5 NHL FanDuel Values to Target on 10/8/19
If you follow the NHL, you already know all of the top players. Obviously, when playing DFS, these players will come at a high cost. In this article, we are looking to find the cheaper value plays to help you afford the superstars.
Jared McCann, Center, Pittsburgh Penguins
FanDuel Price: $4,300
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been decimated with injuries, and Jared McCann is now slotted in as the second-line center. While he was originally expected to be a part of the top power-play unit, it seems like he will be on the second unit, which is still beneficial. He will also be playing in the top-six as he centers Alex Galchenyuk and Brandon Tanev.
The Winnipeg Jets lost so many defensemen in the offseason through free agency, trades and possible retirement, and now with some injuries already, the Jets won't have a single defenseman who was in their top eight on a minutes basis last season in tonight's lineup. That is insane.
While the Penguins are also beat up, they have a fantastic opportunity to pile on some goals tonight. McCann hasn't quite shown the offensive flare in the NHL that he had in juniors, but he has not really been given the chance. Tonight is a great spot for him to showcase some offense.
Ondrej Kase, Winger, Anaheim Ducks
FanDuel Price: $4,100
Injuries have been the story of Ondrej Kase's career so far, but he is oozing with upside. He has fired 11 shots on net through two games while playing just 14 minutes in each. The Anaheim Ducks visit the Detroit Red Wings in what will be a matchup that we target.
Kase plays with Ryan Getzlaf at even strength on the top line but is on what is being dubbed the "second power-play unit. But considering the talent on it, it's the top unit. This gives Kase more scoring opportunities as it never hurts to be on the man advantage.
Our projections have Kase as the number-two point-per-dollar value play on the slate, which makes sense considering his upside and how cheap he is.
Taro Hirose, Winger, Detroit Red Wings
FanDuel Price: $3,600
With Andreas Athanasiou expect back tonight, he should center the second line, which will have Taro Hirose and Luke Glendening on it. Hirose had 7 points in 10 games last season in his short stint with the big club. It is also encouraging that he is expected to be on the top power-play unit with all the big guns in Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi.
This is not the easiest of matchups as they host one of the best goalies in the NHL in John Gibson. But it comes down to price, and Hirose is way too cheap for the opportunity he has tonight.
Unfortunately, he has just 15 shots through 12 NHL games, which is discouraging, but hopefully he can get on the scoresheet offensively.
Ryan Pulock, Defense, New York Islanders
FanDuel Price: $3,900
It sounds like Ryan Pulock is going to have the spot as the power-play quarterback for the New York Islanders on the top unit. The Edmonton Oilers have been mostly trash, and despite the low expectations for the Islanders this season, the top power-play unit has some real talent on it with Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal also on there.
The Oilers had just a 74.8 percent penalty kill last season, the second-worst in the NHL. They did not do much to address that in the offseason, so I would expect much of the same this go round.
On the other side, the Islanders had just a 14.5 percent success rate on the man-advantage, the third-worst mark in the NHL. However, with Nick Leddy hopefully off the top unit and Pulock taking his place, this should improve the power play.
Mikko Koskinen, Goaltender, Edmonton Oilers
FanDuel Price: $7,300
As mentioned above, the Oilers visit Long Island to take on the Islanders. Mikko Koskinen was quite the enigma last season. He started off incredible in November with a 6-2-1 record while sporting a 2.18 goals against average (GAA) and .927 save percentage (SV%) and looked to be the goalie savior for the Oilers. However, it was downhill after that as December was the only other month in which he posted a SV% better than .905.
It will be interesting to see which Koskinen shows up this season as the Oilers continue to look to fix their goaltending issues. If early 2018 Koskinen shows up, then the Oilers could be in good shape, but if the end-of-season Koskinen shows up, they are in trouble.
The Islanders do not have a very threatening lineup offensively, so there is definitely hope for some upside here with one of the cheapest goalies on the slate.
Ryan Sheppard is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Ryan Sheppard also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username donkshow_. 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 articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
