It is a new week of football which means it is time for another edition of Fantasy Stacks! This week has some interesting matchups that I am excited to breakdown. However, before we get into that, let’s take a look at last week’s Fantasy Stacks and see how we did.
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Looking Back at Week 4’s Fantasy Stacks
The first of these stacks that we will look at is the best hit of the group, and even it struggled a little bit. Justin Herbert walked away with 24.4 points, which was enough to put him up to QB1 on the season. However, half of those points came from two rushing touchdowns, which means that Keenan Allen, unfortunately, was not as involved. He walked away with 12.2 points, second highest on the team outside of Herbert, but still a bit of a letdown compared to what he had been doing the two previous weeks.
The next two stacks I am going to wrap up into one because neither did anything to write home about. In this head-to-head matchup, the Seahawks’ defense was stifling, which meant the script did not require them to throw much. This could be seen in Geno Smith’s lackluster 9.2 points and Tyler Lockett’s 9.4 points. On the other side of the ball, Daniel Jones struggled to get much of anything going, as he completed 27 of his passes for just over 200 yards, with Darren Waller receiving only three passes all night. Needless to say, until they start to show something more, I am out on the Jones and Waller stack.
Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase
Enough of what was. Let us talk about what is to come.
The first of this week’s Fantasy Stacks is talking about a duo that has struggled so far this season but is looking at a perfect “get right” kind of game. Joe Burrow has been dealing with a calf strain all season that appears to have taken its toll on his throwing ability. In the first four games, Burrow has only broken double digits once. Normally I would want to see something more before I start to take a chance on a player. However, this week’s matchup against the Arizona Cardinals is a favorable one.
On to the person receiving the ball, which should be Ja’Marr Chase. Chase has been outwardly disappointed in the status of their games, as can be seen in this interview clip where he discusses his… eagerness to be targeted more often:
“I’m open. I’m always f*cking open.” – Ja’Marr Chase.@CalebNoeTV @WCPO pic.twitter.com/UqSzPASjaX
— Marshall Kramsky (@marshallkramsky) October 1, 2023
There are some obvious frustrations bubbling to the surface with the young star, and I think it is about to translate into big things for him. The targets are there, as he is averaging over ten targets a game. Now the Bengals are possibly going to be without Tee Higgins, which means even more of the game plan should funnel through Chase.
Add in the fact that the Cardinals’ defense has given up an average of 25.5 points per game and has given up nearly 375 yards to opposing teams on average, and this matchup is a favorable one. The Cardinals are no pushovers, as they showed up big against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3. Still, I am expecting this game to be the one where Burrow and Chase link up to put up big numbers.
Anthony Richardson and Michael Pittman
The next of the Fantasy Stacks that we will look at is one that has been waiting to be discussed for the last couple of weeks. Anthony Richardson is killing it in Indianapolis, and this week is going should be another good one for him and his top receiving option, Michael Pittman. Richardson is averaging over 23 points per game in the three games he has played, which is a crazy number for a rookie to be putting up. He does a fair amount of damage on his feet, but he has shown he can throw the ball just as well. Even going up against the stout Las Angeles Rams defense last week, Richardson managed to put up 200 yards and throw for two touchdowns. Expect him to put up another big game against the Tennessee Titans this week.
On the receiving side of things is Michael Pittman, who appears to have finally found the quarterback he needed. As noted, last week was a tough matchup, which was apparent in Pittman’s disappointing 4.5 points that he managed to get from one catch. Pittman was targeted in the double digits each of the previous three games before that, though. He is Richardson’s favorite target and should continue to put up big numbers in the coming matchups.
This week is a far more favorable matchup against an exploitable Tennessee secondary, which I expect the Colts to attack throughout the game. The Tennessee Titans are one of the better defenses in the league, so there is some risk to going into this stack. However, it is their running defense that is putting them on the map. They have given up the tenth most passing yards this season, which is why I am excited to watch Richardson and Pittman put on a show this coming weekend.
Jordan Love and Romeo Doubs
The final of the three Fantasy Stacks is one that surprises me on several fronts. First, I’m writing an article that talks positively about Jordan Love; Second, the other half of the stack is Romeo Doubs. Love has been impressive, to say the least. He might not be the answer the Packers are looking for to be their next Hall of Fame quarterback, but he is more than serviceable in fantasy. He is QB3 on the year so far and is averaging a solid 22.06 points per game. Even in the disappointing loss to the Detroit Lions last week, Love managed to rally and score just under 20 points.
While Love has been impressive, Doubs has outright surprised me with how well he has been filling in while his counterpart, Christian Watson, has been out with an injury. Even in Watson’s return last week, Doubs was still the receiver to have, as he was targeted 13 times. He turned those targets into nine receptions for 95 yards. The previous week, Doubs had 12 targets that he turned into five receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown. Things may change with Watson becoming more healthy, but I expect Doubs to at least have one more big game in him where he is the beneficiary of most of Love’s targets.
The Packers are traveling to the Las Vegas Raiders this coming weekend in what should be a solid matchup for Love and Doubs. The only thing I am concerned about is teams typically have been beating the Raiders in the run game, but I expect the Packers to have to open things up in the passing game.
What is Your Favorite Fantasy Stack?
How about you? What is your favorite Fantasy Stack 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.
