4 NFL FanDuel Stacks for Week 13

Stacks are usually the backbone of the best FanDuel lineups, especially in tournaments. Brandon Gdula's piece examining hit rates and correlation for stacks is a must-read article whether you're already familiar with stacking or new to the concept.

This piece will lay out my favorite weekly stacks. So, read on to see the stacks I'm firing up this week.

Detroit Lions-Jacksonville Jaguars

Amon-Ra St. Brown ($8,000) and Christian Kirk ($7,500)

This is the first of three stacks that keep it simple by selecting two talented players in a game with a high over/under. Sometimes, it's in your best interest not to overthink things in DFS.

First, the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars will likely play at a speedy pace. According to Football Outsiders, the Lions are eighth in situation-neutral pace, and the Jags are 11th.

Second, the game's total of 51.5 points is the second-highest on the slate, and the spread is only 1.0 point. It's perfect for DFS.

Third, both of the pass defenses in this contest are trainwrecks. According to our schedule-adjusted metrics, the Lions have the fourth-worst pass defense, and the Jaguars are right next to them as the fifth-worst pass defense. So, the context is wonderful.

Yet, St. Brown and Kirk aren't suggested only because of the outstanding context. Both wideouts have played at a high level this year.

ARSB has been a target hog. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), in the eight games in which the second-year wideout has played his standard complement of snaps, he was targeted on 31.6 percent of his routes while amassing 60 receptions, 694 receiving yards, 2.74 yards per route run, 4 receiving touchdowns, and 81 rushing yards. The numberFire projections aren't sleeping on ARSB's upside, forecasting him for the second-highest value score -- the measure of points per $1,000 of FanDuel salary -- among wide receivers. He's the overall WR3 on the slate.

Kirk hasn't been as impressive as St. Brown, but he's played well in his first year on the Jags. Per Sports Info Solutions, Kirk is tied for 17th in target share (24.6 percent) and 23rd in intended air yards (820). The veteran wideout has parlayed his stellar underlying numbers into box-score production. According to Pro Football Reference, Kirk is tied for 22nd in receptions per game (5.1), 20th in receiving yards per game (65.9), and tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns (seven).

The matchup is also outstanding for Kirk. Per PFF, Kirk has aligned in the slot on 77.1 percent of his passing snaps. Slot receivers have barbecued the Lions.

Kirk should make the most of his dreamy matchup. The numberFire algorithm agrees, projecting Kirk as the WR8 and for the seventh-highest value score at the position.

Las Vegas Raiders-Los Angeles Chargers

Josh Jacobs ($9,500) and Josh Palmer ($6,600)

This is another game with a juicy over/under. The total for the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers is 49.5 points, and the spread is only 1.0 point. This game has a handful of top-shelf players, and Jacobs fits the bill. The fourth-year running back is nursing a calf injury he played through last week. Nonetheless, it didn't slow him last week en route to 303 scrimmage yards, two touchdowns, and six receptions.

Jacobs is positioned perfectly to erupt again. The Chargers have the fifth-worst rush defense by our metrics. Running backs have destroyed them, rushing for 133.2 yards per game and 5.63 yards per carry. They've also scored 14 touchdowns and chipped in 4.5 receptions and 27.8 receiving yards per game against the Bolts.

Jacobs checks every box to exploit the matchup. According to PFF, Jacobs is fourth in yards after contact per attempt (3.83 YCO/A), second in rushes of 10-plus yards (31), and first in missed tackles forced (64) among 43 running backs with at least 75 rush attempts this year. Predictably, Jacobs' elite underlying numbers have produced tangible results. He leads the NFL in rushing yards per game (105.4) and is fourth in rushing touchdowns (nine). Jacobs is also a factor in the passing attack, averaging 3.6 receptions and 29.5 receiving yards per game.

All in all, Las Vegas' bell-cow running back is projected as the RB1, per our model, and has the highest value score at the position.

Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler are outstanding options to stack with Jacobs. However, Palmer has an easier-to-get-to salary and has a compelling case. The second-year wideout had excelled in four games when Mike Williams didn't play or left early. In that four-game sample, Palmer has 24 receptions, 312 receiving yards, 1.77 yards per route run, an 11.2-yard average depth of target (aDOT), and two receiving touchdowns.

Williams hasn't practiced this week and appears unlikely to play. Thus, Palmer has an excellent matchup at his fingertips. The Raiders are our worst-ranked pass defense.

Las Vegas also hasn't fared well against deep passes. Quarterbacks have completed 29 of 56 passes (51.8 percent) that traveled at least 15 air yards for 773 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. When these two played in Week 1, Herbert completed four of six passes that went at least 15 air yards for 114 yards and a touchdown. I love Palmer's potential this week.

Cincinnati Bengals-Kansas City Chiefs

Hayden Hurst ($5,300) and Justin Watson ($4,900)

The Kansas City Chiefs-Cincinnati Bengals game has the highest total (52.5 points) on the board and only a 2.5-point spread. There's also a high probability of the game being played at a breakneck pace. Kansas City is third in situation-neutral pace, and Cincinnati is 13th. The game environment is optimal.

Honestly, I have many tournament lineups that feature the studs from this contest. However, a Hurst-Watson game stack is a cap-friendly way to shoo-horn this game into tournament lineups around the aforementioned probable shootouts between the Lions and Jaguars and Raiders and Chargers.

Watson was featured in my values plays piece, and my case for using him hasn't changed. So, check out that article for his analysis.

Hurst is a fresh face, though. Ja'Marr Chase is trending toward a return, pushing Hurst down the passing-game hierarchy. But Chase can elevate the ceiling for the entire offense and gives all their players more touchdown equity. A high tide raises all ships.

Hurst had a useful role in Cincinnati's passing attack when Chase played in Week 1 through Week 7. According to PFF, he was third on the team in routes (232), was targeted on an adequate 15.5 percent of his routes, and totaled 29 receptions, 226 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. Hurst averaged 4.1 receptions and 32.3 receiving yards per game while adding a pair of touchdowns during the seven-game sample. In that split, Hurst was tied for second on the Bengals in targets (four) within the 10-yard line.

Hurst isn't completely a touchdown-or-bust option. Still, using him is largely chasing touchdowns. Fortunately, according to Pro Football Reference, the Chiefs are tied for the eighth-most receiving touchdowns allowed (five) to tight ends this year.

Again, there are more exciting options to stack in this game, but it's appealing to use the salary-saving duo of Hurst and Watson around other game stacks.

Washington Commanders

Brian Robinson ($6,600) and Washington D/ST ($4,100)

Robinson is another carryover from said value plays piece. The analysis from that article is still the meat and bones of the argument for using B-Rob. However, the rookie's outlook might be a bit brighter since Antonio Gibson has nursed a foot injury this week. If Gibson is ruled out or plays and is ineffective, Robinson could see a larger share of the backfield pie.

Washington's D/ST is also a fun pick. The New York Giants' offense is lousy and bereft of high-end talent beyond Saquon Barkley. On the flip side, the Washington Commanders are playing stout defense. The Commanders have held opponents to 21 or fewer points in eight consecutive games. During that stretch, they've also forced 13 turnovers and recorded 21 sacks.

Daniel Jones has done a stellar job of taking care of the football, but he's taken plenty of sacks. According to Pro Football Reference, Jones has the second-highest sack rate (9.5 percent) among qualified quarterbacks this season. The Commanders are 1.5-point favorites. If they handle their business, as the betting line suggests, Robinson and Washington's defense can eat in a good game script.

Joshua Shepardson is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Joshua Shepardson also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username bchad50. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.