Mike’s Player Grid 9.24

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 ::

• Dak Prescott – Dak and CeeDee Lamb finally connected for a big game last week and we saw how they were able to get rolling in the second half of 2023. The Falcons don’t pressure the quarterback well and Dak should have time to fill the stat sheet in the highest total game of the week.
• Joe Burrow – Burrow has a good matchup and his team is projected to score nearly four touchdowns. He has an elite receiver and with the absence of Tee Higgins, the rest of the Bengals skill players are very cheap for stacking.
• Matthew Stafford – Stafford has an affordable salary and three premium pass catchers (Kyren, Kupp, Puka) who you can stack him with in a plus matchup.
• Salary Savers: Bryce Young, Gardner Minshew, Jameis Winston

Running Back :: 

• Chase Brown – Brown has been the more explosive player in the Bengals backfield this year and gets a full workload this week against a below-average Raiders defense. Sub-$6k in a good matchup and expected for 20+ touches is hard to ignore.
• Bijan Robinson – The Cowboys defense has faced four top-12 DVOA rushing offenses. In those games, they allowed opposing backfields to accumulate DK point totals of 21, 33.1, 40.8, and 50.9. Atlanta is 4th in rushing offense DVOA and 5th in PFF run blocking grade, while Bijan can also make plays in the receiving game. 
• De’Von Achane – Still priced reasonably and we saw last week how he is both the team’s best rusher and will be involved in the passing game. Raheem Mostert poaching a couple of TDs will scare a lot of people off of him, but if/when Achane gets those TDs as well, he will break a slate.
• Alvin Kamara – Saints are in a terrific matchup, may get Derek Carr back, and Kamara is likely to dominate the backfield touches again. This screams “blow up spot”. 
• Kyren Williams – The Seahawks have been getting destroyed by opposing running games recently and Kyren has one of the best roles in the league among all RBs.
• D’Andre Swift – Another solid game last week and Swift is positioned to be more involved as a receiver against a Cardinals defense that doesn’t get much pressure on the QB. 
• Saquon Barkley – The Eagles are likely to score a lot of points and Barkley is a dual-threat player who is going to have a game where he goes nuts on the ground and through the air eventually, why not against the 32nd-ranked defense in the league at single digit ownership?
• Salary Savers: Tyrone Tracy Jr., Tyler Allgeier, Trayveon Williams, Julius Chestnut

Wide Receiver :: 

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