread.

On the season, Darnold has positive EPA per play numbers after adjusting for opponent and has a passing success rate (49.7%) that is 4.6 points higher than the NFL average.

Jefferson has scored at an elevated rate in recent weeks (five touchdowns in three games) yet has 132, 73, and 144 yards in those games with at least 7 catches in all of them. He's not simply touchdown-dependent, and he's seen a 53.3% money zone share (passes where he was inside the 10 or the end zone when targeted) in this split. The scoring uptick isn't that unexpected.

As for Addison, his salary seems a bit low, frankly, for his current role. Since Week 11, Addison's target share is 27.2% -- just shy of Jefferson's 28.8% mark. He's seeing 4.2 downfield targets per game in this split with Jefferson at 4.5.

Addison also has more touchdowns (6) than Jefferson (5) and more expected TDs (4.1 to 3.1, per my play-by-play model) in this span.

Washington Commanders

Jayden Daniels ($8,500) and Terry McLaurin ($7,900)

Jayden Daniels is at home against the Atlanta Falcons, who are 27th in adjusted pass defense on the year.

The Falcons are 30th in pressure rate and 32nd in completion percentage over expectation this season, and low-pressure teams have been kind to Daniels this year (he has averaged 24.7 FanDuel points per game against teams 20th or worse in pressure rate).

On the full season, Terry McLaurin is the lone pass-catcher with a target share better than 17.5% in the Washington Commanders' offense. McLaurin's full-season share is 22.4%, but he also has a 41.4% air yard share.

McLaurin also has a really interesting differential between what I call "money zone" target share (again, where a receiver is within 10 yards of the end zone or in the end zone when actually targeted) and his traditional red zone share (39.3% versus 22.8%).

With an implied total of 26.0 points and a strong overall passing matchup, the Commanders' top duo makes a lot of sense.

Atlanta Falcons

Michael Penix ($6,600), Drake London ($7,100), and/or Darnell Mooney ($6,400)

We can also consider the other side of the ball in the Sunday Night Football matchup.

Last week, Michael Penix Jr. threw 27 times for just 202 yards and a pick, but his underlying EPA and success rate numbers were actually quite good. One thing to note is that he saw a lot of drops (7.4% of his passes -- compared to 1.8% for the Falcons on passes from Kirk Cousins).

Notably, Penix Jr. had a concentrated target distribution with Drake London earning a 30.8% target share (8 targets, 5 catches, 59 yards) and Darnell Mooney seeing a 23.1% share (6 targets, 5 catches, 82 yards).

Mooney led with 4 downfield targets (London had 2), but London had 2 red zone targets and an end zone target for a 66.7% money zone target share.

Mooney's ability to get downfield targets and London's presence in high-scoring situations is an interesting WR combo for double-stacking purposes, too.

With a loaded running back player pool at the top end, this salary-saving stack is pretty interesting to bookend the slate.

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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.