Why aren’t you on Underdog Fantasy yet? If you don’t have an Underdog account yet, click the banner below to sign up, and use promo code KARMA to be eligible for our exclusive bonuses!
Sign up for a new Underdog Fantasy account and get a FREE $25 added to your account!
With thousands of users and massive cash tournaments for you to take advantage of, best ball is the easiest way to play fantasy football. All you have to do is draft your team and Underdog Fantasy will do the rest for you. They’ll set your optimal lineup each week based on who on your roster scores the most points, meaning you’ll never have to fret start/sit decisions early Sunday morning ever again. The most proven way to win these large tournaments is called “stacking”. Stacking is when you draft multiple players from the same offense. The philosophy behind this is if that offense “hits” and has a great offensive year, then your team will reap the benefits of having every piece of a productive offense and you should outscore your opponents who did not stack.
This series of articles will identify the most undervalued offenses to stack that are currently being under drafted on Underdog Fantasy and could potentially win you some money in season-long tournament play.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots were one of the worst offenses in football last season. The key phrase to pay attention to with the Patriots in 2021 is, “positive touchdown regression” meaning the offense was such a statistical anomaly in 2020 that it is likely to regress back to the expected statistical mean. With a carousel of quarterbacks after starter Cam Newton was lost to COVID-19 and his poor performance after returning, the Patriots are one of the “yuckiest” offenses to draft in best ball. However, where there is “yuck” there is value. The only true question that should be bothering you when considering drafting Patriots skill players in best ball is: who is the starting quarterback? While Newton has reportedly looked good in camp, both players will likely see the field as starters at some point this season. Much like the Denver Broncos, the quarterback situation is currently ambiguous. With Newton going off the board as the QB32 and Mac Jones going as the QB34, it’s okay to stack the two of them together as your QBs two and three behind a stud QB you take early. Newton has been a fantasy star (when healthy). While Jones will likely be better for the passing game, Newton likely has the higher ceiling if he’s the starter. Whenever a starter is declared, their ADP will rise and you’ll lose out on the discounted value that currently exists and allows you to strengthen other positions on your roster. Beyond Newton and Jones, there are three Patriots players I’m looking to stack due to their extremely low ADP that’s like to bring you great value in your drafts.
Damien Harris, Running Back – Admittedly, this selection is going to depend entirely on who the starting quarterback is. If Mac Jones is the starter, I am all-in on Damien Harris at his current ADP this season. Currently going as the RB29 and 85.1 overall on Underdog Fantasy ADP, Harris has legitimate back-end fantasy RB1 upside if Jones is the starter. The reason for this being that Cam Newton loves to vulture goal-line rushing touchdowns from running backs. Harris is not utilized in the passing game frequently, so he’ll need that goal-line work to maintain high-end fantasy relevance. With reports out of training camp that Harris looks to be the main running back in New England this year, you could get great value out of him at his current ADP.
Jonnu Smith, Tight End- Jonnu Smith was on-pace for a Top-5 fantasy season at the tight end position for the Tennessee Titans before his injury last season. He was featured as the focal point in the red zone in an offense that was extremely run-heavy. I expect him to become either Newton or Jones’ favorite target in the passing game because he is a mismatch nightmare due to his athleticism. The Patriots threw a Brinks truck full of money at him, so expect heavy utilization for the versatile offensive weapon. With an ADP of TE17 and 150.5 overall, Smith is going far too low for what his upside is in this offense. He finished as the TE15 in 2020 while only playing in 14 games and being banged up for a handful of the ones he did play.
Jakobi Meyers, Wide Receiver- Jakobi Meyers finished the 2020 season as the WR54 overall in half-PPR formats in only 14 games played and zero receiving TDs. The zero receiving TDs is mostly due to the paltry eight (count ’em) eight passing TDs from Cam Newton last season. When your quarterback only throws eight touchdowns in a year, you’re bound to be hard-pressed to catch one of them. Meyers profiles as the slot WR in this offense after the Patriots went out and added Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agoholor via Free Agency. The slot role in this offense has historically been very valuable for fantasy. While I don’t think the upside is insane for Meyers, I believe he could finish as a fantasy WR2 (Top-24 at the position) this season if the TDs come his way. He’s another player I would expect to benefit from Mac Jones starting sooner rather than later.
