NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 1/27/20
A good chunk of you played daily fantasy football this year, and I'd be willing to bet a significant portion of you 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.
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
Aaron Dell ($7,200): The San Jose Sharks will start Dell in net against the low-scoring Anaheim Ducks on Monday night. Dell has gone 2-2 in his last four starts, but in the two losses saw nearly 40 shots on goal each time. While Anaheim averages a meager 2.46 goals per game, they do manage 30 shots per contest. That is good news for Dell owners tonight, but do expect an elevated rate of ownership for the goaltender. Craig Anderson might be a possible choice from the Ottawa Senators, but again, see if he starts first.
High-Priced Skaters
Auston Matthews ($7,500): The center has a good matchup against the Nashville Predators on Monday. Nashville has tightened things defensively a bit under new coach John Hynes, but Toronto just plays to its own beat, and Jake Muzzin is returning along with Matthews. This still expects to be an entertaining game, and Matthews has 34 shots on goal and 24 scoring chances in his last five games played. He did not score in the previous two and will look to get back on track now that he is 100% healthy. Nicklas Backstrom ($6,600) is a reasonable second option against a Montreal Canadiens penalty kill that functions at 75% at home.
Filip Forsberg ($7,300): With Alex Ovechkin sitting out due to "suspension" tonight, player choice is a bit more wide open. Forsberg and Matt Duchene have played fairly well all season when together and 100%. Toronto again plays a more wide-open style and allows 3.42 goals per game on the road. Toronto, in its last five games, has yielded a whopping 22 goals. Both teams may be rusty coming off their bye weeks and break, but expect a lean more to the offensive side of things. Forsberg has 14 shots on net in his last three contests. Nikita Kucherov ($8,400) has been hot of late but does go up against the Dallas Stars, who give up a mere 2.08 goals per game at home.
Value Skaters
Jake Virtanen ($3,800): Virtanen has been showcased on the first line the past three games to some solid results. He has 3 real-world points, 11 shots on goal, and 7 scoring chances in that time. Vancouver does not have the best matchup against the St. Louis Blues on Monday, but it is at home, at least. St. Louis does yield 3.08 goals per game on the road, while Vancouver scores at a rate of 3.67 goals per contest at home. Virtanen may not see much power-play time, which is the only risk in this value play. Nikita Gusev ($4,000) has 20 real-world points in his last 25 games for the New Jersey Devils.
Will Butcher ($3,800): Butcher is a significant risk because of his lower floor, but he does have five assists in his last five games. He only has eight shots and three blocks in that span, but Ottawa is one of those teams that can give up 3+ goals with ease -- even against New Jersey. On a slate like this, it is okay to risk playing Jake Muzzin ($3,800) in his return as well, or Mike Reilly ($3,500) as a minimum-priced punt play from Ottawa against a Devils squad who has some issues killing penalties (78% on the road).
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.
