No two positions are more dependent on each other for success in football than the Quarterback (QB) and Wide Receiver (WR). In Fantasy, some GMs will search and actively seek out their guy at QB and then double down by drafting his top target. Ignoring ADP, here are some of the top options for stacking the QB and WR position.
*All Position Rankings and Point (pts) totals are based on a Half Point PPR with 4 Point Passing Touchdowns (TDs) and no bonuses*
1. (QB4) Kyler Murray – 60.4 pts / (WR3) DeAndre Hopkins – 38.9 pts
The third most productive stack currently in the NFL, Kyler is primed for a breakout season and adding possibly the best WR in the league can only help a young QBs progression. These two are already on the same page, connecting for 22 catches on 25 targets and this includes a matchup against the Steelers. Kyler will elevate the floor of this stack with his production in the run game, but if these two can score TDs on a consistent basis they will be nearly unstoppable.
2. (QB7) Aaron Rodgers – 49.5 pts / (WR2) Davante Adams – 39.7 pts
These two had a bit of a let down in Week 2, but in the long term it was best that Adams did not return to the game after tweaking his hamstring. In Week 1 they combined on 14/17 passing for 156 yards and two TDs, which is more reflective of the volume that Adams is in for this season. You draft for opportunity in Fantasy and there is a very high probability that this stack has the most targets of any duo by season’s end.
3. (QB3) Josh Allen – 60.7 pts / (WR4) Stefon Diggs – 37.9 pts
You can point to their soft schedule all you want, but this is a sneaky stack that is paying huge dividends right now, especially given the draft capital invested. Allen, much like Murray has a very high floor because of his production on the ground, but I don’t think anyone could have predicted the passing totals that Allen has put up so far. I absolutely LOVE Stefon Diggs, he is one of the most dangerous WRs in the league and Josh Allen is making the most of his new toy.
4. (QB2) Cam Newton – 61.3 pts / (WR8) Julian Edelman – 32.4 pts
No player was slept on harder in both real and fantasy football than Cam Newton. Edelman is underrated year after year as well because he is viewed as a possession guy with a limited ceiling. While Edelman still has some TDs concerns, Cam absolutely does not since he is the Red Zone run threat for the team. This is a potential low investment trade target because Cam was probably drafted as a backup. Buying after a monster week is a terrible strategy, but in a few weeks time you could be looking back and thinking you got them on the cheap.
5. (QB8) Patrick Mahomes – 47.9 pts / (WR8) Tyreek Hill 32.4 pts
You can’t have a QB/WR stack list without the most dangerous combo in the NFL. The production may not always be there on a consistent basis but Mahomes is Mahomes, and with Tyreek it just takes one play. It is not fair to have the fastest player in the league running routes for the QB with the best arm in the league, but this is what these two do. These two are off to a ‘slow’ start but they still rank as the 8th best stack right now and the potential upside is too hard to ignore.
THE WATCH LIST
1. (QB6) Matt Ryan – 53.4 pts / (WR1) Calvin Ridley – 55.8 pts
Some people are legitimately losing their minds that these two are not in the top five but the area of concern is the other options at WR. It’s an even year (2020) so Matt Ryan is supposed to have a good season and he has a plethora of options to throw to. Julio is, well, Julio, and he will always command his fair share of targets. Hayden Hurst is bound to get involved as well but the big concern for me is the emergence of Russell Gage and what effect he will have on the target share for this team.
There are definitely much worse problems to have, and if you already have the Ryan/Ridley stack you are laughing, but if you are going to try and target it, just don’t overspend.
2. (QB17) Matthew Stafford 34.3 pts / (N/A) Kenny Golladay – 0 pts
If it weren’t for injuries to start off the 2020 campaign for Golladay, we may be talking about these guys in the top five. Not everyone is sold on this stack, it has been a while since both have been healthy at the same time. In the small sample size we have (post Tate) they have been excellent. If healthy, with a full arsenal at his disposal, there is no reason why Matt Stafford can’t throw for 5000 yards, but he will need his top target back to do so. Golladay finished as a WR1 with Jeff Driskell, just imagine what he could do with Stafford.
3. (QB9) Ryan Tannehill – 46.1 pts / (WR103) AJ Brown – 6.4 pts
A similar situation as above with injuries, these two also have a small sample size of ridiculous success together at the end of last season when Tannehill took over for Mariota. There are a few things to consider here, first and foremost Derrick Henry will always get his, which means Brown will be competing for targets with Davis and Jonnu Smith who have both had strong starts to 2020 (Jonnu specifically). Despite all of that there is still a path for success for AJ Brown because Tannehill seems to have picked up where he left off last season.
4. (QB10) Gardiner Minshew – 45.3 pts / (WR34) DJ Chark – 20.4 pts
This duo may not have the brand name like the rest, but they have the potential to be a deadly threat this season. Minshew has quietly gone about his business every week, putting up fringe QB1 numbers but remains on the Waiver Wire in the majority of leagues. As I mentioned before, it’s about opportunity in fantasy and I don’t think it’s crazy to say that Chark could see anywhere from 125 to 140 targets this season. This would give him an opportunity to put up WR1 type numbers, and Minshew has proven that he is more than capable of throwing more than he did last year. In his Senior year with Washington State he had over 700 pass attempts, so Uncle Rico’s hero can handle the workload if Jacksonville decides to unleash him.
