3 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 4/20/21
Spending up in any daily fantasy lineup is how to get the superstars and the highest upside players in your lineup. In NHL DFS, it’s different from paying up in sports like NBA or NFL. Someone can be one of the highest salaried players at his position and put up a total dud of a performance, and paying that much for him would be a huge mistake. Let’s make sure we are paying up in the right spots when building our lineups tonight.
Tuesday night has seven games in all on the schedule. Let's hunt for some studs!
Auston Matthews, Center, Toronto Maple Leafs
FanDuel Salary: $8,700
Auston Matthews was angry after the loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night. He had a goal on seven shots and five scoring chances and yet it was not quite enough. Vancouver should brace for an even more impactful Matthews. Getting five days of rest prior to Sunday's contest should be an immense benefit to the Toronto Maple Leafs' center. A back end of a back-to-back will not be as taxing, and again, Vancouver's unblocked shot attempts ranks worst on this slate.
The center has four games of four-plus shots on goal in his last six outings. He also has nine goals in his previous seven games. Vancouver expects to feel more fatigued tonight after the adrenaline wears off. Matthews has the prime matchup of the night for this reason.
Vancouver yields the most shots per game at 33.9. Over the past 10 contests, they had given up nearly 35 shots per 60. That is a scary rate. They rank fifth in penalty minutes taken as well. Toronto's power play has been cold but they did convert once on Sunday night.
Other possibilities on Tuesday may include Anze Kopitar ($7,100) going against Anaheim. Also, Mathew Barzal versus the New York Rangers could be quite intriguing.
Artemi Panarin, Wing, New York Rangers
FanDuel Salary: $8,500
Artemi Panarin enjoyed playing an AHL-like team in the New Jersey Devils and padded his numbers some last week. He had real-world points in all four meetings. However, the zero that he produced against the New York Islanders in their last clash likely irks Panarin.
Panarin created just one mere scoring chance in that game as the Islanders clamped down hard on the winger frustrating him at nearly every turn. Again, the New York Rangers will likely adjust a little bit and the Islanders will too. Expect Travis Zajac to shadow him some and particularly on the penalty kill.
That being said, Panarin will get his chances in this game. The Islanders have struggled offensively, scoring just six goals in their last six games. They expect to push the pace a bit against a team in the Islanders that will give up high-danger scoring chances especially when they push said pace. These two rivals tend to have a matchup or two which produces wild results. Tonight might be that night.
The medium-sized slate allows for several alternatives. Jonathan Huberdeau ($7,400) can be utilized against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. Finally, Andrei Svechnikov ($6,100) is in play from the Carolina Hurricanes against Tampa Bay.
Dougie Hamilton, Defenseman, Carolina Hurricanes
FanDuel Salary: $6,700
The Carolina Hurricanes' defenseman carries a constant floor, and though shots have been a bit lower of late, his ability to block two or more shots a night has buoyed his continued production. He now has double-digit FanDuel points in three straight games.
With the back end of a back-to-back scenario, both teams may allow more unblocked shots from the point. Dougie Hamilton leads the slate in shots per game at 3.3. With the combined totals, and the propensity for assists, Hamilton becomes at least a solid but not spectacular play tonight versus Tampa Bay.
For a slightly elevated risk, Kris Letang ($6,200) is going against New Jersey. Also, John Klingberg ($5,400) could be a nice option against Detroit on Tuesday 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/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.
