Talk to any daily fantasy sports’ player and they will eventually start talking about stacking and probably lose you in a conversation that you really should be a part of. Fitting all the pieces of your DraftKings 1-day fantasy soccer line-up together will invariably involve some kind of stacking. Understanding this concept has the potential to open up some huge point opportunities.
Which positions should I stack?
Most daily fantasy soccer players group their stacks into two sets. Goalkeepers and defenders; or midfielders and attackers. With the increased influence of full backs in attacking areas and their lower price tag, it can sometimes also be beneficial to team up full backs and forwards. It’s another reason why doing your research is key to becoming a successful gaffer.
Building stacks differs depending on the part of the pitch and we’ve delved into this further to give you a good idea of how you can start building.
Defensive stacks
There are two ways to get cracking with your stacking on the defensive side of things. Anyone wanting to stack at the back should start off with a goalkeeper and both full backs/wing backs from the same team. Whilst this is the most expensive way to use defensive stacking, the point returns can be very high given defenders playing on the flanks accrue big points (from crosses, fouls drawn, assists, tackles, interceptions).
When it comes to the final spot it’s a case of balancing the cost of each player with the money you want to save for spending elsewhere in the team. Picking up a central defender is the most cost effective way to balance out the stack and can pay great dividends. If you can unearth a beast of a centre half that scores from set pieces then you’ll be head and shoulders above everyone else in your league. The big problem with centre backs is that you do run the risk of returning particularly low point totals.
The other way to do things is to pick up a third full back from under the radar. This would typically be from a team towards the bottom of the league. Whilst the particular player may not keep a clean sheet, what he offers going forwards is more important. The same can be said for younger players starting for teams towards the top of the league and its worth looking out for these players when making late swaps.
Attacking stacks
Stacking up on attacking players is a far less risky strategy as there are no clean sheets or goals conceded to worry about. Studying the form of clubs is key to this method and makes all the difference. As is knowing the players that regularly team up for their clubs. Stacking works out best in games where you think one team will score multiple goals. Once you know the game you want to target, go through the players on the team you expect to win and pick out those most likely to team up. Having prior knowledge of the way a team attacks also gives you a significant leg up on the competition.
Formations
When stacking, you should always be thinking about the range of different formations open to a manager. Attacking players tend to be moved around the team far more often than those on the defensive end and this can have a big effect on how you build up stacks. For example, if a striker is pushed out wide there it is far less likely they will team up with the winger on the other side and as such stacking them may not be beneficial.
Prices
Finally, the price that a player is listed at has a huge influence on whether stacking is going to work. Attacking players that contribute a lot of goals and assists tend to be priced at such a level that by stacking them up you leave little money elsewhere. This is where you have to be bullish and back your choices whilst being happy to make sacrifices elsewhere. Putting together a defence that is cheap enough that you can spend the money further up the pitch is key to this strategy working.
Conclusion
Developing a successful stacking strategy is a great way to starting off your DraftKings 1-Day fantasy soccer journey and will set you well on the way. Choosing the players to include in stacks is entirely up to you and depends on the games that are taking place on any given day.
Finding players that are going to team up for goals on teams that will win by a lot of goals is usually key and, even though you could suffer from leaning on one team too much, this is often the best way to start things off.