Mike’s Player Grid 7.24

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

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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 ::

• Anthony Richardson – Finally back in the lineup, Richardson still has a massive ceiling and is in a great matchup at home this week. 200 yards and 2 TDs passing, with 60 yards and a TD rushing. That stat line would be 28 fantasy points and is not by any means an outlandish ask, as all it will take is the Colts scoring 3 or 4 TDs with Richardson being heavily involved in them. Considering Jonathan Taylor will miss this game, that’s not a crazy bet at all. I love Jalen Hurts and Jayden Daniels this week as well, but their salaries and ownership will be much higher while the stat line laid out above is around what we should expect from each of them in their spots. On a week where we are seeking value without sacrificing ceiling, Richardson stands out like a sore thumb.
• Kirk Cousins – Cousins stands out for the spot he is in as well as the ease with which we can build lineups around him. Seattle’s secondary is depleted and stacking Cousins with 2 of London // Mooney // Pitts is a high-floor, high-ceiling way to start lineups that doesn’t deplete your lineup of remaining salary.
• Andy Dalton – Similar to Cousins, the stacking partners for Dalton are clear and this should be a high-volume spot. Dalton has been great in the first halves of games this year, we just need him to give us a full game for production and we are in business.
• Salary Savers: Deshaun Watson, Tyler Huntley, Daniel Jones, Aidan O’Connell

Running Back :: 

• Chuba Hubbard – The Panthers continue to give Hubbard a massive workload and his floor/ceiling combination is terrific for a reasonable salary.
• Chase Brown – Brown has quietly taken over as the lead RB in Cincinnati and the Bengals offense is capable of posting big numbers. Facing Deshaun Watson, the Bengals could have short fields and ample scoring opportunities.
• Kenneth Walker – Walker is essentially game-script proof and has electric, game-breaking talent. 
• Kareem Hunt – The lead running back for Kansas City and reasonably priced, Hunt is coming off a game where he touched the ball 28 times. 
• Kyren Williams – Najee Harris disappointed for consecutive weeks as the lead RB for the Steelers before smashing the Raiders. Kyren has already been playing great and has slate-breaking upside in this spot.
• Saquon Barkley – If you can find the salary, Barkley is in a great spot to stick it to his former team. Projection systems can’t account for the fact that the Eagles may go out of their way to give him the scoring chances purely out of spite, especially if the game is in hand. Perhaps my favorite way to play Barkley is paired with Kyren Williams and playing a cheap game stack alongside them.
• Salary Savers: Trey Sermon, Tyler Allgeier, Emanuel Wilson, Alexander Mattison, Blake Corum

Wide Receiver :: 

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