Stacking is a term used mainly in daily fantasy sports (DFS) to reference loading up on multiple players from one team. In DFS, you can stack a team, a game or a night (Monday/Thursday). But in seasonal leagues, it equates to having three or more players from the same offensive or defensive unit. Let’s explore the differences.
In DFS, you are playing to be the top point scorer in your game. Whether you are playing in a head-to-head matchup, a 50/50 (double up) or a multi entry tournament, the goal is to score the most points in that particular week. Thus, stacking has proven to be a very useful strategy when playing in daily leagues. Players who have stacked their rosters in order to take advantage of a high scoring game or ideal matchup have won some of the biggest contests and payouts in daily fantasy sports. This strategy works particularly well in daily fantasy baseball and basketball as it really simplifies your research.
Stacking does not work quite as well in fantasy football. The ideal time to stack in DFS football is when you believe the game is going to be a high scoring affair with both teams. If a game isn’t competitive, starters are removed quite quickly which will completely backfire on you and your stack. Therefore, it is more beneficial to stack a game than one particular team in football.
I do not like stacking in seasonal leagues at all. In 2013, the Denver Broncos broke almost every offensive record in the NFL en route to scoring a record 606 points. Yet, those who owned Peyton Manning, Knowshon Moreno and other Broncos remember that fateful Thursday night when they laid an egg. Those who were riding Broncos stacks got bounced from the first round of the playoffs with relative ease. We have to keep an eye on the prize in fantasy football and remember that consistency is the most important aspect to winning a championship.
When you have more than three players on a single team, you run the risk every week of laying an egg. In any given week the offense you are stacking could get derailed by weather, injury, elite defensive performances, coaching decisions or just the nature of a sloppier game. When you invest your money, the number one thing any financial advisor will tell you is to diversify. Sure you are looking good if you invest everything you have into Apple and the stock soars for a couple of days. But that stock is going to stink like a three day old fart the day an iPod catches fire and enflames an entire school bus. Even the Easter Bunny uses more than one basket for all of his eggs, and he is magic!
This is not to say you cannot own three to five players on a certain team in seasonal leagues. You already know of my passion for handcuffing and, for the most part, kickers and defenses don’t really apply. But you don’t want to have more than three regular starters on your team on a weekly basis. If you have a Tony Romo/Dez Bryant connection and want to roll with Dan Bailey as your kicker, I can support that. Anything more and you are severely limiting your upside. Further, it is fine if you happen to own Terrance Williams as insurance for Bryant and are also holding Joseph Randle in case Darren McFadden gets injured.
Draft your team to survive the ups and down of what will undoubtedly be a tumultuous NFL season. Don’t put all your faith in one team as one single snap of a tendon could then derail your entire year. Save your stacks for DFS where if it doesn’t work out for you that week, all you have to do is come back with a reloaded crew the following week. That is impossible in seasonal leagues and highly frowned upon by winning fantasy football players.