4 Easy Stacks to Target in 2025 NFL Best Ball

Now that NFL fans have had an entire weekend without any football games, there is a noticeable vacancy in many of our lives. Lucky for us, the NFL season never really stops. We are less than a week from the NFL Combine, a few weeks from free agency, and two months from the NFL Draft. 

Humans are storytellers, and all of offseason landmarks will contribute to the narrative of this offseason. Underdog’s Big Board cuts off before the NFL draft, but ADPs will fluctuate after both the NFL Combine and free agency. 

Until we get those changes, stacking is easier than ever. So easy, in fact, that it almost made me forget about missing so many stacks last best ball season. Almost. 

Last season, it was extremely challenging to stack teams like Cincinnati and Philadelphia. This isn’t last season, and, at this point in Big Board season, I’m targeting a few stacks that should help you build a solid core around an established or ascending offense. 

Here are four stacks that can be had right now in best ball leagues: 

2025 Easy Best Ball Stacks

Cincinnati Bengals

Ja’Marr Chase (ADP 1, WR1)
Tee Higgins* (ADP 25, WR13) 
Joe Burrow (ADP 50, QB5)
Mike Gesicki* (ADP 202, TE28)

This is the easiest and most obvious stack in the game. The catch? You have to possess the first pick (1.1) in order to land it. While it is also the most expensive stack in best ball this season, the upside is overflowing. Ja’Marr Chase is coming off a triple-crown season (127 receptions, 1,708 receiving yards, 17 touchdowns) where he proved he’s deserves to be the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. 

Meanwhile, teammate Joe Burrow was just as fantastic, posting career highs in completions (460), passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43). Although the Bengals took a while to get going in 2024 (they lost to the Patriots in Week 1), they ended the season with a winning record (9-8), falling just short of the playoffs. The pressure will be on Zac Taylor to get the 2025 Bengals off to a fast start, or it could mean trouble for the sixth-year head coach. Much like the franchise, Taylor has underachieved (37-44-1) and will likely be out if Cincinnati doesn’t make a run. 

Enter Tee Higgins It was reported last week that the Bengals are expected to franchise tag the wide receiver, who would be a WR1 on almost every other NFL franchise. 

I expect the Bengals to make a genuine attempt to re-sign Mike Gesicki, and I am more than happy to take him in Round 17 if I already have the Cincy stack.

A (slightly) bitter note: I have a combined 15 Big and Little Boards and haven’t had the 1.1. If you have this stack, I’m happy for you. 

San Francisco 49ers 

George Kittle (ADP 52, TE3)
Jauan Jennings (ADP 75, WR41)
Ricky Pearsall (ADP 84, WR46)
Brock Purdy (ADP 100, QB12)

The poet Robert Frost knew “Nothing gold can stay,” and the same was true for the 2024 49ers. The team, a favorite in the NFC, never really got going or recovered from not getting going. That leaves good value for stacking purposes, and it often acts as the one I pivot to when my first four picks don’t offer any stackable options. 

George Kittle is never going to lead his position in targets. That said, he more than makes up for it in efficiency, where he ranked ninth in the NFL in yards per route run (2.5) and first among tight ends (min. 40 targets) in explosive play rate (26.9%). 

If you missed my article last week, you know we are not drafting Brandon Aiyuk (WR40, ADP 74.4) this season. Remarkably, Jauan Jennings (WR41, ADP 75.4) is being drafted at the same ADP as Aiyuk, who is looking to return from a devastating torn ACL and MCL combo. Amongst wide receivers, Jennings ranked 22nd last year in DYAR, which is a good sign for him receiving a more featured role in the offense. Aiyuk’s injury is far too serious for best ball purposes at this time. 

Second-year wide receiver Ricky Pearsall looked good in limited action last season (31 receptions, 400 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns) after returning from a gunshot wound, and I like his value as a low-end WR4.  

Chicago Bears 

DJ Moore (ADP 32, WR17)
Rome Odunze (ADP 47, WR26)
Caleb Williams (ADP 99, QB11)
Cole Kmet (ADP 166, TE21)

Ben Johnson.

I wanted to end there because that’s how I feel about the Bears with Johnson, an elite offensive mastermind and playcaller, pairing up with Caleb Williams, who somehow feels like the forgotten rookie. For the record, Williams did not look good for long stretches of last season, but I think the Bears will address offensive line issues this offseason to give Johnson the competitive unit he needs for his offense to run successfully. While serving as offensive coordinator in Detroit, Johnson finished all three seasons as a top five scoring offense, led the league in rushing success-rate in 2024 and turned around Jared Goff’s career. Detroit’s offense was second in the NFL in passing yards in 2024, as well. 

At this point, Chicago is more of a philosophy stack than a statistics stack because of the coaching change and the likelihood of Keenan Allen moving on in free agency. I especially like this stack if you have a late round pick, and DJ Moore falls to the back end of Round 3. 

Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa (ADP 138, QB20)
Tyreek Hill (ADP 24, WR12)
Jaylen Waddle (ADP 54, WR30)
Jonnu Smith (ADP 93, TE7)
Malik Washington (ADP 215, WR88)

I’m taking Tyreek Hill at the end of Round 2 in a lot of drafts, and I’m not the only one that sees the value in Hill’s 2025 potential. FTN’s Adam Pfeifer likes Hill as a bounceback candidate, and I couldn’t agree more. The former All-Pro expressed frustration in the locker room following a Week 18 loss to the New York Jets but has since walked back those comments. While he may not return to the overall WR1, he doesn’t need to. He’s going as a WR2 in some cases. 

On the other hand, Jaylen Waddle is a player value that is more polarizing. Waddle’s 58 receptions, 744 receiving yards and two touchdowns were all clear career lows. In the four games he played during Tua’s absence, Waddle’s aDOT dropped from 10.6 yards to 6.9. That’s not great for a player who ranks in the top 20 wide receivers (min. 70 targets) in explosive play percentage (20.7%). In his worst season by far, Waddle still posted a top-30 receiving year in adjusted catch rate, DYAR and adjusted catch rate. I’m taking him over Chris Olave and Davante Adams.

Jonnu Smith is a target monster (111) that scores touchdowns (8). I see him as the last of the “solid floor” tight ends in ADP and am drafting him as such. 

Right now, I see rookie tight end Tyler Warren being taken ahead of Smith. Don’t do that. 

I like this stack even if you can’t land Hill in the second round. If you don’t take Hill, grab Malik Washington with your last pick. The second-year player is the third wide receiver on the depth chart but could play a key role if either Hill or Waddle miss time. He averaged five targets over his last four games.