Best Ball Strategy: Late-Round Stacks Worth Targeting

This article is part of our Best Ball Strategy series.

A lot of best-ball drafters would say an ideal team features stacks from two high-quality offenses, perhaps including popular combinations like Mahomes-Kelce-Worthy, Burrow-Chase-Higgins or Prescott-Lamb-Ferguson. There's nothing wrong with those stacks, of course, but we can't always get them even if we're willing to reach ahead of ADP to make it happen.

I tend to prefer less popular stacks anyway, especially for huge tournaments on DraftKings and Underdog where the final week sets up kind of like a big DFS contest. If we make it to Week 17, which is where nearly all the money lies, it's advantageous to have as many players as possible that are healthy and starting but not on a lot of other rosters. That's not necessarily an easy thing to do, given that every surviving team for Week 17 had to make it through the same gauntlet of Weeks 15 and 16.

The other benefit to unsexy, late-round stacks is that we're giving up a lot less value/projection when we "reach" ahead of ADP in the late rounds rather than early on. The projected difference between picks 30 and 35, for example, is far more meaningful than that between picks 180 and 185.

That said, it isn't ideal to have a best-ball team on which all the stacks are from offenses projected to be subpar. Most of the options below are best deployed as third stacks / backup plans... or maybe we combine two of the teams below with one premium offense like KC/CIN/SF/DAL/BAL.

Note: All the stacks below typically can be created after Round 12, i.e., the players have ADPs of 145 or later. We'll split the options into two categories, based on whether the QB or pass catcher(s) typically need to be taken first

QB-First Stacks            

Los Angeles Rams

• QB Matthew Stafford (Round 13) 
• WR Demarcus Robinson (Rounds 14-15)
• TE Colby Parkinson (Rounds 18-20)

In this case we're actually investing in a good, established offense, but the players come cheap because Stafford doesn't add rushing stats and Robinson/Parkinson may have trouble drawing targets while sharing the field with Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp and Kyren Williams. The Rams are one of three teams (Miami and San Francisco being the others) with three players typically selected in the first three rounds of drafts. 

I have no objection to the ADPs for Nacua, Kupp or Williams, but I've also drafted Robinson and Parkinson quite a bit, in part because Sean McVay will often completely ignore his backups and have five skill-position players taking nearly all the snaps. We shouldn't project Parkinson for that kind of role, but it's at least within the possible range of outcomes and might lead him to 5-6 targets per game. 

TE Tyler Higbee (ACL) almost certainly will miss the beginning of the season and might not be close to his old self upon returning. Plus, he was already in decline before the injury and will turn 32 before the end of the season. Parkinson isn't an exciting player by any means, but he's a smart endgame pick for teams with Stafford.

Robinson, meanwhile, is said to be locking down the No. 3 WR role. He won't put up numbers like he did in Weeks 13-17 last season, but something along the lines of five targets and 40 yards per game with a TD every third or fourth week is a reasonable expectation when Kupp and Nacua are healthy. Of course, the best-case scenario for this stack is probably to have one (but not both) of those star WRs out of the lineup, which would push targets toward Robinson and Parkinson without totally torpedoing Stafford and the whole offense.

New York Jets

• QB Aaron Rodgers (Round 14)
• WR Malachi Corley (Rounds 15-17)
• TE Tyler Conklin (Rounds 14-15)

I'm more inclined to pick either Corley or Conklin rather than taking them as a duo, given that both project for very low aDOTs and may thus end up competing for the same types of routes/targets. If I'm picking both, it kind of feels like a bet on Garrett Wilson and/or Mike Williams struggling to stay healthy. In Williams' case, that's probably fine. In Wilson's case, it would spell trouble for Rodgers. If we opt for the triple-stack here it can often be accomplished with three consecutive picks in Rounds 14-16.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• QB Baker Mayfield (Rounds 14-15)
• TE Cade Otton (Rounds 14-15)
• WR Jalen McMillan (Rounds 15-16)

This is one of my favorites, although it's gotten a little bit trickier with McMillan's ADP moving upward thanks to repeated training camp hype. The good news is that it's the type of camp hype that actually seems justified, as he's getting regular work on the first-team offense and earning praise from coaches and teammates (not just beat reporters).

The bad news is that it's a bit difficult to figure out this triple stack now that all three players have such similar ADPs. If we're drafting near the turn, we'll probably need to reach significantly for two of the three to lock it in. It's a bit easier from middle position, but at least one reach will still be necessary. The more conventional path would be to settle for two of these three Bucs around the 14/15 turn, pairing Mayfield with just one of his pass catchers.

Tennessee Titans

• QB Will Levis (Round 15)
• TE Chigoziem Okonkwo (Rounds 16-17)
• WR Tyler Boyd (Round 17-18)  OR   Treylon Burks (Rounds 18-20)

I didn't like Levis much as a prospect, but he was at least kind of entertaining as a rookie, chucking the ball downfield repeatedly (mostly to DeAndre Hopkins). New coach Brian Callahan will probably want Hopkins getting back to the possession-type role he's better suited for late in his career, with Calvin Ridley (and maybe Burks) then getting more of the downfield stuff.

Burks lost his obvious path to regular snaps with the Boyd signing, but I'm not 100 percent sure the 2022 first-round pick is a complete bust. He made some big plays his rookie year and generally looked competent, before a combination of injuries, mental mistakes and coaching discord seemed to torpedo his second pro season. There's potential for a late mini-breakout, even if superstardom now seems out of the question.

