Just been looking at something interesting in the market that most people are probably sleeping on right now. While everyone's obsessed with tech stocks, there's a whole sector that's been left behind and honestly, it might be worth your attention if you've got $1,000 to put to work.

So here's the thing - over the past year, consumer staples stocks have basically gone nowhere, up just 1.5%. Meanwhile the S&P 500 jumped 17%. Sounds like a clear winner, right? But if you actually look at the journey, not just the destination, something interesting happened. Early last year, staples stocks rallied hard, up around 10%. Then the broader market got crushed by a 15% correction, mostly because tech got hit. Only after that did the market start recovering. And here's the kicker - tech makes up like 35% of the S&P 500 while consumer staples are only 5%. So a narrow group of mega-cap tech stocks has been carrying the whole market.

This is actually a setup for the best consumer staples stocks to potentially outperform. If you're the type who thinks we might be in an AI bubble, now could be the moment to look at this beaten-down sector. People aren't going to stop buying food, toothpaste, and household essentials no matter what happens with AI stocks.

Let me break down three plays here. Coca-Cola is the safe choice - their organic sales jumped 6% in Q3, which is solid considering how cost-conscious consumers are getting. Plus they've got a 3% yield and they're a Dividend King with over 60 years of increases. For conservative investors wanting some income, this is solid. Procter & Gamble is similar but even more defensive - also a Dividend King with a 3% yield, though their organic sales are more modest at around 2%. Their dividend yield is actually near five-year highs, so value hunters might prefer this one.

Then there's Conagra if you want to get spicy. 8.7% yield sounds great but there's real risk here. Their brands like Slim Jim aren't industry leaders like Coke or P&G's portfolios. Organic sales actually fell 3% recently. They even cut their dividend during the Great Recession while the other two kept raising it. So it's a turnaround play that only aggressive investors should touch.

With $1,000 you could grab around 14 shares of Coca-Cola, 7 of P&G, or 61 of Conagra. The real point is getting exposure to best consumer staples stocks that have historically been safe havens when markets get ugly. Being a contrarian right now means going against the lemming crowd chasing tech. Not easy, but potentially rewarding if you can stomach the short-term noise and stick with fundamentals.