NFL

Week 2 NFL FanDuel Stacks: Don't Overthink It

The Giants and Saints square off in the most obvious game of the week, but don't avoid it entirely.

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 on FanDuel.

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 being under-owned. Which teammates might fit the bill in Week 2?

New Orleans Saints

QB: Drew Brees ($9,200)
WR: Coby Fleener ($5,600)

So, Drew Brees wasn't as highly owned as I would have expected (just 6.2% in the FanDuel Sunday Million) last week, but he showed why he was worth his $8,700 price tag by notching 31.42 FanDuel points. His price jumped up $500, but he's still worth it this week versus the New York Giants, against whom he threw seven touchdowns last season.

Wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead soaked up a majority of Brees' production in Week 1, but they could have a tougher time on the road in Week 2. In 10 career road games with at least 5 targets, Cooks has averaged 10.9 FanDuel points, compared to 14.4 at home. He could have a tough matchup against Janoris Jenkins, who was the primary cover on Dez Bryant in Week 1.

With one of the tougher front-sevens in football and corners who can at least cause issues for Brees' receivers outside, the Giants make for an interesting matchup for Coby Fleener. Fleener saw 81% of the team's offensive snaps in Week 1, a top-15 mark for tight ends, but yielded a look on just 4 of Brees' 42 passes. Production could be pushed to the middle of the field in Week 2, and Fleener is a sneaky way to get access to Brees and this offense in a game with an over/under of 53.

New York Giants

QB: Eli Manning ($8,100)
WR: Victor Cruz ($5,700)

I know, I know. This is the most obvious place to look for stacks, but that's true for a reason. According to our metrics, the 2015 New Orleans Saints had the worst pass defense since 2000, and their top three corners -- now that Delvin Breaux is going to be out for a few weeks with a broken fibula -- played a whopping zero snaps last season. You probably won't get Eli Manning at low ownership in this matchup, but you can differentiate a bit by stacking him with Victor Cruz rather than Odell Beckham (as scary as that sounds) or Sterling Shepard.

Beckham played all 56 offensive snaps last week, Shepard played 53 (95%), and Cruz played 50 (89%). Both Shepard and Cruz scored on just four targets apiece, while Beckham was held out of the end zone on eight looks. The matchup is so enticing that you can justify stacking Manning, Beckham, and either Cruz or Shepard and still feel like your lineup is full of upside, something that will also help differentiate your Giants stack.

If you're uneasy about targeting the marquee game this week, don't overlook Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson against the Minnesota Vikings, who should be without Xavier Rhodes. Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders also have an enticing matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

Denver Broncos

QB: Trevor SIemian ($6,400)
WR: Emmanuel Sanders ($6,700)

Let's move off from the pretty big-name stacks and get into the type of pairings that make daily fantasy football so fun.

In Week 1, Trevor Siemian wasn't great, though the Denver Broncos stole a win from the Carolina Panthers. He posted a Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) of -0.02, which was significantly down from the league average last year of 0.11. However, 50% of his drop backs led to expected-point boosts, compared to 46.87% as a league average last year. This week, Denver gets to host the Indianapolis Colts, who ranked 20th in pass defense last year according to our metrics and are without key cogs Vontae Davis and Henry Anderson. Further, safety T.J. Green and cornerback Patrick Robinson are iffy to play in Week 2.

Demaryius Thomas' status is also uncertain for Week 2, so Emmanuel Sanders could get significant work against a depleted secondary. The ceiling this pair has is probably limited, but the savings can help you pay up for studs at other positions, including pieces of the Giants-Saints matchup.

San Diego Chargers

QB: Philip Rivers ($7,700)
WR: Travis Benjamin ($6,100)

Not all is lost for the San Diego Chargers without Keenan Allen. Well, at least from a daily fantasy football perspective. After Allen exited in Week 1 due to a season-ending ACL tear, Dontrelle Inman saw 38 of a possible 39 snaps, and Travis Benjamin saw 34 -- but Benjamin saw 7 targets to Inman's 3, per Adam Levitan.

The Jacksonville Jaguars ranked 27th against the pass last season, according to our metrics, and Philip Rivers led the Chargers to a top-eight passing offense. The Chargers have an implied total of 25 points, eighth-highest on the slate, and are 3-point home favorites. That sets up well for the game to be close, for Benjamin to see looks, for Rivers to be efficient, and for you to stack this pair with Allen Robinson, whose 15 targets led the NFL in Week 1.