NHL

4 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 10/8/19

The Penguins are without Malkin, but Crosby is still ready to explode. What other studs should you target tonight?

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 than paying up in sports like NBA or NFL. Someone can be one of the highest-priced players at his position a 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.

After a few quiet nights in the NHL, Tuesday gives us an eight game slate, so let's dig into it.

Sidney Crosby, Center, Pittsburgh Penguins

FanDuel Price: $8,500

The Pittsburgh Penguins got bad news on Monday when it was announced the Evgeni Malkin was going to be out long-term. Fortunately for them, they still have another world-class center in Sidney Crosby. Crosby and the Pens exploded for seven goals on Saturday night, and surprisingly Crosby only had two assists. He can add another multi-point game when Pittsburgh gets to host the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night, a team with major defensive issues. They've allowed 12 goals through three games this season, and now defensemen Dmitry Kulikov and Josh Morrissey are set to miss this game. There's no one on the Jets that can slow Crosby down, and if they try, it could result in a penalty as Winnipeg spent the eighth-most time shorthanded last season, according to Natural Stat Trick. That would allow the Penguins deadly power play to get to work often in this game. has this game as a 6.5 over/under, one of only two games with that high of a total on tonight's slate.

Leon Draisaitl, Wing, Edmonton Oilers

FanDuel Price: $8,400

Leon Draisaitl has one thing that allows him to go from a good player to one of the league's best goal scorers. It's when he gets to play on the same line as Connor McDavid that his scoring is elite. The pair of them produced 4.25 goals per 60 minutes together last season, compared to just 1.78 when Draisaitl was without McDavid. They have already been on the ice for six goals together this season, and have a chance to add to that on Tuesday against the New York Islanders. The Isles' defensive reputation from last season might scare some people off, but they have been more caved in their own zone this season, allowing 63.75 shot attempts per 60 minutes in the early goings of this season. Draisaitl could tear this team up if they allow this many shot attempts again, and his upside in the game would be another two or three-point outing, which he did in the first two games of the season.

Johnny Gaudreau, Wing, Calgary Flames

FanDuel Price: $7,800

John Gaudreau and the Calgary Flames take on the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday as -230 favorites. The matchup is ideal for a player like Gaudreau, as the Kings are old and slow, and have struggled to contain Gaudreau in his career. Johnny hockey has 22 points in 21 career games against Los Angeles, and a lot of that was against a stronger version of the Kings. Gaudreau already has multiple points in each of the first two games of the season. The line he is on with Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm was one of the most dangerous lines in the league last season, generating 12.37 high danger chances per 60 minutes when on the ice together at five on five. Add in Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Mark Giordano on the power play, and it could lead to a lot of goals for Calgary against an overmatched Kings team.

Pekka Rinne, Goaltender, Nashville Predators

FanDuel Price: $8,400

Pekka Rinne is one goalie in the upper tier who is a significant favorite to win, as his Nashville Predators are -165 against the San Jose Sharks at home. The Sharks have had a rough start to the season, losing all three of their games and scoring just three goals total. The offensive firepower they lost in the offseason seems to be hurting them and it will be tough for them to score against a solid Nashville defense. Another good thing about this matchup is that Rinne should see low danger shots from the likes of Evander Kane and Brent Burns, who love to shoot the puck from practically anywhere. Rinne is a fairly good bet to get the win bonus, which is what you want if you are spending up at the goalie position.


Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. 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.