I realize this is a feature introduced in Mojave, but is there a third-party app anyone knows of that can replicate this functionality in High Sierra?
It wouldn't be too hard to create your own "pseudo-Stacks"
I just tried Stacks on the Desktop for the first time, for all of 15 seconds. I don't want to give up my ability to place items on the Desktop where I want them. (I already have no choice for Drive icons.) Try making alias folders and/or group things manually. It should work fine.