Mike's Week 9 Player Grid

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 ::

• Kyle Monangai – The matchup and game environment couldn’t be much better, and Monangai is likely to have a huge workload with multiple Bears RBs inactive. At this price, we don’t overthink it.

• TreVeyon Henderson – A talented and explosive running back, Henderson finally gets his chance to shine.

• Christian McCaffrey – CMC struggled against the Texans’ elite defense last week, but he has 23+ DK points in every other game this season and faces the Giants 32nd-ranked run defense this week.

• Jonathan Taylor – Despite the price hike, JT is still an elite option. The value opening up late in the week creates a situation where salary matters less than we would have thought a couple days ago.

• Kimani Vidal – Elite matchup, game environment, and volume. Has shown to be a talented and sometimes explosive player.

• Tyrone Tracy Jr. – Tracy has averaged 4.5 yards per carry over the last two games against two elite defenses. He now has the feature-back role in a matchup with a struggling and depleted defense, while at a modest salary.

• Kareem Hunt – A $4,700 lead back in a high-scoring game environment, likely at low ownership. I don’t usually entertain players like Hunt who lack explosive ability and rely on touchdowns, but the spot here is pretty clean.

Tight End :: 

• Tyler Warren – If you watched Tucker Kraft tear apart the Steelers last Sunday it is hard not to get excited about this being Warren’s breakout game.

• Brock Bowers – Bowers’ Week 9 salary is 37.5% lower than where it started the season and he is healthier than he has been since Week 1. The matchup with Jacksonville is solid, as they rank 24th in DVOA to opposing tight ends.

• George Kittle – Kittle at sub-$5k is always going to be on my radar because he has such a huge ceiling relative to others at his position.

Defense :: 

• Texans // Broncos – The fact of the matter is that this is likely to be a competitive slugfest of a game, where both offenses struggle to run the ball and turnovers will be the difference. The team that wins this game will likely post a very strong fantasy defense score.

• Rams – It is hard to understate how overmatched the Saints appear to be in this one and the tough spot that rookie QB Tyler Shough will be in.

• Lions – Detroit is coming off a bye and very healthy right now. They are an aggressive defense, and if J.J. McCarthy isn’t ready, this could get ugly fast.

Premium Passing Game Stacks

Chicago Bears (CIN)

The Bears’ offense is in an elite spot with the matchup against arguably the league’s worst defense. Ben Johnson has to be licking his chops, and while the focus will primarily be on Monangai, it could easily be the passing game that gets a lion’s share of the scoring and production. Let’s also not forget that Johnson’s aggressive tendencies are such that if the Bears really get rolling they could score five or six TDs – he likes to put his foot on the gas when he senses the opponent doesn’t have an answer. Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals being on the other side also necessitates that Chicago shouldn’t feel comfortable with any lead it might be able to build.

Indianapolis Colts (PIT)

This matchup is such that we should expect a similar output from the offense as a whole to what we have seen on average this season, with the potential for that to spike in a competitive game script where they keep their foot on the gas. JT is still a very strong play and honestly I won’t be surprised if he drops 35+ again in this one. The passing game is bubbling under the surface, however, with an untapped ceiling. Let’s say JT only scores 20 of the roughly 80 that their skill players average, which leaves 60 to be spread around to the receivers and Tyler Warren. That probably won’t be distributed evenly, with someone being left out and a couple of them getting over 20. Daniel Jones doubles are a very specific way in which I will be targeting rosters on this slate. I will also be looking to play JT + IND WR/TE as a way of looking at things and saying JT has yet another massive game and one other Colts player also goes for 20, as has happened most weeks this year.

GPP Game Stack Of The Week

Kansas City Chiefs // Buffalo Bills

The Chiefs throw the ball a lot, it is highly likely that they will be forced to do so here, and they are likely to have success moving the ball and putting points on the board. These teams have evolved over the years, and what started out as two gunslinging offenses that was almost a sure thing to shoot out later turned into two teams with elite defenses who made things very difficult for each other. Now they have evolved again and both defenses are good, but nowhere near what they were the last couple of years. This creates a situation where there should once again be fireworks in this electric matchup. Josh Allen tends to rise to the occasion in these spots, and if the Chiefs force him to play from behind, I think he could turn it on as well. Wheels up.

UNIQUE COMBOS

QB + RB (Same team)

Leaving this as a generic one, but one approach I really like is playing a QB and RB from the same team – even if there is not another pass catcher involved. Mahomes + Hunt ($11.8k), Williams + Monangai ($10.3k), Dart + Tracy ($10.3k), Rodgers + Warren ($11.3k) and Herbert + Vidal ($13.1k) are all pairings that make a ton of sense to me. Obviously you can add a WR or TE to the group as well, but the key thing here is simply to think of these spots as “offense smashes” rather than “do they score on the ground or through the air?” Each of those teams has clear paths, in my opinion, to scoring four or five touchdowns. 

Brock Bowers + George Kittle

There is a good chance each of these players has the lowest salary they will have all season this week. Each has the ability to score 30 points, and at $5,000 and $4,800, respectively, in good matchups and at full health, this is a high-ceiling pairing. This creates a unique build, and also, these two are both priced in the same range as the popular running backs who are sure to draw a ton of attention, while the high-end ceiling outcomes for these two are better than the high-end outcomes for most of those RBs.