Where Best Ball Tournaments Are Won: Top 2026 Week 17 Game Stacks

Game Stack to Win Big in Best Ball

Game stacking is a key tenet of a winning best ball strategy.

What’s Game Stacking?

It means drafting players from opposing teams in the same game and betting that matchup erupts for multiple big fantasy scores.

It's especially powerful in big best ball contests such as Underdog Fantasy’s Best Ball Mania VII and FFPC’s Best Ball Tournament, where you need the upside to beat hundreds or thousands of teams.

We’re focused on Week 17 stacks in best-ball contests because that’s where the big money is won.

In Best Ball Mania VII, 13.3% of the prize pool goes to the winner. In the FFPC, it jumps to a whopping 24.3%.

But Weeks 15 and 16 matter, too. You’ll need strong scores there just to advance.

Which Games Should You Stack in 2026?

The value of Week 15 and 16 stacks relative to Week 17 depends on each contest’s payout and advancement structure. And that, in turn, should shape how you build your roster.

To pinpoint the best teams and games to stack in 2026 best ball, we studied the payout and advancement structures on Underdog and FFPC and then weighted Weeks 15, 16, and 17 accordingly.

Next, we rated each offense on Stack Strength based on:

1. Implied points per game
2. Our TD projections
3. Stackability (the predictability and concentration of the target distribution)

Finally, we matched each offense with its Week 15, 16, and 17 opponents to calculate the teams with the best playoff game-stacking value.

Underdog Best Ball Mania VII Game Stack Rankings

Underdog structure:

• Week 15: Finish first in 14-team pod to advance
• Week 16: Finish first in 12-team pod to advance
• Week 17: Finish first in 667-team pod to win $2 million (13.3% of total prize pool)

Stack importance weighting:

• Week 15: 10%
• Week 16: 25%
• Week 17: 65%

The Bengals take the crown as the best offense to stack in Underdog’s Best Ball Mania VII.

Cincinnati is one of two teams (along with the Rams) to earn a 10 Stack Strength. The Week 15 matchup vs. Carolina doesn’t do much, but Week 16 at the Colts (indoors) has shootout potential. Then the Week 17 showdown with the Ravens could deliver fireworks. (More on that game below.)

The Lions and Bears sit next, thanks to highly stackable offenses and favorable schedules Weeks 15 through 17. That includes a Week 17 meeting with the second-highest over/under of the week at 49.5.

Lower-level offenses that get a boost in game-stack value include the Giants and Buccaneers, who get potential shootout spots vs. the Cowboys and Rams, respectively, in Week 17.

The Bills take a hit in game-stack value, due in large part to a Week 17 game against the Dolphins that could be a blowout.

FFPC Best Ball Tournament Game Stack Rankings

FFPC structure:

• Week 15: Finish top 2 in 12-team pod to advance
• Week 16: Finish top 3 in 12-team pod to advance
• Week 17: Finish first in 96-team pod to win $400,000 (24.3% of total prize pool)

Our stack importance weighting:

• Week 15: 5%
• Week 16: 15%
• Week 17: 80%

Week 17 is even more valuable in FFPC’s contest vs. Underdog. It’s easier to advance in Weeks 15 and 16, and a bigger piece of the prize pool goes to Week 17’s champion.

That pulls the Bears even with the Bengals as the top offense to stack in FFPC, thanks to that juicy Week 17 matchup with the Lions.

Other teams that get a boost in FFPC:

• Ravens
• Giants
• Buccaneers
• Commanders

In both contests, though, Week 17 carries easily the largest weight and should be your stacking priority.

So let’s rank the Week 17 matchups from least to most appealing for game stacks. We’re factoring in:

1. Our Stack Strength scores
2. Over/unders
3. Potential weather
4. Price of the stack
5. How popular the stack will be in tournaments

Week 17 Best Ball Game Stack Rankings

16. Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns
15. Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers
14. Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers
13. Minnesota Vikings at New York Jets
12. Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans
11. Las Vegas Raiders at Arizona Cardinals
10. New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
9. Denver Broncos at New England Patriots
8. Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins
7. Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers
6. Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers
5. Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Washington Commanders at Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears
2. New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
1. Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals

16. Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns

The Browns are one of two teams (along with Miami) to get a 1 in Stack Strength. We don’t know who will be under center, and the WR corps is tough to parse.

The Colts are more attractive. But this is a bad Week 17 spot against a likely tough defense in likely bad weather.

How to play it: Stick to mini stacks. Jonathan Taylor, Josh Downs, and Tyler Warren are attractive on the Colts side. The pickings are much slimmer on the other side. Harold Fannin Jr. is a nice value, and rookie WRs KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston are fine shots in the double-digit rounds.

15. Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers

This game’s 42.5-point over/under is tied for second-lowest of the week.

It’s a brutal matchup for the Panthers. And we know the Seahawks are content to grind games out on the ground in positive game script.

How to play it: Neither passing game is particularly attractive to stack. Jonathon Brooks is one of my favorite targets in drafts right now, though. Rashid Shaheed and Jalen Coker are fine as cheap pieces of mini stacks.

14. Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers

There are plenty of attractive targets on both sides, but two issues drag this game down:

1. Both defenses should be excellent (especially with Micah Parsons expected back for the Packers by this point).
2. Weather could be an issue in Green Bay.

This game has a 42.5-point over/under, tied for second-lowest of the week.

How to play it: Christian Watson and Jayden Higgins are two of my favorite values at WR right now, making for a strong mini stack.

13. Minnesota Vikings at New York Jets

The Vikings are a strong bounce-back bet with improved QB play this season, likely from Kyler Murray.

It’s not a great Week 17 spot, with potential weather and what should be a solid Jets defense on the other side. Minnesota’s defense is strong, too, so this projects as a lower-scoring game.

How to play it: Murray remains a strong draft target, despite the less-than-ideal Week 17 matchup. Single-stack him with either Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison. Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson are reasonably priced bring backs. I’m not ready to quit Adonai Mitchell yet, either. He’s typically available in the last few rounds of drafts.

12. Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans

The Titans have moderate breakout potential with an upgraded pass-catching corps in QB Cam Ward’s second season. And there’s draft value on the Steelers side in RB Jaylen Warren and WRs D.K. Metcalf and Michael Pittman.

But it’s tough to imagine this game blowing up and winning big best ball tournaments.

How to play it: Don’t build your draft plan around this game, but the pieces are cheap enough to use as a secondary stack. Cam Ward + Carnell Tate + one Steelers piece is your best bet.

11. Las Vegas Raiders at Arizona Cardinals

These offenses are tricky to stack because both figure to start multiple QBs this season. There’s a good chance Week 17 turns into a rookie battle between Fernando Mendoza and Carson Beck.

There are exciting skill-position players on both sides, though. Plus, neither defense is likely to be good and the game will be played indoors.

How to play it: This game has a wide range of outcomes, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing when it comes to building a Week 17 game stack. Mendoza makes a cheap stacking partner with Brock Bowers, and WRs Marvin Harrison and Michael Wilson are both reasonably priced. In FFPC’s TE-premium scoring, pairing Bowers and Trey McBride is a high-upside start that’s likely to see limited duplication.

10. New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons

The Saints are one of my favorite passing games to stack. QB Tyler Shough is a strong value, while WRs Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson are fairly priced.

The Atlanta side is trickier since we don’t know who will be under center come Week 17. But these are two subpar defenses, and the game will be played indoors.

How to play it: Drake London is a strong Round 2 target and the perfect runback to Saints stacks. Rookie Zachariah Branch is also worth considering super late.

9. Denver Broncos at New England Patriots

I expect this game to be overrated by game stackers.

Both offenses have firepower. But the defenses should be strong as well, and weather could be a problem in Foxboro.

The 42.5-point over/under on this game is tied for second-lowest of the week.

How to play it: Don’t make stacking this game a priority, but there are still strong targets on both sides, namely Drake Maye, Bo Nix, and Jaylen Waddle. Hunter Henry is also a sneaky addition against a Broncos defense that ranked just 23rd against TEs last year.

8. Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins

The Bills will have no problem piling up points in South Florida. The question is whether we’ll get any pushback from the Dolphins.

The answer: Probably not.

How to play it: This projects as more of a James Cook than Josh Allen game. Cook plus a cheap Greg Dulcich makes sense. An explosion from Buffalo’s passing attack would likely require a big game from De’Von Achane to keep the game close.

7. Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers

Lots of high-upside fantasy targets in this game.

The sticking point is an Eagles defense that looks like one of the best in the league. That plus the price tags on most of the pieces, knocks this game down the rankings a bit.

These teams produced just 42 total points in their playoff meeting last year, although that came in Philadelphia.

How to play it: I prefer stacking the 49ers side despite the tough matchup. Brock Purdy and Ricky Pearsall are priced nicely, Mike Evans always boasts big TD upside, and George Kittle is an interesting big-tournament target if he’s back to full strength by Week 17. Jalen Hurts is also undervalued right now and easy to stack with Devonta Smith, Makai Lemon, or Dallas Goedert.

6. Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers

This game’s 45.5-point over/under, surprisingly tied for just seventh highest of the week, looks like a nod to two defenses with top-10 potential.