Minnesota Vikings

• TE T.J. Hockenson (Round 13)
• QB J.J. McCarthy (Round 18)
• WR Jalen Nailor (Rounds 18-20)

I generally prefer McCarthy to Sam Darnold for best ball, which makes even more sense for pairing with Hockenson, who is much more likely to be productive later in the season. Nailor typically goes undrafted, and perhaps rightfully so, but he's a reasonable endgame pick in light of reports that he's the favorite for Minnesota's No. 3 WR role. 

New Orleans Saints

• QB Derek Carr (Round 16)
• TE Juwan Johnson (Round 17)

This one is most easily executed at the 16-17 turn, but there are also drafts in which both guys make it to 17-18. Johnson has resumed running after his summer foot surgery, so there seems to be a real chance he's ready by Week 1.

Receiver-First Stacks

Carolina Panthers

• WR Adam Thielen (Rounds 14-15)
• QB Bryce Young (Rounds 16-17)
• WR Jonathan Mingo (Rounds 18-20)
• TE Ja'Tavion Sanders (Rounds 18-20)

Rookie WR Xavier Legette could arguably also be listed here, as I've seen him available in the 13th round quite a bit. He doesn't conflict too much with Thielen, either, given their drastic differences in archetype/skills. However, reports out of training camp not only have Mingo working with the first-team offense but also making a strong impression. I can't recommend him as more than a late-round pick after his brutal rookie season, but the recent hype is at least enough to bring Mingo back into that conversation while dinging Legette's Year 1 prospects a tiny bit.

The logistics here are easy to figure out, as all of the aforementioned players are fairly spaced out in ADP (besides Sanders and Mingo, who often just go undrafted). I don't recommend taking all four guys, but a trio can work well, especially for those who don't have faith in Legette or Diontae Johnson (yet still believe in Young's Year 2 rebound potential).

New England Patriots

• WR DeMario Douglas (Round 13)
• TE Hunter Henry (Rounds 13-14)
• QB Drake Maye (Rounds 16-17)

This is another one of my personal favorites and usually doesn't require significant reaching. We can take Douglas and Henry at the 13-14 turn (right around ADP) and then Maye as a small reach at the 15-16 turn. The triple stack can also be achieved from middle position when Henry slides a few picks past ADP.

Furthermore, the Patriots have endgame options at WR, namely rookie Javon Baker (Rounds 17-18) and ACL-rehabbing Kendrick Bourne (Rounds 18-20). That hasn't been my path, as Douglas is my most drafted player at any position so far this summer (around 50 percent exposure on both DK and Drafters).

Denver Broncos

• WR Marvin Mims / Troy Franklin (Rounds 14-15)
• QB Bo Nix (Rounds 17-18)
• TE Greg Dulcich (Rounds 18-20)

Nix very much seems on track for the Week 1 start, both because he's far more experienced than a typical rookie and because the guys he's competing with are absolute garbage. In terms of the pass catchers, I can't quite pull the trigger on both Mims and Franklin, as they're probably competing for the same snaps/routes. I'd rather pick one of the two and hope I'm right, especially when there's a pretty decent chance the answer is "neither" and Sean Payton ends up giving a ton of snaps to a boring veteran like Josh Reynolds or Tim Patrick.

Dulcich is someone I totally avoided the past two years but am willing to take a shot on now that he's available in Round 20 (and healthy). Expectations should remain modest, as poor blocking could limit his opportunities even if Dulcich proves to be clearly the team's best receiving threat at tight end (which isn't guaranteed).

Pittsburgh Steelers

• WR Roman Wilson (Rounds 16-17)
• QB Russell Wilson (Rounds 17-19)

This one is getting cheaper with both R. Wilsons absent from training camp due to injuries. Roman's ankle is more concerning than Russell's calf, not only in terms of the return timeline but also because it robs the rookie of his chance to make an impression this summer. Don't expect Roman to do much early in the season, even if he's healthy by Week 1.

We can also go galaxy brain here and pair Justin Fields with Van Jefferson. I'm not interested in Jefferson, personally, but it's easy enough to understand the appeal of Fields as an endgame pick, especially in playoff-based tournaments where we don't mind him sitting most of the season as long as he's playing Weeks 15-17.

Las Vegas Raiders

• QB Gardner Minshew / Aidan O'Connell (Rounds 18-20)
• WR Tre Tucker (Rounds 18-20)

All of these guys typically go undrafted in 18-round formats, and often in 20-rounders as well. Tucker is a 2023 third-round pick who made some big plays down the stretch last season and now has a clear path to the No. 3 WR job following Michael Gallup's retirement, but that probably won't entail a ton of snaps and targets in an offense with two talented TEs plus WRs Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers.

The team doesn't seem inclined to trade Adams, even though they probably should, but the thinking could change in October if the Raiders are sitting at 1-4 or 2-5. One clever idea is to stack the heck out of the Raiders, including Adams, and hope for an eventual Adams trade that boosts everybody's value (besides the Vegas QBs).

In terms of a pure endgame play, I prefer Minshew over O'Connell because the latter is a complete statue. Minshew at least likes to scramble around, take chances and run for some yards, even though he's not that great at it. O'Connell's quarterbacking style is brutal for fantasy.