3 NHL FanDuel Values to Target on 5/17/21
Spending lower in any daily fantasy lineup is a way to incorporate some diversity into your roster. In NHL DFS, there is typically more value in this strategy but also a good deal more risk. This is especially true on tonight's slate, where there are lots of lower-salaried plays. Plugging in these options will afford you more chances to play some studs, as well.
Monday night's NHL DFS slate has three games on the docket. What values can we find?
Tyson Jost, Center, Colorado Avalanche
FanDuel Salary: $3,700
Tyson Jost remains the perfect middle-six plug of a center on Monday night against a St. Louis Blues team that is a bit depleted health-wise. It does not hurt that Jost was able to thrive against the Los Angeles Kings in his final regular-season game. Jost had two goals on seven shots and showed glimpses of what he can become in Colorado if he gets consistent upper-tier ice time.
He should be able to slide back into his middle-six role again on Monday night with Nathan MacKinnon expected to play a full load of minutes. However, Jost could be further mixed into the power play rotation for the Colorado Avalanche. Expect Jost to be heavily targeted by many.
Value centers are a little bit different in the playoffs as an adjustment to salary scale is needed due to scarcity. Matt Duchene ($4,500) is an intriguing choice from Nashville on Monday night as the Predators did score eight times during their last two meetings versus the Carolina Hurricanes. That included two goals from Duchene himself.
Jake DeBrusk, Wing, Boston Bruins
FanDuel Salary: $3,700
The option to utilize bottom-six Jake DeBrusk is an easy one on Monday night. He will play against the worst the Washington Capitals have to offer and the tighter restrictions on space help the Boston Bruins forward oddly enough.
DeBrusk had real-world points in back-to-back contests which was the second time that happened in the last two weeks. Maybe this jolt was what he needed after all. He had a couple of good scoring chances, one rush rebound shot, and a goal in Game 1. DeBrusk may even play more than 12 minutes as well.
Jordan Kyrou ($3,700) is again in the top-six for the St. Louis Blues and will have a little more freedom because the Blues will need to score goals on Monday night in order to keep up with Colorado. He scored twice in his final regular-season tuneup versus the Minnesota Wild.
Brendan Dillon, Defenseman, Washington Capitals
FanDuel Salary: $4,000
Brenden Dillon is a safe, floor play on Monday night against the Boston Bruins. The expectation is that the second-pairing defenseman may see more than 20 minutes of ice time again and have the opportunity to block a few more shots. He had three in Game 1 along with a goal and a couple of shots on goal.
This is a reasonable matchup as it seemed Boston's top line was often matched up against the second Washington Capitals' pairing. In those times, Dillon was able to hold his own and yes got two of his five shot attempts at Tuukka Rask.
The defenseman looks to continue his steady play as Washington may employ him a bit more on the penalty kill even. Again, Dillon is a physical defenseman that can create opportunities when he keeps his intensity up (six hits in Game 1).
See if Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin indeed play on Monday night. They should but check back often on social media because things can change. Finally, take a look at Ryan Graves ($3,500) if things are looking tight as far as salary.
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/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
