Welcome to Week 18, a desolate No Man’s Land of fantasy football where teams are benching players to rest up for the playoffs, and trying to create a stack is like playing Mine Sweeper in expert mode. It’s no small task, but that’s why we are here to help you navigate the trenches and hope you walk away as a winner. Before we get into this week’s stacks, though, let’s take a look back at how last week’s Fantasy Stacks worked out.
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Looking Back at Week 17 Fantasy Stacks
Kyler Murray and Trey McBride were not a lock to be a top stack, but they did pretty well, all things considered. Murray ended up scoring 24.68 points after throwing for three touchdowns. McBride did not have a successful week after scoring 10.8 points off of seven targets that he turned into six receptions for 48 yards. Still, double-digit points with a TE this year? I’ll take it.
Russell Wilson and Courtland Sutton was the worst stack I have attempted to prognosticate all season. Wilson was benched almost immediately after the article was published, and Sutton was ruled out due to the concussion problems he is dealing with. Not great, Bob.
Brock Purdy and Deebo Samuel were a solid hit. Purdy put up 17.6 points on 22 completions that he threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns. On the receiving side of things was Deebo, who turned only six targets into five receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown, as well another 35 yards on the ground, for a total of 18.2 points. Not great, but not terrible.
Justin Fields and DJ Moore
Enough reflection, let’s look ahead at this week as we attempt to sift through the rubble that is Week 18 and attempt to navigate a proper Fantasy Stack, starting with Justin Fields and DJ Moore. This is not the first time that Fields has graced his presence in the series of articles and for good reason. Fields is QB17 on the year despite having missed four games earlier in the season. He averaged 19.2 PPG over the course of the season, which is the eighth best average among active quarterbacks. Fields has proven time and again that his rushing ability should not be overlooked, but he did a decent job of showing that he can move the ball through the air this season, as well.
Fields moves the ball via the air by throwing to his favorite target, Moore. Moore is WR8 on the season and has continued to put up big numbers all season. Last week he managed to put up a solid 30.9 points against a stout Falcons defense. He averages just over eight targets a game and should expect to carry the bulk of the targets again this week against the Green Bay Packers. After the last match where Moore walked away with 4.5 points, I expect him to come back for vengeance against the team’s division rival.
This division rival aspect is another reason I think that Fields and Moore are the duo to go with. The last meeting between the two did not go the way the Chicago Bear’s combo would have hoped things would go. Now, having a full season of chemistry grown between the two, I expect them to get some revenge against the Packers. Especially since they can play spoiler by knocking the Packers out of the playoffs by beating them this weekend.
Gardner Minshew and Michael Pittman
In the second of our Fantasy Stacks starts with some Minshew Mania, as Gardner Minshew is one of the quarterbacks that I am firing up this week. He has not had the greatest season by any means, but since taking over for Anthony Richardson in Week 6, Minshew has remained near the midway point for all quarterbacks. He’s broken twenty points twice, but has only had a single digit game twice, as well. He’s about as average as they come, but in a week like this, average can bring you the gold. Especially when that “average” guy is playing against a division rival for a playoff berth.
Minshew’s counterpart would be Michael Pittman, who has been above average this year. The WR13 on the year, Pittman seems to have finally found an offense that is using his strengths appropriately. He had his second worse game last week of the year as he just barely finished below double-digit points. Pittman has averaged 16.2 points over the season and is showing that he is a top receiver in this league. He is averaging ten targets a game and I expect that trend to continue, especially this weekend while playing against the Houston Texans. Plug and play, my friends.
Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs
Some Fantasy Stacks are harder to predict this week, while others just make sense. This is one of the latter. Josh Allen is a must start this week against the Miami Dolphins. We are looking at the top quarterback of the year going up against the 22nd ranked defense against quarterbacks. Allen hasn’t scored single digit points once this year and is averaging 24.1 PPG. Whether it is through the air or on ground, Allen is going to put up points this weekend and you can safely start him this week.
His counterpart is Stefon Diggs, who is WR9 on the year. Stefon Diggs has been a solid play every year since joining the Buffalo Bills, and this year has been no exception. Diggs is averaging 9.5 targets per game this year and he should continue to be the main focal point of the Bills offense this coming weekend. I expect he and Allen to connect multiple times to not only take down the Miami Dolphins, but to take home the division title.
What is Your Favorite Fantasy Stack?
How about you? What are your favorite Fantasy Stacks of the week? What is a Fantasy Stack I should investigate for next week? Let me know in the comments below!
For more from Richard and his Razzball content, find him on Twitter @gingerbe3rdman.