Still, this is not a game I’d want to fade in best-ball tournaments, especially when it will be played indoors.

How to play it: The Chargers offense has big upside with Justin Herbert and Mike McDaniel joining forces, even if the pass-catching pecking order is still a little tough to parse. For now, Ladd McConkey and especially Quentin Johnston are fairly priced. I’m less excited about Patrick Mahomes at cost right now, but Ken Walker, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Travis Kelce are nice runbacks on Chargers stacks.

5. Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A pair of exciting passing attacks in a game that shouldn’t have weather concerns give this one plenty of upside.

The hangup: A Rams defense that could be the league’s best after adding Edge Myles Garrett and CBs Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.

How to play it: Favor the Rams side here. Puka Nacua sits No. 1 overall in our PPR and half-PPR rankings, Davante Adams is undervalued at ADP, and Matthew Stafford is fairly priced. You could even tack on Colby Parkinson or Terrance Ferguson near the end of your draft. Emeka Egbuka is the highest-upside bring-back on the Tampa side. But Jalen McMillan is one of my favorite sleepers.

4. Washington Commanders at Jacksonville Jaguars

This might be the most undervalued game stack on the board.

I’m big on the Jaguars offense heading into Year 2 under Liam Coen. And the Commanders have obvious bounce-back potential with a healthy Jayden Daniels.

This game has a 48.5-point over/under (tied for fourth-highest), and weather should not be an issue in Jacksonville.

How to play it: Trevor Lawrence is one of my favorite QB targets in best ball drafts. His WR corps is deep and tricky, but they’re all modestly priced. That gives us lots of flexibility when building Jaguars stacks. The Washington side is more concentrated, with Terry McLaurin and Chig Okonkwo strong targets. Rookie Antonio Williams is an interesting late-round target. And Rachaad White could turn into a big value, particularly in FFPC’s full-PPR scoring.

3. Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

Plenty of upside in a game featuring two potential top-5 offenses.

But this game stack will be popular. The pieces are mostly expensive. And weather could be an issue in Chicago.

These teams met at Soldier Field in Week 18 last year and produced just 35 total points.

How to play it: Be careful not to overrate this game. And if you do stack it, try to get different. Consider a Bears double or even triple stack with Luther Burden, Rome Odunze, and Colston Loveland. Or a Lions passing-game stack with a D’Andre Swift or Kyle Monangai runback. Isiah Pacheco is a cheap piece of this game that could present TD upside.

2. New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys

This game is tied with Lions-Bears for the second-highest over/under of the week (49.5). And, unlike the games just above and below it in these rankings, weather is not a concern.

The two meetings between these divisional rivals last season produced 77 and 51 points (despite Dallas pulling some starters from the second).

How to play it: The Dallas side is a cleaner stack. You’ll need one of CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens, but I also like adding Jake Ferguson or Ryan Flournoy late. Both guys would get big boosts if one of those top WRs is out. The Giants present fewer attractive stacking partners for Jaxson Dart, but his rushing ability makes a single stack more viable. Malik Nabers is more attractive now that he’s falling into the back half of Round 3 or later. Isaiah Likely has been a strong target all along.

1. Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals

This game boasts the week’s highest over/under at 51.5. The last five meetings between these teams with healthy starting QBs have produced these point totals:

• 51
• 79
• 69
• 46
• 24

How to play it: It’s tough to truly load up on this game with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Chase Brown, Derrick Henry, and Zay Flowers all going inside the first three rounds. But you can often snag a couple of them, and the QBs typically last until Round 5 (Lamar Jackson) and Round 6 (Joe Burrow). Cap the game stack with Mark Andrews later.

Top 5 Week 15 Game Stacks

1. Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams
2. San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Chargers
3. Chicago Bears at Buffalo Bills
4. Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
5. New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs

Top 5 Week 16 Game Stacks

1. Jacksonville Jaguars at Dallas Cowboys
2. Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts
3. New York Giants at Detroit Lions
4. Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks
5. San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs

Ready to Draft Money-Making Best Ball Game Stacks?

To win in best ball, you need to understand the format and build smart rosters, including game stacks.

The Best Ball Draft War Room is here to help. Get rankings tailored for the best-ball format and customized to your contest's precise starting requirements and scoring rules.

Plus, the War Room highlights stacking opportunities so that you never miss a chance to supercharge your team.

Don't draft off a stale cheat sheet that isn't optimized for best ball ...

Get deadly accurate, completely customized rankings for your best-ball drafts.

Let's talk more best-ball strategy ...

Next Up

Best Ball Draft Strategy

Next Article  

Jared Smola, Lead Analyst

Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and in-season tools. He currently ranks ninth among 173 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.