Mike’s Player Grid 7.23

Mike Johnson (MJohnson86) has racked up nearly $500,000 in DFS profit as an NFL tournament player with success in all styles of contests

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Welcome back to my (Mjohnson86) Player Grid. The format will vary slightly from JM’s Player Grid, as we each see things slightly differently and play in slightly different contests, but should complement his thoughts and content very well for those looking to build their lineups for the week. The format of this article will likely evolve as the season progresses but should provide a lot of value. Enjoy!!

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The Core

This is a list of players that stand out to me at each position from using my “Checking the Boxes” criteria outlined in my Checking The Boxes course. This list is a starting point, from which I build out lineups using game theory and roster construction concepts (which we will also touch on) with the mindset being to find the best plays with big ceilings. Low ownership is a bonus, but not a must. This section will focus primarily on three positions – running back, tight end, and defense – as the other two positions (quarterback and wide receiver) tend to have more dependent tendencies which I try to attack from other angles (which we will get into in the other sections). I like all of these plays on all sites, unless otherwise noted:

Running Back ::

Tier 1

• Kenneth Walker – Last week I said this about Walker:: Walker has handled 17 or more opportunities in every game this year and his offensive line is now healthier than it has been all year in a matchup against a bottom-3 run defense by most metrics. Pretty much all of that still holds true and now Zach Charbonnet is expected to miss this game.
• Bijan Robinson – It’s going to happen. And I’m going to be there when it does.
• Jahmyr Gibbs – The matchup is tough against the Ravens, but this game has sneaky shootout potential and the Lions may have learned their lesson from the last time they tried to force Gibbs to run between the tackles. I think we could see a “Bijan-like” situation here where Gibbs is getting 12-15 carries and 5 or 6 receptions.
• Austin Ekeler – The best running back on the slate and “checks every box”.

tier 2

• Isiah Pacheco – Averaging over 20 touches per game over his last three games, in a good matchup, on the team with the highest implied total on the slate.
• Aaron Jones – The engine to his offense and in a great matchup. Was dominant in his one appearance this season and should be featured near the goal line and in the passing game.
• Jerome Ford – He’s still the lead back and Kareem Hunt is dealing with an injury. Ford has a good matchup this week and the Colts have given up multiple rushing TDs in four of six games so far this year.
• Josh Jacobs – The Bears run defense has actually been pretty solid this year, but I’m mentioning Jacobs because I wouldn’t be surprised if his heavy offensive involvement turns into a two or three touchdown game soon

Tight End ::