by Kacey Kasem

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Published On: April 21st, 2025

Get ready to dominate with this fantasy football best ball stacking strategy guide, here to lead you to optimal roster construction, from Kacey Kasem.

Best ball = chef’s kiss. You get to draft a team, close your laptop, and (hopefully) win some money. It’s fantasy football without the weekly lineup stress. No start/sit decisions, no freaking out about points left on the bench, no forgetting to set a lineup.

One of the most fun ways to play best ball is by stacking. That’s when you draft multiple players from the same NFL offense, such as a quarterback and one or two of his pass-catchers. You’re looking to take advantage of huge scoring weeks.

In this article, I’m breaking down some of the many stacking strategies you can use in best ball, from simple QB-WR combos to rostering an entire NFL team’s offense (or dang close). You’re looking for high-scoring offenses with elite players. Simple, right? Yeah, it’s not so simple. I’ll dive into the Best Ball Average Draft Position (ADP) provided by FantasyPros.com so you can see where players are being selected in these stacks. Of course, things will change once the NFL Draft happens and we get closer to the season.

Check out Richard Sickels’ Complete Guide to Fantasy Football Terms

Best Ball — Stacking Strategy Guide

The Classic Connection (QB + WR)

Stacking a quarterback and wide receiver from the same offense is one of the most popular stacks in best ball. In best ball leagues, you want high-ceiling outcomes. Few pairings offer a larger weekly boom than a QB and his top offensive weapon.

The QB + WR combo is the core building block of most best ball rosters. When your quarterback goes off for four touchdowns, 300+ yards, and no interceptions, it’s safe to assume their No. 1 receiver also put up big fantasy points.

Let’s say you draft Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. One week, Prescott goes off, tosses three touchdowns, throws for 325 yards, and puts up huge fantasy numbers. In that same week, Lamb could finish with 10 catches for 125 yards and two TDs. Look at it like this: you want combos with a real shot of putting up 50+ points in a single game.

Stacking in this method consolidates production, letting one good game fuel multiple players. Instead of selecting players from various NFL teams, you’re choosing to double down on the same offense. Best ball can reward you for this if you hit on the right stack. You’ll want to target an elite WR early and then land their QB in a later round.

Examples

Michael Penix Jr. (ADP 128.0) + Drake London (ADP 19.5) [Falcons]
Dak Prescott (ADP 112.0) + CeeDee Lamb (ADP 6.0) [Cowboys]
Justin Herbert (ADP 104.5) + Ladd McConkey (ADP 22.8) [Chargers]

The Triple Threat Stack (QB + WR + WR)

If you’re looking to do a stack in best ball that really hones in on the talented players on one offense, you might try the QB + WR + WR stack. It is one of the most explosive builds in best ball. Much like the QB + WR combo, when an offense pops, usually more than one wideout benefits.

In the QB + WR + WR stack, you benefit from your QB’s big game and from gaining those crucial WR points. Let’s pretend you have Jared Goff on your roster at QB. You also drafted Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Goff tosses three scores and goes for 330 yards, while St. Brown tallies eight catches and a touchdown. Williams gets in on the action, going for over 80 yards on some long bombs.

If you’re keeping score, you’ll have a QB put up over 30 fantasy points while your WRs post 20+ points each. If you find the right three-player combo, playing against the right team, you’re set to win week after week.

You want to look at offenses that throw the ball often. You’ll also want to focus on rosters with two top wideouts and no other real weapons. When you roster both the WR1 and WR2 from a team, you’re guaranteed to benefit from whichever wideout gets hot. You don’t have to guess which wide receiver will have the bigger game. Best ball formats just slot in the highest score, so it’s okay if a player doesn’t hit every week.

Examples

Jared Goff (ADP 89.5) + Amon-Ra St. Brown (ADP 8.8) + Jameson Williams (ADP 51.8) [Lions]
Jalen Hurts (ADP 40.5) + A.J. Brown (ADP 20.3) + DeVonta Smith (ADP 47.8) [Eagles]
Caleb Williams (ADP 88.3) + DJ Moore (ADP 33.8) + Rome Odunze (ADP 57.3) [Bears]

 

Pass-Catcher Build (QB + WR + TE)

This build involves managers selecting a quarterback, wide receiver, and tight end from the same team. You’re getting weekly upside from across the offense in this build type. Target elite wide receivers and late-round tight ends with upside.

Oftentimes, when you play in best ball tournaments, you have thousands of people building rosters. There will be some overlap here, with many teams rostering the same core players. You might want to add a combo from a team with a nice schedule you believe few others will have.