5. (QB30) Justin Herbert – 19.2 pts / (WR36) Keenan Allen – 17.8 pts
You never want to put too much stock into one game with a rookie QB, especially considering that he was only announced as the starter just before kickoff. Our well wishes to Tyrod, but even if he comes back next week, his time behind center is ticking. In his first game, Jordan Herbert was impressive, he went toe to toe with Mahomes and nearly won. Head Coach Anthony Lynn has already come out and said that Tyrod is the starter if healthy, but you would have to imagine that Herbert’s time is coming. If this is prequel, Keenan is going to eat. Those who drafted Keenan got him at a serious discount no matter where you drafted him. With Rivers he was a locked in WR1 each year and he is easily one of the best WRs in real life. He just needs a better QB to allow him to deploy his full arsenal of routes because he can create separation.
TARGET WITH CAUTION
1. (QB15) Deshaun Watson – 37.5 pts / (WR45) Will Fuller – 15.2 pts
Abandon ship! Yes this is an over exageration but the biggest concern with Fuller has and apparently continues to be health. The Houston offense looked pretty good in Week 1 and you could tell that Fuller was going to get his work, at least you hoped. Fuller laid a goose egg this week, not even getting a target. He left for part of the game with hamstring concerns, but he came back in the second half. I did not see this game but given Fuller’s history you have to wonder if the injury played a factor and if so, what does that mean going forward.
Deshaun Watson will always carry value, he manufactures points for himself one way or the other. He just happens to have a good head coach who is an idiot GM. This stack, much like Allen and Diggs, was a very affordable one in drafts if you went that route, so you obviously shouldn’t give up on it, but I wouldn’t be trying to target Fuller right now.
2. (QB5) Dak Prescott – 56.4 pts / (WR16) Amari Cooper – 26.1 pts
These two find themselves here more as cautionary warnings instead of for their lack of production. Dak is and will be a top five QB on the season in fantasy; he has a safe floor, and has probably the best overall offense in the NFL. That’s where the problem lies for the rest of the pieces in this offense. You have Zeke, Gallup and Lamb (no disrespect to Jarwin or Schultz) to feed, so something’s got to give. Which is why as a stand alone player, you would love to have Dak, but when it comes to one of the WRs, be careful of the cost.
Amari finds himself here despite being the most productive of the trio, simply because of what he will cost to acquire. When Dak gets tunnel vision on Amari, they can destroy an opposing defense together. You will have to eat a few goose eggs along the way, so it’s feast or famine. Just hope the timing of each works in your favour.
3. (QB1) Russell Wilson – 65.2 pts / (WR6) DK Metcalf – 34.7 pts
So, this is definitely the spiciest take. I really wasn’t a DK fan coming into the season from a fantasy perspective because of his draft position. Well he is certainly proving me wrong so far but I want to just make remind you of two potential threats.
The first is Russell had this exact start to the season last year, then he went absolute ghost mode and started hauting Sam Darnold. It may have taken him a few games to get going, but Russ averaged 23.8 pts per game before Seattle’s bye last season. But after, just 14.7. Russ has never slowed down like that before, but if Seattle takes a lead in their division you never know.
The second point is that Russ spreads the ball; DK only has 14 targets on 63 pass attempts. This can be viewed as both a good and bad thing because the volume isn’t there but it shows how valuable each of DK’s targets are. You know that every week DK is getting at least two deep ball attempts, and you know that he is a Red Zone threat because of his size, but he is limited in his routes. If Russ and DK can keep up this efficiency together they will quickly make me eat my words, but don’t let the rosie sunglasses hide the fact that guys like Lockett and Carson will still get theirs.
DON’T EVEN BOTHER
(QB28) Kirk Cousins – 24.3 pts / (WR7) Adam Thielen – 32.6 pts
This is more an opportunity as a Vikings fan to take a shot at Kirk. It should come as no surprise that this roster has literally spiraled into the abyss since Kirk joined the team. The Vikings were 13-3 and went to the NFC Championship with Case Keenum and no Dalvin Cook (tore his ACL). Kirk hasn’t even come close to this mark and he has a top five running back to support him and he had every single piece Keenum did and then some. Kirk is the biggest farce in the NFL, and I will say now what I said when the contract was signed. The move was a mistake, the Quarterback position was never the issue, but forcing the issue came at the cost of the team’s defense and now it is really starting to show.
Oh, Mr. Thiel your girl will be alright, he is the only Vikings WR worth rostering because he will get the lion’s share of targets.
Now that that’s out of my system, what QB/WR stacks are you rostering or targeting? How do they stack up compared to this list? With the amount of injuries this weekend, fantasy leagues everywhere are sure to be active with GMs trying to plug and fill holes that were left by torn ACLs et al. Happy trading season!