Best Ball Breakdown: Week 17 Game Stack Targets

Sam Choudhury

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Throughout the offseason, we have gone in-depth on the importance of stacking in best ball and its necessity for hitting a ceiling outcome. For a deeper dive, check out the “Stacks” section in the FTN Best Ball Guide, now included in all FTN Daily packages. To take down a large-field tournament such as Best Ball Mania IV, with 677,376 entrants, it is nearly impossible to find success without some sort of correlation.

Team stacking plays a significant role during the 14-week regular season, increasing the likelihood of advancing into the playoffs. There are more nuances in the postseason, where each round is isolated into a single week. This is where game stacking comes into play, targeting opponents facing each other and making a bet on the environment. In this article, I’m going to highlight my favorite games to target in the fantasy championship, Week 17.

Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs

Since Joe Burrow entered the league in 2020, the Bengals are 2-0 against the Chiefs in the regular season and 1-1 in the playoffs. In four games, both teams have combined for an average of 52.5 points per game with a high of 65 points in their most recent outing in the AFC Conference Championship. Despite trading Tyreek Hill in the offseason, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense did not miss a beat, finishing first in offensive yards (413.6) and points (29.2) per game in 2022. The Bengals were not too far behind, finishing top eight in both categories even without their superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for nearly 30% of the season. There should be no shortage of offense in this prime-time matchup, which will likely carry significant postseason implications.

Roster Construction

Round 1: Ja’Marr Chase/Travis Kelce
Round 2: Patrick Mahomes
Round 3: Tee Higgins
Round 4: Joe Burrow
Round 6: Joe Mixon/Isiah Pacheco/Kadarius Toney
Round 10: Tyler Boyd
Round 11: Skyy Moore, Rashee Rice
Round 12: Jerick McKinnon
Round 14: Marquez Valdes-Scantling/Irv Smith/Chase Brown
Round 18: Richie James/Clyde Edwards-Helaire/Justyn Ross/Trayveon Williams

Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens

Tyreek Hill Jaylen Waddle Miami Dolphins Best Ball Breakdown

The last time the Dolphins faced the Ravens, both teams put on a clinic, combining for 1,020 offensive yards and 80 total points. After trailing 28-7 at halftime in a one-sided affair, Miamirallied behind third-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the second half, outscoring Baltimore by 25 points and mounting one of the largest comebacks of the season. In just their second game together, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle made history as the first pair of teammates to log 170-plus receiving yards and two-plus touchdowns in the same game. Despite giving up a 21-point lead, Lamar Jackson was nothing short of spectacular, throwing for318 yards and three touchdowns, while tacking on 119 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Unfortunately, both quarterbacks had their seasons cut short due to injuries, however, their teams ranked top six in offensive yards and points with Tagovailoa and Jackson in the starting lineup.

Roster Construction

Round 1: Tyreek Hill
Round 2: Jaylen Waddle
Round 3: Lamar Jackson/Mark Andrews
Round 5: J.K. Dobbins
Round 8: Zay Flowers/Rashod Bateman
Round 9: Tua Tagovailoa
Round 10: Odell Beckham/Devon Achane
Round 13: Raheem Mostert
Round 15: Jeff Wilson
Round 17: Gus Edwards
Round 18: Isaiah Likely/Durham Smythe

Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys

The Lions take on the Cowboys in the lone Saturday game in Week 17 in what projects to be a shootout, featuring two potent offenses that ranked inside the top five in scoring and top 10 in yards a season ago. Fortunately for Jared Goff, the game will take place inside a dome where he averages 5.44 more fantasy points per game. He’ll also have second-year wide receiver Jameson Williams back who is set to miss the first six after violating the NFL’s gambling policy. Although the Dallas offense will look different without Kellen Moore, they averaged a league-high 30 points in the regular season with Dak Prescott in the lineup and ranked fourth in offensive yards per game (384.25). According to DraftKings, both teams have a win total set at 9.5 games, juiced to the over, meaning this game should have significant playoff implications in a weak NFC conference.