Everyone will be stacking Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown. But what if you throw in Sam LaPorta as well? If LaPorta scores two touchdowns one week, your lineup will jump ahead of all the similar ones. You took the same route but added one extra weapon in LaPorta.

This is the “if the team scores, I win” strategy. You’re all in on a specific offense. You can get away with this in best ball leagues because you don’t need weekly consistency. You’re looking for those spike weeks, so feel free to be all in if the weapons are good enough. Best ball rewards weekly ceiling, not consistency.

Examples

C.J. Stroud (ADP 118.5) + Nico Collins (ADP 11.3) + Dalton Schultz (ADP 198.8) [Texans]
Baker Mayfield (ADP 71.3) + Mike Evans (ADP 36.3) + Cade Otton (ADP 170.3) [Buccaneers]
Bo Nix (ADP 80.0) + Courtland Sutton (ADP 53.5) + Evan Engram (ADP 107.5) [Broncos]

 

Value Stack (ADP-Driven Stack)

The ADP-Driven stack is one where you’re constantly looking for value and upside. You go with what the draft hands you. Instead of reaching players to say you completed the stack, you’ll want to draft your favorite pass-catchers early.

You’re not going to reach and take a player 1-2 rounds before they should be going. You don’t have to force a stack. But look for later-round quarterbacks who you can pair with an elite wide receiver. Wide receivers often go off the board earlier than quarterbacks.

You could target someone like target hound Jaxon Smith-Njigba and grab Sam Darnold later. Or if you want to select a no-brainer top receiver in Justin Jefferson and pick up J.J. McCarthy on the cheap, that’s a route you could also look at.

This strategy works well for casual drafters who don’t need projections and rankings to make a decision. It is key to draft solid skill players and scoop up correlation when it fits. Load up on those great wide receivers and tight ends, then select a viable quarterback later. And if you were trying to make a stack work, but the players didn’t fall to you as you’d like, that is still okay. You can always pivot and find new stacks without derailing your entire build.

Examples

J.J. McCarthy (ADP 134.3) + Justin Jefferson (ADP 4.5) + T.J. Hockenson (ADP 79.3) [Vikings]
Matthew Stafford (ADP 140.8) + Puka Nacua (ADP 8.3) + Kyren Williams (ADP 27.3) [Rams]
Sam Darnold (ADP 156.3) + Jaxon Smith-Njigba (ADP 25.5) + Cooper Kupp (ADP 90.3) [Seahawks]

 

Contrarian Stack (Low-ADP Players or Teams Others Avoid)

Do you like your fantasy football to be bold? Well, the contrarian stack is right up your alley. You’re seeking players with low rostership. These players score plenty of fantasy points when their offense hits. It might not happen all the time, but when it does, the payoff is enormous.

When you stack a quarterback with a wide receiver, tight end, or running back from the same team, you’re hoping for a spike week. The schedule can play an important role here, as the easier the schedule, the better chance your team has at putting up points. You also want dependable guys who have shown they can have spike weeks in the past.

These players you’re drafting will come cheap, so you’ll probably be able to front-load the draft with talent from other teams. Then you can get into the thick of it by drafting later-round guys from the same team.

Look at a few spike weeks from last season. In Week 2, the Cardinals beat the Rams 41-10. Marvin Harrison Jr. had 29 PPR points in that contest, Kyler Murray tallied 28.5, James Conner posted 19.4, and Trey McBride added 18.7. Week 5 saw the Atlanta Falcons defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime (36-30). It was a big week for many of the Falcons’ offensive players, with Kirk Cousins scoring 35.4 points, Drake London tallying 33.4, Darnell Mooney scoring 31.5, Kyle Pitts recording 15.8, KhaDarel Hodge putting up 14.7, Ray-Ray McCloud seeing 12.6, and Bijan Robinson posting 10.7. So yeah, draft those mid to late stacks.

Examples

Geno Smith (ADP 155.0) + Tre Tucker (ADP 236.8) [Raiders]
Russell Wilson (ADP 200.3) + Wan’Dale Robinson (ADP 178.0)  [Giants]
Bryce Young (ADP 150.8) + Jalen Coker (ADP 179.5) [Panthers]

 

Loading Up (5+ Players from One offense)

Risky build alert! You’re betting on one offense to carry a large portion of your lineup. If that team is underperforming, players get injured, or their schedule is difficult, your roster can quickly sink. There is still an upside to this type of build, though.

