Welcome to the Week 7 edition of Bales’ Top Stacks. In this article, I will outline my favorite NFL stacking options for this week. I will not be including the Thursday, Sunday, or Monday night games. If you want all of my core plays along with our staff’s Final Thoughts article with access to our Discord, click here.
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers/Aaron Jones/Davante Adams
Rodgers is coming off of a 5.8 fantasy point performance against the Tampa Bay Bucs. Still, he’s thrown for 1,374 yards with 13 touchdowns and 2 interceptions on 174 pass attempts through 5 games. Excluding his last game, Rodgers has recorded 19+ fantasy points in each of his 4 starts, including a pair of games with 32+ fantasy points. He gets an elite matchup against the Houston Texans, who are allowing 246.5 passing yards per game this season. They’ve also allowed 13 passing touchdowns while recording only 1 interception in 2020. Furthermore, Houston ranks third last in the NFL, allowing 8.8 adjusted yards per attempt. The Green Bay Packers are currently -3.5 point favorites in a game set at 57 points, giving them the highest implied team total on the slate at 30.3 points.
Jones is the lead back for Green Bay, although he’s only played 56% of the offensive snaps this season. He’s totaled 389 yards and 5 touchdowns on 75 carries. Jones has added 18 receptions for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns on 28 targets in 2020. He’s a massive part of the red zone offense, ranking just outside of the top-10 in the league in red zone carries. He also ranks fifth in the NFL in carries inside the five-yard line. Furthermore, Jones leads Green Bay with 9 red zone targets, turning them into 4 receptions for 13 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jones faces off against Houston, who is allowing a league-high 177.5 rushing yards per game in 2020. They’re also giving up a league-high 5.4 yards per carry while allowing 8 rushing touchdowns.
Adams has dealt with injuries this season, playing in three games, but only played in one full game. Overall, he’s seen 47.2% of the offensive snaps. Adams boasts 23 receptions for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns on 30 targets this season. Even in limited snaps, he’s seen 16.7% of Green Bay’s air yards. Overall, he boasts 255 air yards with an 8.5 aDOT. Adams has only seen 3 red zone targets in 2020, posting 2 receptions for 11 yards and a touchdown. He was near the top of the NFL in red zone targets in 2019, though, suggesting he’ll see a larger role inside-the-20 as the season progresses. In his only healthy games, Adams has seen 10 and 17 targets. He’s the focal point of the passing attack, and he makes one of the best receiving options on the slate.
Detroit Lions
Matthew Stafford/D’Andre Swift/Kenny Golladay
Stafford has been one of the more underwhelming options at quarterback this season. Through 5 games, he’s thrown for 1,240 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions on 168 pass attempts. He has posted 18+ fantasy points in 2 of his 3 games with Kenny Golladay healthy, though. Stafford gets a matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, who feature arguably the worst pass defense in the NFL. They’re allowing 335.3 yards per game and 9.2 adjusted yards per attempt in 2020. Atlanta has also given up a league-high 18 passing touchdowns this season. The Detroit Lions are +2 point underdogs in a game set at 55 points, and they boast an implied team total of 26.5 points this weekend.
Swift has only played 32.7% of the offensive snaps for Detroit this season. He boasts 158 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 26 carries. He’s also added 16 receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown on 20 targets. Swift saw a season-high 14 carries last week, though, running for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns. Atlanta is only allowing 97.2 rushing yards per game while giving up 5 rushing touchdowns this season. They’ve held their opponents to 4.1 yards per carry, as well. Swift is an explosive back that will make an elite option if he continues to find an increased role in the offense, although that is far from a guarantee.
Golladay has dealt with injuries this season, but he has looked outstanding when healthy. Overall, he’s played 45.6% of the offensive snaps for Detroit. He’s turned 21 targets into 14 receptions for 224 yards and 2 touchdowns. Golladay has also scored 16+ fantasy points in each of his 3 games this season. He boasts 18.6% of Detroit’s air yards, recording 284 air yards with a 13.5 aDOT. He’s also turned a team-high 5 red zone targets into 4 receptions for 36 yards and 2 touchdowns this season.
Washington Football Team
Kyle Allen/Antonio Gibson/Terry McLaurin
Allen replaced starter Dwayne Haskins two weeks ago, but he has only played in one full game this season. He threw for 280 yards, 2 touchdowns, and one interception, scoring 18 fantasy points against the New York Giants. This week, Allen gets a matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, who are allowing only 236.7 passing yards per game this season. With that being said, they’re giving up 8.7 adjusted yards per attempt while allowing 14 passing touchdowns. The Washington Football Team are currently -1 point favorites in a game set at 46 points. They own an implied team total of 23.5 points this weekend. =
Gibson has seen mixed results while playing only 43.9% of the offensive snaps as a rookie for Washington. He’s totaled 243 yards and 3 touchdowns on 64 carries. He owns 19 receptions for 147 yards on 22 targets through 6 games, as well. Gibson’s versatility has given him elite upside early in his career, allowing him to score 22.8 fantasy points with less than 50 rushing yards against the Baltimore Ravens. His role in the red zone is growing, as well, recording 10 red zone carries this season. Surprisingly, he has only been targeted once inside-the-20. Gibson gets a great matchup against Dallas, though, who has allowed 173.3 rushing yards per game in 2020. They’re giving up 5.1 yards per carry while allowing a league-high 10 rushing touchdowns this season.
McLaurin has played 95% of Washington’s offensive snaps, continuing to be one of their best players on either side of the ball. He turned 58 targets into 36 receptions for 487 yards and 1 touchdown with inconsistent quarterback play. McLaurin has seen 574 air yards with a 9.9 aDOT in 2020. He owns 42.8% of Washington’s air yards this season. He hasn’t been a massive part of the red zone offense, though, turning 4 red zone targets into 2 receptions for 14 yards. He’ll continue to be peppered with targets while flashing big-play ability, making him a great option in an elite matchup this weekend.
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