Mike’s DK Player Grid 18.25

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

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 course you can find in our Marketplace. 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 ::

• Bijan Robinson – We just saw him go nuts against the Rams and now gets a softer matchup and has the single season yards from scrimmage record within reach (needs 255 total yards to tie it). 
• Jaydon Blue – A disappointing rookie season for the explosive Blue could end with a massive blowup against a lowly Giants run defense. Cheap, explosive, great matchup, strong chance of good usage. The biggest concern here is simply ownership getting out of hand. I am ready to be hurt again.
• Jahmyr Gibbs – Strong matchup and explosive skill set on a week where salary is not tough to find.
• D’Andre Swift – The Bears want to lean on the run and Detroit’s defense is going to be without a lot of key players this week. Swift and Kyle Monangai are likely to be busy and one of them going for 20+ points seems like a pretty strong bet this week.
• Ashton Jeanty – A week after disappointing everyone, Jeanty is in a middling spot but still has a massive ceiling against a Chiefs team who may be vulnerable in the season’s final week.
• Jaylen Wright – A Week 18 special, Wright is a physically gifted runner who seems likely to have a huge workload at a very low salary.
• James Cook – Points still matter and the Bills are facing a Jets defense that has been playing historically bad. Cook could realistically go over 100 rushing yards with a couple of touchdowns in the first half. Salary isn’t an issue this week and if Cook goes for 30 points at low ownership he could be a key piece on the slate.