Some teams are full of players who have had spike weeks before. Targeting these offensive powerhouses is key in this build. In high-scoring shootouts, a team could go for over 40 points.

In that game, production is spread out across multiple players. The QB could throw for 300+ yards and 3+ TDs while both WRs post over 100 yards. The fantasy-relevant TE or RB on that offense could also tally a productive PPR day, scoring a TD in the process. If the game goes into overtime, it is an instant win for you.

You can pounce on value if an NFL team is undervalued in best ball drafts. Grab the quarterback going at QB14 and load up on his offensive pieces. If they hit like a top-5 unit, you’ve got a good thing going. They’re not all going to hit, but you’ve prepared for that by taking flyers on guys.

Tip: Keep bye weeks in mind, as loading up players from one team won’t give you much to work with when they have a bye.

Examples

Kyler Murray (ADP 85.3) + Marvin Harrison Jr. (ADP 35.8) + Michael Wilson (ADP 217.5) + Trey McBride (ADP 23.5) + James Conner (ADP 60.3) + Trey Benson (ADP 142.5) [Cardinals]
Trevor Lawrence (ADP 129.5) + Brian Thomas Jr. (ADP 10.8) + Travis Etienne (ADP 97.5) + Tank Bigsby (ADP 126.0) + Brenton Strange (ADP 180.3) [Jaguars]
Lamar Jackson (ADP 29.0) + Derrick Henry (ADP 13.0) + Zay Flowers (ADP 51.8) + Mark Andrews (ADP 92.5) + Isaiah Likely (ADP 148.3) [Ravens]

 

Conclusion

There is no single blueprint for the perfect stack in best ball. You should use the tools that make sense for your build. You could go all-in on an elite offense, find value falling in your lap in later rounds, or piece together a late-round trio that smashes.

Stacking gives your roster correlated upside. The way you choose to stack is up to you. Mix and match strategies from each build type, experiment with different combos, and feel free to think outside the box.

Have fun. Play around. Take big dart throws. The more you draft in best ball, the more comfortable you’ll feel making stacking decisions.

Kacey Kasem is a contributing badass for Optimus Fantasy. For more from Kacey, follow her on X @TheKaceyKasem.

April 21st, 2025

by Kacey Kasem

Share

Get ready to dominate with this fantasy football best ball stacking strategy guide, here to lead you to optimal roster construction, from Kacey Kasem.

Best ball = chef’s kiss. You get to draft a team, close your laptop, and (hopefully) win some money. It’s fantasy football without the weekly lineup stress. No start/sit decisions, no freaking out about points left on the bench, no forgetting to set a lineup.

One of the most fun ways to play best ball is by stacking. That’s when you draft multiple players from the same NFL offense, such as a quarterback and one or two of his pass-catchers. You’re looking to take advantage of huge scoring weeks.

In this article, I’m breaking down some of the many stacking strategies you can use in best ball, from simple QB-WR combos to rostering an entire NFL team’s offense (or dang close). You’re looking for high-scoring offenses with elite players. Simple, right? Yeah, it’s not so simple. I’ll dive into the Best Ball Average Draft Position (ADP) provided by FantasyPros.com so you can see where players are being selected in these stacks. Of course, things will change once the NFL Draft happens and we get closer to the season.

Check out Richard Sickels’ Complete Guide to Fantasy Football Terms

Best Ball — Stacking Strategy Guide

The Classic Connection (QB + WR)

Stacking a quarterback and wide receiver from the same offense is one of the most popular stacks in best ball. In best ball leagues, you want high-ceiling outcomes. Few pairings offer a larger weekly boom than a QB and his top offensive weapon.

The QB + WR combo is the core building block of most best ball rosters. When your quarterback goes off for four touchdowns, 300+ yards, and no interceptions, it’s safe to assume their No. 1 receiver also put up big fantasy points.

Let’s say you draft Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. One week, Prescott goes off, tosses three touchdowns, throws for 325 yards, and puts up huge fantasy numbers. In that same week, Lamb could finish with 10 catches for 125 yards and two TDs. Look at it like this: you want combos with a real shot of putting up 50+ points in a single game.

Stacking in this method consolidates production, letting one good game fuel multiple players. Instead of selecting players from various NFL teams, you’re choosing to double down on the same offense. Best ball can reward you for this if you hit on the right stack. You’ll want to target an elite WR early and then land their QB in a later round.

