4 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 10/14/19
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 today.
The holiday on Monday gives us the rare weekday afternoon NHL slate, with six games for us to dive into and roster some star players. So let's take a look at who we want today.
Nathan MacKinnon, Center, Colorado Avalanche
FanDuel Price: $8,600
Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche travel to the nation's capital to face the Washington Capitals. MacKinnon has picked up exactly where he left off last season, recording a point and at least three shots in all four contests this season. The Caps have been off to a strong start defensively, as they have allowed the fewest amount of shot attempts against per 60 minutes thus far this season per Natural Stat Trick. However, last season they were not strong, ranking 24th in the same metric and 26th in expected goals against per 60 minutes. Mackinnon always makes for a great play, as he consistently plays some of the most minutes for a forward in the league. His line with Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen is one of the most dangerous in the league, scoring 3.28 goals every 60 minutes on the ice together at five on five.
Alexsander Barkov, Center, Florida Panthers
FanDuel Price: $7,500
Another center who will give you a lot of minutes is Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers. He was fourth in time on ice per game last season for forwards. His ice time has increased every game in the early part of the season, hitting a whopping 25 minutes on Saturday against the New York Islanders. Now he gets to face the New Jersey Devils, who have allowed the fifth most goals per game in the league. The game has an over/under of six goals, with the over a -120 favorite. That's the highest implied total on the slate, so oddsmakers are expecting goals. It's a good bet that -- if Florida gets some goals -- Barkov will be involved.
Alex Ovechkin, Wing, Washington Capitals
FanDuel Price: $8,700
The Russian machine Alex Ovechkin is another player who you could consider every time he is on the slate. He is one of the few players on whom we can rely to get his shot volume night in and night out. Ovechkin was second in shot attempts per 60 minutes last season, and he has the most shots on goal since the 2016-17 season. He is just starting to heat up this season, with three goals in the last two games. Ovechkin does a lot of his damage on the power play, with 18 goals on the man advantage last season. The Avalanche were leaky on the penalty kill last year, allowing the most shot attempts per 60 minutes in the entire league. If Ovechkin does connect on the power play, it gives us an extra half point bonus on FanDuel.
David Pastrnak, Wing, Boston Bruins
FanDuel Price $7,900
David Pastrnak makes up a third of the big three for the Boston Bruins, and he might be the most intriguing one on Monday's slate. He's second on the team in points behind linemate Brad Marchand but leads in shot attempts by a margin of seven. Pastrnak was the one who scored the most goals per 60 minutes last season, as he set a career high with 38 goals despite playing in only 66 games. With Patrice Bergeron centering Marchand and Pastrnak, the line dominates possession. While their opponents the Anaheim Ducks have improved this season in possession, they are still below 50% and don't have a line that can match up with Boston's top unit. The Bruins are -200, the biggest favorite on the slate for Monday. If they are to win, the top line will play a role and Pastrnak has been the man firing the puck for that line, so he could be the one to pop in a goal or two for Boston.
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.
