NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 10/17/18
A good chunk of you probably already play daily fantasy football, and I'd be willing to bet a significant portion have also tried out daily fantasy basketball and baseball. But hockey? Hockey?
It's time to give it a try over on FanDuel, because it's a ton of fun. And our analysis and projections can help you win.
To help, let's take a look at some goalies, high-priced skaters, and lower-priced players to target for today's slate.
Goalie to Target
Robin Lehner ($7,700): The New York Islanders are underdogs (f) on the road against the Anaheim Ducks. But Lehner has faced over 30 shots per game this season and is well-rested, which is important in the early going. New York does carry some risk because Anaheim is getting healthy (it looks like Ryan Getzlaf could play), however, Lehner is classified as a moderately high GPP risk but one that could provide the high save output necessary to get a leg up in GPPs. There are a few other options -- like Mike Smith (moderate risk) and Braden Holtby (stronger in cash games) -- but there will be more clarity on the slate's goalies once the other starters are confirmed.
High-Priced Skaters
Evgeny Kuznetsov ($7,400): The Capitals' forward is also in an optimal spot against a New York Rangers team that is playing on no rest. Kuznetsov has four power-play goals on the season, and he ranks top 20 in the league in scoring chances. Also, the forward created multiple High-Danger opportunities against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The total cost of the Washington top line is around $20,000, which is a bit expensive but not-cost prohibitive. There is a way of sneaking in a power-play stack to save a little bit of money, but Washington line one is the chalk line. Other highly owned Capitals players include Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson.
David Pastrnak ($7,900): Pastrnak is the other top choice on Wednesday, with the Calgary Flames being so wildly inconsistent when it comes to allowing goals and chances. Lost in the hype of certain players is the fact that the right winger has 7 goals on 22 shots in just 5 games. Pastrnak has gone for more than 40 FanDuel points in two of his last three contests. The Bruins' top-line forward will have an excellent chance to extend his good run tonight as Calgary may be without Sean Monahan. Calgary will have to attack, which makes them vulnerable to being attacked. However, do not sleep on the cheaper options of the slate; the Rangers' top line comes to mind as a contrarian look.
Value Skaters
Jordan Kyrou ($3,300): Kyrou was promoted to the first line for the St. Louis Blues, which is significant. This raises the chances of power-play time for the forward, and an increase in ice time is likely for tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Consider that St. Louis has just scored twice with their top line on the young season. Scoring chances are down 25% from the start of the 2017-18 campaign. Other inexpensive wing options include Chandler Stephenson ($3,300), who was promoted to the Washington top line on Saturday, and Andrew Ladd ($3,000), who is getting a look on the Islanders' top trio.
Ryan Pulock ($3,900): Pulock has been decent in his own end for the Islanders, and yet his offense has been a little suspect. His balance consists of two-plus shots per game and two blocked shots per contest, creating a decent fantasy floor. His shot is above average, but Pulock has no goals and just one assist in four games. Joel Edmundson ($4,100) and even Tomas Plekanec ($3,400) present themselves as low-risk punt options on Wednesday night. As always, watch for late injury news and last-minute line shifts for potential high-value options. Shifts are expected by morning skate in most cases except for teams on no rest like the Dallas Stars.
Chris Wassel is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Chris Wassel also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username chriswassel. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
