Mike’s Player Grid 19.25

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):

Running Back

• Saquon Barkley – Elite matchup, improving offensive line, likely heavy workload, and lowest salary of the season. Yes, please.
• TreVeyon Henderson – The Patriots are facing a Chargers defense that has feasted on weaker offenses, but can be beaten on the ground. Rhamondre Stevenson has scored five touchdowns on 22 touches over the last two weeks, but Henderson has a massive ceiling and a modest salary.
• Josh Jacobs – Elite matchup and appears to be back at or near full strength for this rivalry game. Lowest salary of the season and a strong bet for at least one touchdown.
• James Cook – The one thing that has held James Cook back a bit this season has been the team’s insistence on using Ty Johnson on passing downs. This week, Johnson has not yet practiced, and Cook is playing in the best projected game environment on the slate.
• Travis Etienne Jr. – Etienne has emerged as the clear primary and most trusted player in the backfield for the Jaguars, and he has a terrific matchup this week.
• Christian McCaffrey – The reality here is that CMC could very easily touch the ball 30+ times with 7 to 10 receptions. The volume gives him a high floor and the lack of other options for the 49ers in this matchup gives him a ceiling that can’t be ignored.