NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 11/8/18
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
Jaroslav Halak ($8,200): The Boston Bruins are in a good spot on Thursday night as the Vancouver Canucks come to town. Halak is off to an elite start with four wins in seven starts, a .952 save percentage, and a goals saved above average approaching 10 already. One of the risks that exists with Vancouver is shot volume (mid 20's a game). However, lately, Vancouver has been closer to 30 shots a night. The other is Boston playing down to their competition. This is something that does happen often with the Bruins. For other options, wait until goalie confirmations become more prevalent to make a decision.
High-Priced Skaters
Nikita Kucherov ($8,000): Yes, Patrick Kane is due for a breakout game after three subpar outings. However, Kucherov is heating up with three games of at least 20 FanDuel points over his last five contests. Also, the winger now has 17 real-world points in 15 games on the season (7 goals on 40 shots). The New York Islanders can yield 30-plus shots at will and match up poorly against the top line historically (40 shots plus per 60 allowed last season). The Islanders have played with fire all season and are running into an increasingly hot team. Elsewhere, Claude Giroux ($7,400), Jeff Skinner ($6,700), and Mark Stone ($6,400) all are solid options in the upper price brackets among wingers.
Tyler Seguin ($7,500): Even the Dallas Stars have to wonder when Seguin is going to score again. He has just 3 goals on 71 shots, but he has notched 11 assists. It has been a month since he last lit the lamp, but he is still among the top-10 centers in high-danger chances created. As crazy as it sounds, Seguin's line may wind up against the Erik Karlsson defensive pairing. Karlsson has been picked on by teams over the past couple weeks. Seguin's slight dip in price could increases his ownership a little bit. Prime center choices also include Jack Eichel ($7,100), Steven Stamkos ($8,200), and Patrice Bergeron ($8,300). Bergeron will headline a Boston line-one stack that may be the highest or second-highest owned trio on the slate.
Value Skaters
Brady Tkachuk ($3,900): Tkachuk aims to return to the lineup on Thursday night against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Ottawa Senators' forward averaging 20 FanDuel points per night is something very much unexpected. He adds a speed dynamic to the top line that was missing. The key is to make sure Tkachuk plays. Other good options here are Ty Rattie ($3,700), Andrei Svechnikov ($3,500), and Michael Grabner ($3,300). Grabner may surprise against a Philadelphia Flyers team that can be deficient defensively.
Scott Mayfield ($3,700): The Islanders are projected to allow slightly more than 35 shots on goal tonight and face well over 60 total shot attempts. Mayfield has blocked nine shots in his previous two contests and has six real-world points on the young season. His shot volume is decent, but it is the block volume that bolsters his floor. Miro Heiskanen ($3,900) is another solid floor option from Dallas and may become a better choice as the slate gets closer to lock. Keep an eye out on Brad Hunt at $3,600. Hunt carries a ton of risk because he sometimes gets cratered at even strength, but he has the potential to put up 10 FanDuel points.
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.
