Mike's Week 6 Player Grid

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Here’s today’s feature from the Daily Dose:

By :: Mike Johnson (@mjohnson86)

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 ::

• Christian McCaffrey – Through five weeks, CMC is AVERAGING over 15 PPR points per game as a receiver without touchdowns. Now he plays the Bucs, who force teams to pass at a high rate. This workload is insane and he is running cold on TDs this year. If that ever regresses, he’s going to drop a 40-burger on someone.

• Josh Jacobs – The matchup is elite and Green Bay is expected to score around four touchdowns in this spot. Green Bay is coming off a bye and looking to get back to their roots. 100+ rushing yards and multiple touchdowns is squarely in play.

• Kyren Williams – The biggest “question” around Kyren this week is whether the Rams get out to such a big lead that his volume gets undercut. The matchup and everything else are as good as it gets.

• Ashton Jeanty – This is likely the best spot Jeanty is going to have all season, with a ripe matchup and his team expected to play from ahead. He is the clear offensive centerpiece for the Raiders.

• Jonathan Taylor – 30+ points in three of five games this season makes him impossible to ignore. Elite talent, workload, and offensive environment.

• Rachaad White – White’s salary has bumped up, but given his pass-catching abilities and the way this game environment sets up, he is still a relative value for Week 6.

• Rico Dowdle – He isn’t the lock he was last week as his price has risen significantly, but this is a terrific spot nonetheless, and Rico is going to touch the ball 20+ times in an outstanding matchup.

Tight End ::

This week, I am including more tight ends than usual in my DK Player Grid because I believe the slate sets up to favor rosters that use two tight ends due to the value and salary it opens up.

• Tucker Kraft – This is an elite situation and matchup for Kraft’s skill set.

• Tyler Warren – Elite role and talent. His salary will eventually spike, but it is still far below the ceiling he possesses.

• Jake Ferguson – Massive usage and a great matchup for the to-date TE1. Don’t overthink it.

• Trey McBride – McBride has disappointed us basically every week this season, but this is a spot where Arizona is likely to be forced to open things up and pass more.

• David Njoku // Harold Fannin Jr. // Cade Otton // Jake Tonges

Defense :: 

• Packers – Micah Parsons chasing Joe Flacco qualifies as elder abuse.

• Colts – Let’s kick the Cardinals while they are down.

• Patriots – This defense is legit and they get to face Spencer Rattler in a classic let-down spot.

Premium Passing Game Stacks

Los Angeles Rams (BAL)

The Rams are second in the NFL in yards per game, have a very condensed usage tree, and face a Ravens defense surrendering the second-most yards per game through five weeks. Baltimore gets some reinforcements on both sides of the ball this week, which makes the matchup less of a pushover but increases the chances that the Rams have to keep their foot on the gas for the full four quarters rather than a blowout situation like the Texans had last week.

Los Angeles Chargers (MIA)

The Chargers lead the NFL in pass rate over expectation and are now down to scraps at running back, while also having offensive-line issues that make it unlikely the change from their pass-heavy approach this week. They face a Dolphins defense that is one of the worst in the league and basically lets opponents move the ball at will in almost every matchup. Herbert hasn’t had a big game since Week 1 against Kansas City, but all the ingredients are here for this to be the spot where his upside shows itself at exactly the time when people are ready to be done chasing their elevated pass rate.

GPP Game Stack Of The Week

Dallas Cowboys // Carolina Panthers

The Cowboys continue to produce fruitful fantasy scores and this week is likely to be the same. The Dallas offense leads the league in yards per game, and the Cowboys’ defense allows the most yards per game. Carolina’s defense is improved, but still far from a shut-down unit and their offense is improving. This is a game where both offenses should have success, and there are no players with DraftKings salaries over $6,800 and only two with salaries over $6,000. Simply put, this spot checks all the boxes for the type of game that can be the “must-have” spot on a slate.

Unique Combos

David Njoku + Cade Otton

This is a week that sets up perfectly for multiple tight ends and these are two players who we have seen post high ceiling scores, especially relative to their Week 6 salaries, in the right situations before. Njoku is the primary target for rookie QB Dillon Gabriel and Otton is in a spot to see 6-9 targets in a high-scoring environment. Those who do play multiple tight ends will almost certainly be using at least one of the top four salary options on this slate, so multiple tight ends at $3.5k and $3.4k, respectively, give us a unique build. The hidden upside of this pairing is that it also helps us build a roster with multiple elite options from the top tier of pricing. 

Bryce Young + Jalen Coker (UPDATE: Coker will not make his debut in Week 6)

The DAL/CAR game will rightfully be a spot a lot of people want to build around. However, most are going to be more comfortable with building around the Dallas side of the game. Bryce Young hasn’t been very good for fantasy purposes this season, outside of Week 2 when they fell behind early and he threw 55 passes. However, part of the issue has been his lack of a strong slot receiver, which is a spot he LOVED to target last season with Coker and Adam Thielen flashing at different points. Coker was the star of Panthers training camp before being put on injured reserve due to a quad injury around Labor Day. He practiced in full all week and appears set to make his debut with no restrictions. Priced at only $4,200 and in a matchup with Dallas whose defensive scheme tries to funnel things to the short and intermediate areas of the field, is the perfect storm to be early on Coker. This duo costs only $9k on DraftKings and has a strong floor and ceiling if, in fact, Coker is immediately thrust into the lineup. Down the stretch in 2024, one of Coker or Thielen scored 14+ DK points in their last six games, with Young scoring 23+ points in three of those games. Similar to our first Unique Combo, this is also a way to open up salary for the rest of your roster.

Joe Flacco + Ja’Marr Chase + Davante Adams

Joe Flacco is min-priced on this slate and tied to an elite playmaker in Ja’Marr Chase. The last time we saw the Packers secondary, they were being torched by George Pickens simply going out and making plays over them. It is pretty straightforward that Chase could post a big game at low ownership in this spot, and if Chase pays off his salary, then Flacco is close to a free square at his. The next level of thinking on this one is the elephant in the room of Puka Nacua being on this slate and only $1k more than Chase. That $1k difference is not nothing, but it is small enough to make Puka a necessary consideration for those rostering Chase. Basically, if you are rostering Chase, you are taking on a lot more risk than you would by simply taking Puka’s seemingly guaranteed 25-ish points with room for ceiling above that. So for that risk to have a maximum payoff, you’re going to want to bet on an outcome where Chase outscores Puka by a meaningful amount. The clearest path for that to happen is for Adams to finally have the eruption that seems to be bubbling under the surface.