Mike’s Player Grid 7.25

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

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 vary slightly from my Fanduel Player Grid, which will be more direct in terms of which players I like. 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 ::

• Jonathan Taylor – JT is in the midst of a potentially historic running back season and has a terrific matchup against a poor run defense and fast-paced offense. 
• Quinshon Judkins – Judkins is the workhorse for a team that is likely to run, run, run, and he is facing an incredibly bad Miami run defense.
• Saquon Barkley – The Eagles are struggling this season and the reality is that their dominant 2024 season was propelled by building their offense around Barkley. They are likely to try to get back to their roots here and Barkley’s ceiling is 35+ points.
• Jacory Croskey-Merritt – “Bill” also has a terrific matchup this week and just set a season high in snap rate and touches, while playing in by far the highest game total on the slate.
• Josh Jacobs – Over 30 points in consecutive games and the centerpiece of his team’s offense, playing in a game where his team is favored and expected to score points. 
• Kimani Vidal – This is a back that has an explosive skill set and thrives in the passing game as well. His salary doesn’t represent the upside that he possesses in a strong offense and explosive game environment.

For the MME Crowd ::