NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 12/6/18
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
Jonathan Quick ($7,800): The Los Angeles Kings are expected to start Quick on Thursday night against the struggling New Jersey Devils, who allow a whopping 4.38 goals per game on the road and have just 2 wins in 13 games away from home. Quick was not great on Tuesday against Arizona but was victim to some bad luck. He only allowed 2 goals on 20 shots in a losing effort. New Jersey averages 33.4 shots per contest, which should provide Quick with a higher floor in theory. Again, there is risk because New Jersey is so volatile. For a different look, Adin Hill ($7,700) is a high-risk option for Arizona, but the idea is to wait for more confirmations to come out around morning skate.
High-Priced Skaters
Claude Giroux ($7,800): Giroux enjoys a nice matchup against an up-and-down Columbus Blue Jackets team that just yielded nine goals at home to the Calgary Flames. Both teams are giving up a high amount of goals per game over their last five contests (Philadelphia, 17; Columbus, 23). Giroux is on pace for 68 assists and 30 goals. The Blue Jackets' penalty kill hovers around 75% on the road but there is another option here. Cam Atkinson ($7,300) could benefit against the Flyers' penalty kill, which operates at a paltry 71.2%. Atkinson has tallied a whopping 13 goals in his last 11 contests. The winger is averaging over 3.8 shots per game, providing him a solid floor. Nikita Kucherov ($9,000) is one to watch from Tampa Bay as they face Boston on Thursday night.
Auston Matthews ($8,600): Matthews goes up against a Detroit Red Wings team that has trouble containing speed. Toronto has plenty of that and then some. Their power play is one of the best in the last five years as it converts at 28.2% -- and hat number jumps to around 30% at home. Toronto has won five straight games and the over has hit in four straight contests. Matthews has seven real-world points since his return from a shoulder injury. Detroit has allowed 19 goals in their previous 5 outings and is 6th in penalty minutes per night at nearly 10. Power play opportunities alone should be enough for Matthews to see his fair share of chances. Sidney Crosby ($8,800), Brayden Point ($7,900), and William Karlsson ($7,200) are viable choices tonight, too. Karlsson, in particular, faces a Chicago team that just played in Anaheim last night.
Value Skaters
Eeli Tolvanen ($3,900): Tolvanen is a Finnish phenomenon and is finally getting an opportunity with Nashville. He is seeing second-line time and some power play opportunities as well. There is going to be risk, as Tolvanen may not see the ice time some expect him to (16 in his first game but only 10 in the second). If Tolvanen is a player that creates too much apprehension, Jesper Bratt ($3,700) is one to watch for New Jersey. Other winger options on Thursday are Andrew Shaw ($3,700) and Ryan Hartman ($3,600). Hartman is seeing top-line ice time in Nashville due to the Filip Forsberg injury.
Ryan Murray ($3,800): Murray presents a dangerous tournament play on Thursday against Philadelphia. Again, the idea is trying to exploit the Flyers' porous penalty kill, and Murray has a balanced floor (1.3 shots per game and 1.4 blocks per game). He does have higher assist potential (14 assists in 27 games), though that lower floor is a bit concerning, but these are two teams capable of giving up 3 to 4 goals very easily. Other blue-line possibilities may feature Dennis Cholowski ($3,600) and Michal Kempny ($3,600). Kempny is a floor play, averaging 2.25 blocks per night.
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.
