Mike’s Player Grid 19.23

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 ::

• Kyren Williams – Williams has the best role and workload of any running back playing this weekend and is playing in the game with the highest total on the slate. The Lions run defense has been solid this season, but the Rams are committed to their running game and Williams is used as a receiver when they fall behind. The softer playoff salaries make it much easier to fit Williams than it should be, making him a priority target at RB.
• Jahmyr Gibbs – Elite talent. Modest matchup. High game total. Team potentially missing two key offensive players (Sam LaPorta and Kalif Raymond). Now that Detroit is in the playoffs, I expect Gibbs to be fully unleashed and leaned on as the elite offensive talent that he is. 
• Isiah Pacheco – The Chiefs have leaned on Pacheco as a true feature back down the stretch. This week they are playing in frigid temperatures against a defense that has been decimated by injuries.
• Aaron Jones – The Packers have featured Jones during their run to the playoffs and I would expect that to continue this week with AJ Dillon either out or limited by injury. Jones has 76 rushes and 13 targets since returning from injury in Week 15 and has not scored a touchdown during that time. I expect that to change this week.
• James Cook – This game sets up very similarly for the Bills to the home game where they dominated the Cowboys a few weeks ago. That game was Cook’s best of his career and with the high winds and cold temperatures, Cook could be in store for another vintage performance.
• Tony Pollard – On the surface, Pollard had 19 touches last week to 12 for Rico Dowdle. Digging deeper, through three quarters the split was 17 to 6 before the Cowboys had the game in hand and turned to backups. The matchup is elite with the Packers run defense and Pollard should see in the range of 18-22 touches playing for the team with the highest implied total of the weekend.

Tight End ::