Examples

Michael Penix Jr. (ADP 128.0) + Drake London (ADP 19.5) [Falcons]
Dak Prescott (ADP 112.0) + CeeDee Lamb (ADP 6.0) [Cowboys]
Justin Herbert (ADP 104.5) + Ladd McConkey (ADP 22.8) [Chargers]

The Triple Threat Stack (QB + WR + WR)

If you’re looking to do a stack in best ball that really hones in on the talented players on one offense, you might try the QB + WR + WR stack. It is one of the most explosive builds in best ball. Much like the QB + WR combo, when an offense pops, usually more than one wideout benefits.

In the QB + WR + WR stack, you benefit from your QB’s big game and from gaining those crucial WR points. Let’s pretend you have Jared Goff on your roster at QB. You also drafted Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Goff tosses three scores and goes for 330 yards, while St. Brown tallies eight catches and a touchdown. Williams gets in on the action, going for over 80 yards on some long bombs.

If you’re keeping score, you’ll have a QB put up over 30 fantasy points while your WRs post 20+ points each. If you find the right three-player combo, playing against the right team, you’re set to win week after week.

You want to look at offenses that throw the ball often. You’ll also want to focus on rosters with two top wideouts and no other real weapons. When you roster both the WR1 and WR2 from a team, you’re guaranteed to benefit from whichever wideout gets hot. You don’t have to guess which wide receiver will have the bigger game. Best ball formats just slot in the highest score, so it’s okay if a player doesn’t hit every week.

Examples

Jared Goff (ADP 89.5) + Amon-Ra St. Brown (ADP 8.8) + Jameson Williams (ADP 51.8) [Lions]
Jalen Hurts (ADP 40.5) + A.J. Brown (ADP 20.3) + DeVonta Smith (ADP 47.8) [Eagles]
Caleb Williams (ADP 88.3) + DJ Moore (ADP 33.8) + Rome Odunze (ADP 57.3) [Bears]

 

Pass-Catcher Build (QB + WR + TE)

This build involves managers selecting a quarterback, wide receiver, and tight end from the same team. You’re getting weekly upside from across the offense in this build type. Target elite wide receivers and late-round tight ends with upside.

Oftentimes, when you play in best ball tournaments, you have thousands of people building rosters. There will be some overlap here, with many teams rostering the same core players. You might want to add a combo from a team with a nice schedule you believe few others will have.

Everyone will be stacking Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown. But what if you throw in Sam LaPorta as well? If LaPorta scores two touchdowns one week, your lineup will jump ahead of all the similar ones. You took the same route but added one extra weapon in LaPorta.

This is the “if the team scores, I win” strategy. You’re all in on a specific offense. You can get away with this in best ball leagues because you don’t need weekly consistency. You’re looking for those spike weeks, so feel free to be all in if the weapons are good enough. Best ball rewards weekly ceiling, not consistency.

Examples

C.J. Stroud (ADP 118.5) + Nico Collins (ADP 11.3) + Dalton Schultz (ADP 198.8) [Texans]
Baker Mayfield (ADP 71.3) + Mike Evans (ADP 36.3) + Cade Otton (ADP 170.3) [Buccaneers]
Bo Nix (ADP 80.0) + Courtland Sutton (ADP 53.5) + Evan Engram (ADP 107.5) [Broncos]

 

Value Stack (ADP-Driven Stack)

The ADP-Driven stack is one where you’re constantly looking for value and upside. You go with what the draft hands you. Instead of reaching players to say you completed the stack, you’ll want to draft your favorite pass-catchers early.

You’re not going to reach and take a player 1-2 rounds before they should be going. You don’t have to force a stack. But look for later-round quarterbacks who you can pair with an elite wide receiver. Wide receivers often go off the board earlier than quarterbacks.

You could target someone like target hound Jaxon Smith-Njigba and grab Sam Darnold later. Or if you want to select a no-brainer top receiver in Justin Jefferson and pick up J.J. McCarthy on the cheap, that’s a route you could also look at.

This strategy works well for casual drafters who don’t need projections and rankings to make a decision. It is key to draft solid skill players and scoop up correlation when it fits. Load up on those great wide receivers and tight ends, then select a viable quarterback later. And if you were trying to make a stack work, but the players didn’t fall to you as you’d like, that is still okay. You can always pivot and find new stacks without derailing your entire build.

