Mike’s Player Grid 11.25

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

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 vary slightly from my Fanduel Player Grid, which will be more direct in terms of which players I like. Enjoy!!

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 ::

• Christian McCaffrey – Not a lot to say here other than he is in an incredible spot and his skill set is a nightmare for the Cardinals defensive scheme.
• Jaylen Warren – Warren is the feature back for the team facing the Bengals. If we just play that blindly every week, we are coming out ahead.
• Rico Dowdle – Classic bounce-back spot for Dowdle as the Panthers physical downhill running game is the kryptonite for the Falcons defense. 
• Chase Brown – Last season Brown was dominant when he got the bell-cow role and barely left the field for the Bengals. This is a massive game for Cincinnati and Samaje Perine is out, so Brown is a near-lock for a 90% snap share and 20+ touches.
• Aaron Jones Sr. – The Vikings are another team in desperate need of a victory this week in a key divisional matchup. The matchup is elite and Jones is clearly the lead back.
• RJ Harvey – The explosive and dynamic Harvey is in position to potentially have his own “TreVeyon Henderson-like” breakout in a huge divisional game.
• Woody Marks – Another rookie who appears to be on the verge of taking control of the backfield. Modest price tag and great on-paper matchup.