Play these stacks in daily fantasy tournaments

Daily fantasy football has many different gaming options and hosts to play on. While Draft Kings and FanDuel have lapped the field in popularity, we’re all still pretty scattered when it comes to choosing style – tournaments, head-to-head, 50/50s, and leagues get healthy shares of players on a weekly basis.

In this weekly column I am going to give you DFS advice that is tailored specifically to the tournament style. The idea behind stacking is simple – you pair your quarterback with any combination of one to four wide receivers and tight ends from the same team.

In 50/50 and head-to-head matchups you have likely read that finding consistency and value is the way to win. This makes sense because you only need to beat out one player or half of a playing field.

In tournament style, you should be looking at creating your roster in the completely opposite way. The goal of stacking is to create a high ceiling for your squad in the tournament. You’re not winning anything by finishing better than half or even two thirds of your opponents – this is why you want to maximize upside at all costs.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best stacks for Week 1:

Sam Bradford and Jordan Matthews

FanDuel prices: Sam Bradford $7,500, Jordan Matthews $6,800

DraftKings prices: Sam Bradford $6,900, Jordan Matthews $7200

The Sam Bradford and Jordan Matthews stack is my premier stack for Week 1. I believe that this combination has potential to put up top production, and it won’t even cost you a large chunk of your budget. On FanDuel, 17 quarterbacks and 26 wide receivers are more expensive than Bradford and Matthews. On DraftKings, 13 quarterbacks and 10 wide receivers are more expensive. As you can tell, this stack is more ideal on FanDuel, but it can return value in both formats.

Adding first-round edge rusher Vic Beasley isn’t going to fix the problems the Falcons have on pass defense. This is a unit that finished 2014 as PFF’s fourth-worst in pass coverage and fourth-worst in pass rush. The Falcons are most susceptible to passing plays over the middle and over the top thanks to the poor coverage from their linebackers and safeties. These are the two areas of the the defense that Chip Kelly likes to attack the most.

Look for the Eagles to get Matthews – the Eagles' slot wide receiver – matched up with the Falcons’ linebackers as often as possible. Only two inside linebackers finished with a worse pass coverage grade than starter Paul Worrilow in 2014, and neither is starting in 2015. Worrilow allowed a 130.0 opposing quarterback rating and six touchdowns in primary coverage. The Eagles can also attack linebacker O’Brien Schofield in coverage, as he is expected to fill in for Brooks Reed (injured) at outside linebacker. Schofield is a down lineman playing linebacker, and he will start.

Bradford has built a strong chemistry with Matthews in training camp practices this summer, and the two have worked on connecting on passes down the seam in the slot. This is another excellent area to attack the Falcons. Projected starting free safety Ricardo Allen ran a 4.61 40-yard dash and he stands at just 5-foot-9 inches tall. Strong safety William Moore’s coverage woes have been well documented throughout his career. They are no match for Matthews.

With the highest Las Vegas over/under of the week at 53.5 points, this stack seems like the optimal Week 1 stack.

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Dan Schneier is a staff writer at PFF Fantasy and he covers the NFC East beat for FOX Sports. You can find him on Twitter @DanSchneierNFL. You can also add him to your network on Google+ to find all of his past material.