Examples

J.J. McCarthy (ADP 134.3) + Justin Jefferson (ADP 4.5) + T.J. Hockenson (ADP 79.3) [Vikings]
Matthew Stafford (ADP 140.8) + Puka Nacua (ADP 8.3) + Kyren Williams (ADP 27.3) [Rams]
Sam Darnold (ADP 156.3) + Jaxon Smith-Njigba (ADP 25.5) + Cooper Kupp (ADP 90.3) [Seahawks]

 

Contrarian Stack (Low-ADP Players or Teams Others Avoid)

Do you like your fantasy football to be bold? Well, the contrarian stack is right up your alley. You’re seeking players with low rostership. These players score plenty of fantasy points when their offense hits. It might not happen all the time, but when it does, the payoff is enormous.

When you stack a quarterback with a wide receiver, tight end, or running back from the same team, you’re hoping for a spike week. The schedule can play an important role here, as the easier the schedule, the better chance your team has at putting up points. You also want dependable guys who have shown they can have spike weeks in the past.

These players you’re drafting will come cheap, so you’ll probably be able to front-load the draft with talent from other teams. Then you can get into the thick of it by drafting later-round guys from the same team.

Look at a few spike weeks from last season. In Week 2, the Cardinals beat the Rams 41-10. Marvin Harrison Jr. had 29 PPR points in that contest, Kyler Murray tallied 28.5, James Conner posted 19.4, and Trey McBride added 18.7. Week 5 saw the Atlanta Falcons defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime (36-30). It was a big week for many of the Falcons’ offensive players, with Kirk Cousins scoring 35.4 points, Drake London tallying 33.4, Darnell Mooney scoring 31.5, Kyle Pitts recording 15.8, KhaDarel Hodge putting up 14.7, Ray-Ray McCloud seeing 12.6, and Bijan Robinson posting 10.7. So yeah, draft those mid to late stacks.

Examples

Geno Smith (ADP 155.0) + Tre Tucker (ADP 236.8) [Raiders]
Russell Wilson (ADP 200.3) + Wan’Dale Robinson (ADP 178.0)  [Giants]
Bryce Young (ADP 150.8) + Jalen Coker (ADP 179.5) [Panthers]

 

Loading Up (5+ Players from One offense)

Risky build alert! You’re betting on one offense to carry a large portion of your lineup. If that team is underperforming, players get injured, or their schedule is difficult, your roster can quickly sink. There is still an upside to this type of build, though.

Some teams are full of players who have had spike weeks before. Targeting these offensive powerhouses is key in this build. In high-scoring shootouts, a team could go for over 40 points.

In that game, production is spread out across multiple players. The QB could throw for 300+ yards and 3+ TDs while both WRs post over 100 yards. The fantasy-relevant TE or RB on that offense could also tally a productive PPR day, scoring a TD in the process. If the game goes into overtime, it is an instant win for you.

You can pounce on value if an NFL team is undervalued in best ball drafts. Grab the quarterback going at QB14 and load up on his offensive pieces. If they hit like a top-5 unit, you’ve got a good thing going. They’re not all going to hit, but you’ve prepared for that by taking flyers on guys.

Tip: Keep bye weeks in mind, as loading up players from one team won’t give you much to work with when they have a bye.

Examples

Kyler Murray (ADP 85.3) + Marvin Harrison Jr. (ADP 35.8) + Michael Wilson (ADP 217.5) + Trey McBride (ADP 23.5) + James Conner (ADP 60.3) + Trey Benson (ADP 142.5) [Cardinals]
Trevor Lawrence (ADP 129.5) + Brian Thomas Jr. (ADP 10.8) + Travis Etienne (ADP 97.5) + Tank Bigsby (ADP 126.0) + Brenton Strange (ADP 180.3) [Jaguars]
Lamar Jackson (ADP 29.0) + Derrick Henry (ADP 13.0) + Zay Flowers (ADP 51.8) + Mark Andrews (ADP 92.5) + Isaiah Likely (ADP 148.3) [Ravens]

 

Conclusion

There is no single blueprint for the perfect stack in best ball. You should use the tools that make sense for your build. You could go all-in on an elite offense, find value falling in your lap in later rounds, or piece together a late-round trio that smashes.

Stacking gives your roster correlated upside. The way you choose to stack is up to you. Mix and match strategies from each build type, experiment with different combos, and feel free to think outside the box.

Have fun. Play around. Take big dart throws. The more you draft in best ball, the more comfortable you’ll feel making stacking decisions.

Kacey Kasem is a contributing badass for Optimus Fantasy. For more from Kacey, follow her on X @TheKaceyKasem.

By Published On: April 21st, 2025

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