NFL

Week 4 NFL FanDuel Stacks: Cam Newton and Anyone

Newton is in a prime spot against the Falcons, and he can be paired with numerous teammates in Week 4.

If you're new to daily fantasy football, then you'll have to make some changes to your fantasy football strategy. You don't have "your guys" on a weekly basis -- and you need to adjust to each and every matchup.

A big part of building your roster is weekly quarterback selection. In terms of salary, passers range from the top of the player pool to the bottom, with some replacement-level passers at the same price point as kickers and defenses onFanDuel.

Along with those quarterbacks, though, you have the option of pairing pass-catchers with your signal caller, and per 4for4's TJ Hernandez, a quarterback's top receiver has a moderately strong correlation to the quarterback's performance -- and his tight end and second receiver aren't too far behind.

If you're going to stack, though, you need to have a purpose. If you're trying to win a big tournament, you'll want to find a combination that can put up points in bunches -- all while possibly being under-owned. Which teammates might fit the bill in Week 4 -- if we ignore the Sunday morning game between the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars and the Monday night game between the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, which aren't on FanDuel's main slate?

Carolina Panthers

QB: Cam Newton ($9,300)
WR: Kelvin Benjamin ($7,700)

This is a bit of a softball stack really -- we're not digging deep at all by recommending the top-priced quarterback -- but I also think there's a ton of merit in pairing Cam Newton with Greg Olsen, the top-priced tight end on the main slate. So just be glad I didn't go that route.

But in all seriousness, Newton is in a great spot against the Atlanta Falcons as 3-point road favorites in a game with an over/under of 50. That gives them an implied total of 26.5, third-highest of the weekend. Atlanta ranks 31st in sack rate and 25th against the pass, per our metrics.

Now, Kelvin Benjamin went from a meteor to a comet in Week 3, which is a scientific way to say that he was ice cold in his last game. He got just one target and no catches against the Minnesota Vikings, something Newton assured "won't happen again." Benjamin has flashed his touchdown upside already this year, scoring three times in his first two games. Benjamin is the squeaky wheel that could get the grease, which makes his ownership hard to peg after such a disappointing game.

Simply put, you can't go wrong with Newton, Benjamin, and Olsen in Week 4. If you really want to get weird with it, Ted Ginn Jr. ($5,900) on turf could be the player to pair with Newton in a large GPP.

Detroit Lions

QB: Matthew Stafford ($8,300)
WR: Marvin Jones ($7,600)

The Chicago Bears are a promising matchup for anybody, ranking 22nd against the pass, per our metrics, and now Kyle Fuller is heading to injured reserve. Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions are 3-point road favorites in a game with an over/under of 47 points, and there's little to be worried about in Week 4.

The only question, really, is who to stack with Stafford. The obvious choice is Marvin Jones, who is the top fantasy receiver through three weeks. Jones has drawn a target on 22.7% of the team's drop backs, easily tops on the team, and he's likely going to be a popular option this week. But he does cost $7,600, and that puts him in Amari Cooper ($7,600) and Larry Fitzgerald ($7,500) territory.

Still, Stafford has a good chance to finish as the top quarterback this week, and he should be less owned than Philip Rivers and Drew Brees, giving this stack enough differentiation at the quarterback position.

Pittsburgh Steelers

QB: Ben Roethlisberger ($8,400)
RB: Le'Veon Bell ($8,300)

This isn't your traditional stack by any means, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have an implied team total of 26 points, third-highest on the main slate, and by rostering Ben Roethlisberger and Le'Veon Bell, you could be accessing every point that Pittsburgh scores. It's hard to get a feel for how heavily owned Roethlisberger will be. He's in a good spot, but he is coming off a downer against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 and is facing a Kansas City Chiefs defense that just recorded six interceptions last week.

Pittsburgh has been a top-10 team in terms of pace at home since 2015, and that should lead to opportunity to make good on the high implied team total. Of course, if you can afford it, you'll want to consider stacking Roethlisberger with Antonio Brown ($9,400). Brown should be able to avoid the coverage of Marcus Peters, who doesn't roam the field pre-snap like Brown does.

This feels like an under-appreciated offense in a matchup that isn't as tough as it might seem. Kansas City ranks just 29th in sack rate, and Roethlisberger has historically performed significantly better at home (26.17 fantasy points per game since 2013) than on the road (19.26), per Rotoviz's Game Splits app.

In his return to action last year, Bell played 95% of the team's offensive snaps and got 19 carries, 8 targets, and 7 receptions, making him an easy player to use in a stack.

Kansas City Chiefs

QB: Alex Smith ($6,900)
WR: Jeremy Maclin ($6,900)

So, let's just stick with this game, shall we? Alex Smith isn't a player we generally look to for stacking purposes, but he's in a spot to produce against the Steelers for many of the reasons we just pointed out. Pittsburgh's 0.78% sack rate ranks dead last in the league through three weeks, and if you think the Steelers really do produce, then some action on the opposite side is worth a shot.

Further, linebacker Ryan Shazier is questionable to play, and the Steelers could also be without safeties Robert Golden and Sean Davis.

This gives traction to Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce as stackable options with Smith. The Steelers can't get to the passer and might not be able to cover either, as this unit already ranks 21st in pass defense, per our metrics. This is one of the more enticing game stacks on the board given its chance to fly under the radar.