Mike’s Player Grid 7.22

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. 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!!

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 ::

Josh Jacobs

Elite workload, modest price on DK, elite matchup. Don’t need to overthink it.

Joe Mixon

Last season, Mixon averaged a touchdown every 21 touches. This season, Mixon has 2 touchdowns this season on 128 touches (4 TDs less than last year’s pace). The Falcons pass defense has struggled and I expect with them facing the Bengals, they will drop a lot of men in coverage given their inability to get pressure on the quarterback. This should result in softer boxes for Mixon. This will create a situation for the best efficiency and most scoring opportunities Mixon has had all season.

Kenneth Walker

Walker is an explosive runner who should see 20+ opportunities against a porous Chargers run defense and is playing in the highest total game of the week. Talent, volume, game environment, matchup.

Derrick Henry

Henry is the focal point of his team’s offense and has 25+ DK points in three straight games. Coming off a bye in a game with huge divisional implications, Henry should be leaned on for the biggest workload of any RB on the slate. Henry has 27 or more touches in five of his last six games against the Colts, with the only game he failed to reach that mark being a Thursday night game on short rest where he still touched it 20 times.

SIDE NOTES::

Austin Ekeler – Ekeler’s workload has been terrific the last three weeks, averaging 14 rushes and 8 targets. His team is projected for the most points on the slate and he has scored touchdowns at a high rate since the start of last season.
Travis Etienne – Etienne’s workload and efficiency continue to improve and he now faces the Giants who are dead last in the NFL in yards per carry allowed. His price is low and this is a week where there aren’t many good options to pay down at RB, giving Etienne additional value in the way in which he alters the structure of your lineup.
D’Onta Foreman – Foreman is likely to split work with Chuba Hubbard, but should be the “lead back” and get the goal line work (if there is any). This isn’t an exciting or pretty play, but at min-price on Draftkings Foreman opens up a lot of possibilities, is likely to see 12 to 18 touches, and if anyone scores a TD for the Panthers, it is most likely to be Foreman. Let’s also not forget that Foreman had three games over 100 rushing yards last season and had a receiving TD this preseason.

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