Fantasy Football 2022: Ranking The Top QB-WR Stacks

A good wide receiver-quarterback stack can be the backbone of a championship fantasy football team.

Stacking refers to pairing teammates on your roster. When done correctly, it gives you the high floor that comes with a target hog in a PPR league while also allowing for the upside of a big week if your quarterback and receiver happen to hook up for multiple touchdowns.

The key is identifying the right combination of quarterback and receiver. Ideally, we are looking for the kind of receiver that is going to command the lion's share of targets and red-zone looks with a quarterback who is going to consistently light up the scoreboard.

Stacks can also involve tight ends. Pairing Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews or Patrick Mahomes with Travis Kelce are winning strategies. But here, we'll focus on the receiver-quarterback tandems that have the potential to help you dominate your league.

There are plenty of potent pairings in the league that can help you win fantasy games. These duos might not take you to the championship by themselves, but they deserve an honorable mention.

QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

CeeDee Lamb could lead the league in targets with Amari Cooper now gone and Michael Gallup still recovering from a torn ACL. Prescott is always a fantasy-relevant quarterback. This pairing barely misses the top five because we haven't yet seen Lamb's full potential as the unquestioned top receiver in the offense.

QB Kirk Cousins and WR Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

Justin Jefferson established himself as one of the top fantasy football receivers for the foreseeable future last season. Kirk Cousins has been a solid, but not great, fantasy football quarterback, but there may not be enough non-Jefferson production to make him a must-have in your draft.

QB Derek Carr and WR Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders

Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams have been one of the best QB-WR stacks to have in recent years. But it's hard to put Derek Carr and Davante Adams on the list when we don't know what kind of target share Adams will have with Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller on the roster.

QB Jalen Hurts and WR A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts is fantasy gold thanks to his rushing production. A.J. Brown should help bring life to the passing attack, but volume is a question in a run-heavy offense that also has Dallas Goedert and DeVonta Smith.

QB Trey Lance and WR Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

The potential is sky-high here, but there are questions. Specifically, what kind of passer Trey Lance is going to be and if his athleticism translates into rushing production in his first season as a starter. Deebo Samuel established himself as a fantasy star, but it's unclear if he'll resume his role as a running back/receiver hybrid.

Consistency. It's a great thing to have in fantasy football, and it's a word that both Tom Brady and Mike Evans embody.

Using FantasyPros' quality starts metric, Brady was the eighth-most consistent quarterback, while Evans was the eighth-most consistent wide receiver in terms of turning in solid performances on a weekly basis.

But it's not even the week-to-week consistency you are buying with the Tampa Bay tandem. It's the year-to-year consistency.

Evans has turned in eight consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and 10 or more receiving touchdowns in four of those. Regardless of quarterback, coach or surrounding talent, he has delivered.

Since Brady came to town, he's been a touchdown machine, scoring 27 times over the past two seasons.

What's really impressive about Evans' touchdown numbers is they came while he only saw 15.5 percent of the red-zone targets. Chris Godwin led the way with 21.6. Now Godwin is recovering from an ACL injury, and Brady doesn't have Rob Gronkowski.

Julio Jones could eat into some of those targets, but it stands to reason Evans will have even more touchdown potential in 2022.

No one had their quarterback's attention like Cooper Kupp in 2021.

According to PlayerProfiler, Kupp commanded a 31.7 percent target share in the Rams offense. That number was even higher (33 percent) when the team got into the red zone.

The reward for Matthew Stafford was one of the most prolific seasons of his career and a rare Triple Crown for Kupp. He led the league in receptions, yards and touchdowns while racking up 439.5 fantasy points in PPR leagues.

Kupp was a dominant force, and Stafford put up starting-worthy numbers throughout the season and finished as the fifth-highest scoring quarterback in fantasy football.

The receiver's dominance made this duo one of the most prolific last season. However, the difficulty that comes in repeating a season like that is why they aren't higher on the list.

The Rams added Allen Robinson this offseason, Van Jefferson is more experienced (although he is missing the next few weeks with a knee injury), and a healthy Cam Akers could see the Rams run the ball a little more this season. Throw in the elbow soreness that Stafford has been dealing with at training camp and there are some reasons to temper expectations.

Still, these two won plenty of fantasy games last season, and they will do it again in 2022.

This one comes with a caveat, as it's difficult to choose which receiver is the optimal stack with Justin Herbert.

Ultimately, pairing a Herbert pick with either Keenan Allen or Mike Williams is going to be a strong strategy. Which one is optimal might depend on the scoring settings in your league.

In standard leagues, Williams finished as the ninth-highest scoring receiver, while Allen was 15th. However, Allen was the better option in PPR, finishing 11th with Williams right behind him at 12th.

For the sake of these rankings, we went with PPR where Allen is the better play. The veteran receiver is still clearly Herbert's go-to guy with 157 targets last season compared to Williams' 129.

Expect the pair to still put up big numbers in 2022 as Herbert enters his third year with room to grow after a phenomenal second season. He was outscored only by Josh Allen last season but threw 15 interceptions and only scored three times on the ground.

If he can cut back on some of those picks and find paydirt as a runner a few more times, he could be even better in 2022.

Allen's consistency and volume gives managers a high floor every week

Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase were good enough to lead the Bengals to the Super Bowl last season. They just might be good enough to take your team to a fantasy football championship in 2022.

Burrow and Chase established themselves as one of the top quarterback-receiver tandems in the league last season. Chase finished fifth among all receivers in PPR formats as a rookie, while Burrow was QB8.

Chase has the ability to take over a game like few other receivers can. He went over 20 PPR points in a game on six occasions last season, including a 55-point performance that likely won many championships in Week 17.

Now, the Bengals have an improved offensive line with Ted Karras, La'el Collins and Alex Cappa all coming to Cincinnati this offseason.

That should mean improved protection for Burrow and more time for the star quarterback to hit Chase on vertical routes.

The pair isn't quite as consistent as the duo that comes in at No. 1. Burrow had several games where he won fantasy matchups single-handedly, but he also scored under 15 points four times.

That, and a lack of rushing upside, keeps them out of the No. 1 spot.

Josh Allen was already fantasy football's top scorer last season. His ability to put up elite passing stats combined with his role as one of Buffalo's biggest short-yardage threats gives him the opportunity to have a huge week on any given Sunday.

Allen accounted for 29.1 percent of the Bills' red-zone rushing attempts last season. Only Jalen Hurts had a bigger share as a quarterback. And when Allen dropped back to pass in the red zone, it was Stefon Diggs he was looking for.

Diggs saw 34 targets inside the 20 last season. Only Cooper Kupp (37) was given more of those valuable opportunities, and the result was a 10-touchdown season for Diggs and a WR8 finish.

This season, the Bills' receiving corps is going to look different. Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders are gone. While Gabriel Davis could step up and the team added Jamison Crowder, Diggs is still the most prolific receiver in the offense.

With Allen's strong preference for Diggs in critical situations and his rushing upside, drafting both players is always a strong play.