Mike’s Player Grid 12.24

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

---

Welcome back to my (Mjohnson86) Player Grid. I am changing up the format of my Player Grid this year to be more direct about the players I like at each position and keep myself from casting too wide of a net. We have plenty of strategy talk and full game write-ups on every game here at OWS, this year I’m going to use this article to give direct answers on who I think the best tournament plays are each week. Also, note that just because a player isn’t on here doesn’t mean they are a bad play, I’m just intentionally trying to limit the players I list to about 3 QBs, 5 to 7 RBs, 6 to 8 WRs, and 2 or 3 TEs and that means that some plays don’t make the cut – we can’t play everyone. Feel free to drop me feedback in Discord or on Twitter about the new format and if you like this better or last year’s. Enjoy!!

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 with the mindset being to find the best plays with big ceilings. Low ownership is a bonus, but not a must. 

(Side note:: You’ll notice at the bottom of this article that Fanduel will have its own Player Grid this year)

Draftkings Player Grid

Quarterback ::

• Kyler Murray –  His salary and ownership are modest, while he has affordable stacking partners. Murray’s fantasy performance has largely hinged on his rushing production, and in a high leverage NFC West matchup, I think we could see him do more with his legs.
• C.J. Stroud – Stroud has only scored 20 DK points twice this season and has not done so since Week 5 (when Nico went down). This is the lowest salary he has had all year in a matchup where the Texans may struggle to run the ball and where they are projected to score a lot of points. It won’t surprise me at all if Stroud posts his first 300-yard, 3-TD game of the season in this spot.
• Anthony Richardson – Highest game total on the slate, playing at home against the best offense in the league. Richardson’s accuracy appears to be improved and he had 10 designed runs last week.
• Salary Savers: Brandon Allen, Tommy DeVito, Cooper Rush

Running Back :: 

• De’Von Achane – One of the best roles in the league, playing at home in a terrific matchup. Achane hasn’t had a true “ceiling” game yet this season, but this could be it.
• Jahmyr Gibbs // David Montgomery – Similar to last week, I think the Lions score 4 or 5 TDs in this matchup most times which means these guys are likely to have solid scores with potential for one of them to really post a big one. We can pretty much count on neither of them becoming too popular thanks to the presence of the other.
• Josh Jacobs – Playing very well recently and facing a 49ers team that is depleted on both sides of the ball. Jacobs should be very involved and has a clear path to 100+ rushing yards and multiple TDs.
• Christian McCaffrey – We have seen CMC post huge games in far worse offensive situations throughout his career than what the 49ers offense will look like this week.
• Brian Robinson Jr. – Everyone runs on the Cowboys. Robinson has a low salary, a high probability of scoring at least one touchdown, and a realistic shot at going over 100 yards.
• Kareem Hunt – With Isiah Pacheco ruled out, Hunt should serve as the workhorse for the Chiefs for the majority of this game. I am slightly concerned about how they handle things if they build a big lead and the fact that Hunt seems unlikely to catch more than one or two passes.
• Salary Savers: Ameer Abdullah, Javonte Williams, Bucky Irving

Wide Receiver :: 

---