Mike’s Player Grid 8.25

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 ::

• Bijan Robinson – The biggest concern for Bijan is the game environment might keep his usual high pass-game involvement in check, while also putting him at risk of losing playing time in the second half. The matchup can’t be any better, though.
• Jonathan Taylor – He’s got a fever, and the only prescription is more touchdowns.
• Christian McCaffrey – CMC has 22+ DK points in all seven games this season, with 42.1 last week against a good Falcons defense. The matchup doesn’t matter.
• Derrick Henry – Henry is laughably priced for a strong matchup and Baltimore is coming off their bye week. Henry had over 100 rushing yards prior to the bye against a good Rams defense and even without Lamar Jackson he can produce at this salary.
• Saquon Barkley – An elite tournament option, Barkley’s salary is significantly lower than the top options but his ceiling is the same.
• Alvin Kamara – The Saints are likely going to be passing at a very high rate against a pass-funnel Bucs defense and Kendre Miller’s injury likely leaves Kamara on the field in a workhorse role. He should be heavily involved as a receiver with touchdown upside in a sneaky good game environment.

Tight End ::