Top 3 Fantasy Football Stacks For Best Ball: Joe Burrow-Ja'Marr Chase Reign Supreme

Best ball tournaments aren't won by drafting the safest roster. They're won by building lineups capable of producing week-winning explosions.

That's why stacking remains one of the most effective strategies in tournament formats. When your quarterback and pass catcher connect for multiple touchdowns, you're not just adding fantasy points—you're multiplying your weekly ceiling.

Of course, stacking doesn't mean forcing picks simply to complete a correlation. Reaching a full round ahead of ADP for the final piece of a stack can do more harm than good. The goal is to identify offenses with league-winning upside while staying disciplined throughout your draft.

Whether it's a traditional QB-WR stack or a more unconventional build, these are the three stacks I'm targeting most in 2026 best ball drafts.

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Top 3 Stacks for 2026 Best Ball Drafts

Cincinnati Bengals

·      Ja'Marr Chase (WR1, ADP 3.1)

·      Joe Burrow (QB4, ADP 66.6)

If you're fortunate enough to draft inside the top 3, there's a good chance you'll have access to the best wide receiver in football.

Ja'Marr Chase is among fantasy's safest first-round selections. The five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro led the NFL in targets each of the past two seasons while totaling 252 receptions, 3,120 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns during that span. Even when injuries have forced Cincinnati to turn to backup quarterbacks, Chase continued producing at an elite level.

Now pair him with Joe Burrow.

Few quarterback-wide receiver combinations offer a higher weekly ceiling than Burrow and Chase. Burrow has already shown he can lead the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns, and Cincinnati has never been shy about putting the game in his hands. His willingness to challenge defenses vertically perfectly complements Chase's ability to create game-breaking plays after the catch.

The only concern goes back to Burrow’s ability to stay on the field. He’s missed 22 games in six seasons, twice bouncing back to earn Comeback Player of the Year. When Burrow is available, he’s all but a lock to pass for 4,500 yards and 35 touchdowns. It’s the lack of high-end rushing production and a bit of the unknown that drops his stock well below the likes of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.

Landing Chase in Round 1 before adding Burrow in Round 6 gives you exposure to arguably the highest-upside passing connection in fantasy football without paying an early QB premium.

Tee Higgins certainly deserves consideration if he falls to you, but I wouldn't force the issue. He's an excellent player capable of posting WR1 numbers, yet his ADP often requires drafting him a handful of spots ahead of value, and durability has remained a concern throughout his career. Higgins hasn’t played a full season since his rookie campaign in 2020.

Sometimes the simplest stack is also the best one. Chase and Burrow are more than enough.

Buffalo Bills

·      James Cook (RB5, ADP 11.9)

·      Josh Allen (QB1, ADP 34.8)

Quarterback-running back stacks aren't usually my preferred approach.

Josh Allen and James Cook are an exception.

Buffalo's offense scores so frequently that both players consistently produce elite fantasy seasons despite sharing rushing touchdowns. Allen remains fantasy's gold standard under center because of his unmatched combination of passing production and rushing upside. Pencil him in for 3,500-plus passing yards, 25-plus passing touchdowns and another 500-750 rushing yards with double-digit rushing scores.

Those rushing touchdowns don't eliminate Cook's value.

Quite the opposite.

Cook is coming off a career year after leading the league with 1,621 rushing yards while finishing just shy of 2,000 scrimmage yards. He's also scored 32 total touchdowns over the past two seasons, proving Buffalo can support elite production from both its quarterback and lead back.

Since 2023, Allen and Cook have combined to average roughly 1,800 yards and 24 touchdowns per season on the ground. And just as important, new HC Joe Brady already knows how to maximize both players after coordinating Buffalo’s offense the past two seasons.

If you're comfortable investing heavily in one offense early, this pairing gives you exposure to nearly every touchdown the Bills score.

Want to expand the stack?

I love the value on DJ Moore in the fifth round. His combination of route-running ability and yards-after-catch skills gives Allen the type of true No. 1 receiver the Bills have lacked since Stefon Diggs departed. If Moore quickly develops chemistry with Allen, this stack suddenly captures almost every explosive passing performance Buffalo produces. Plus, he’s previously excelled under Brady in Carolina and he’ll have a chip on his shoulder after falling down the depth chart in Chicago.

Looking for a cheaper alternative? Khalil Shakir remains an outstanding value in the double-digit rounds. The sure-handed short-yardage threat has quietly caught 148 passes over the past two seasons and Allen trusts him to move the chains.

Detroit Lions

·      Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR4, ADP 7.5)

·      Sam LaPorta (TE7, ADP 96.6)

·      Jared Goff (QB19, ADP 108.4)

Everyone wants exposure to Detroit's offense.

Miss out on Jahmyr Gibbs? You can still build one of my favorite values in this year’s best ball drafts, beginning with Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Since emerging as Detroit's offensive centerpiece, St. Brown has become a premier fantasy asset. Over the past three seasons, he's averaged 117 receptions, nearly 1,400 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns while consistently commanding one of the NFL's highest target shares.

From there, wait.

Sam LaPorta typically lasts until the eighth round despite already proving he can finish among fantasy's elite tight ends. Injuries limited him last season, but when healthy he's a favorite red-zone weapon for Jared Goff and a legitimate difference-maker at a thin fantasy position.

That patience allows you to complete the stack with Goff several rounds later.

Quarterbacks rarely come cheaper than Goff relative to their production. In four full seasons with Detroit, he's a bankable 4,500-yard, 30-touchdown passer operating an efficient offense.

The chemistry between Goff and St. Brown has been remarkable, producing more than 500 receptions, 6,000 receiving yards and over 40 touchdowns together.

What makes this stack especially attractive is the cost.

You're paying first-round value for St. Brown, but both LaPorta and Goff routinely slide well below where their ceilings suggest they should. That allows you to hammer running backs and wide receivers throughout the middle rounds before completing one of the NFL's most productive passing attacks.

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