The individual talent of a quarterback and a receiver can only go so far. The special combinations are those who worked with seamless synergy and almost knew what the other was thinking exactly when they were thinking it. I think that’s telepathy or something. Whatever the word is, the key is finding the receiver that has developed an excellent chemistry with his quarterback.

Antonio Brown is one of the best receivers in terms of pure talent, but what makes him extra special is that he and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger work extremely well together. When push comes to shove, Big Ben looks for Brown, because not only is he the best receiver on the team, but he trusts him. Chemistry and trust go hand-in-hand and it’s a prime relationship to target in fantasy drafts.

Within in the same division, you have Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. The two have developed an excellent chemistry and despite other playmakers on the team, Green is the receiver Dalton looks towards in a pinch. Hence, Green is always one of the first six or seven receivers popped off the board in fantasy drafts.

Hell, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made the word “chemistry” the focus of camp.

Just to clear the air. Here are the more elite duos with ample chemistry in the NFL.

Ben RoethlisbergerAntonio Brown

Andy DaltonA.J. Green

Eli ManningOdell Beckham Jr.

Andrew LuckT.Y. Hilton

Jameis WinstonMike Evans

Matt RyanJulio Jones

Tom BradyJulian Edelman

Tom BradyRob Gronkowski (TE)


However, when chemistry isn’t there and the quarterback and receiver aren’t on the same page, it’s painfully obvious. Everyone can see it and the defense can feast on it. Did you watch the Houston Texans last year? Did you see Brock Osweiler under center? Did you see the obvious disconnect between the overpaid quarterback and the about-to-get-paid receiver? Someone will learn from that. Was Osweiler and the lack of chemistry big reasons for Hopkins’ disappointing 2016 campaign? Absolutely.

Before diving into a more insightful approach of the chemistry and stacking, let me provide some other quarterback and receiver combinations where early rapports of excellent chemistry should bode well in 2017.

Drafting one of the top options for a quarterback is valuable, more often than not, but is drafting the two wise? In DFS, I’m all for stacking, go right ahead, but it’s much, much riskier in seasonal leagues if you ask me. Those weeks where the two combine for 50 points is great, but what about the other weeks when they combine for a mere 30?

Let’s look at a few of the more notable combinations and how many times both the quarterback and wide receiver went for over 15 points (PPR).

Eli ManningOdell Beckham Jr = 5/16

Andy DaltonA.J. Green = 4/9

Matt RyanJulio Jones = 7/14

Ben RoethlisbergerAntonio Brown = 8/14

Tom BradyJulian Edelman = 3/12

In some instances, great chemistry doesn’t exactly translate to great fantasy outputs, and ultimately, it depends on the style of receiver. Edelman is much different than the guys above him, while Green is different than someone like Brown. That certainly must be considered.

In the very small sample size above, only 41 percent of the time did the two players both post 15 or more points. While chemistry is great for fantasy stats, the more eggs you put in one basket can get dicey. Fantasy playoffs typically run during Weeks 15 and 16. Duds from your quarterback and his receiver can be absolutely detrimental to your chances. Edelman was held to under 15 points in both those contests, while Brady was held in single-digits in Week 15, albeit against a stout Broncos defense.

Also, what often goes unnoticed is the fact that while a team’s game plan may have a similar style each week, the flow of the game largely dictates how it goes. New England boasts a powerhouse offense and will run up on teams early in the game. By the start of the fourth quarter, New England has a 30-point lead and while Tom Brady has thrown for 300 yards, he only has two touchdown passes because the defense registered two pick-sixes and Mike Gillislee has three rushing touchdowns from the one-yard line. Perhaps the team shut down Edelman. So, despite the pass happy Patriots through the first three quarters, the stack of Brady and Edelman didn’t pan out.

Additionally, the Steelers have to square off against the Cincinnati Bengals this year and everyone knows there is bad blood between the two. What happens if Vontaze Burfict takes a cheap shot on Roethlisberger and knocks him out of the game? AB84 is an elite talent, there’s no denying that, but with Landry Jones under center, Brown has not performed like the elite receiver he is. The two haven’t worked much together and it shows on the field. Brown’s production diminishes immensely when Roethlisberger isn’t out there slinging the ball around.

Lastly, what about weather? The Texans played at Lambeau in 2016 on a snow-covered field with snow still coming down during the game. That certainly influenced the game. Aaron Rodgers threw for just 209 yards that game, while Randall Cobb and Davante Adams had just three catches and one catch respectively. At some point, weather will be a factor and you’re a fool if you think that any duo in the NFL can beat Mother Nature at her worst.

Chemistry is the word to know, but picking both players in the chemistry-enthused duo seems to be a bit risky. Some of the league’s best were barely doing it half the time. There’s a lot that can go wrong, not to mention that one week a year you won’t have either of them in your lineup. If you want to stack the two in DFS, go right ahead, but stacking seasonal leagues seems risky, regardless of how much chemistry exists between the two.