NHL

4 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 10/17/19

Nick Vazquez  —  @nickvaz Oct 17th, 2019
It's Mark Stone revenge night against the Senators. Where else can you look on Thursday night?

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.

Thursday night is usually a big one in the NHL, and this week is no different with nine games on the slate for us to dig our teeth into. Which stars are set for big nights?

Mark Stone, Wing, Vegas Golden Knights

FanDuel Price: $7,700

The revenge game narrative, plus a huge mismatch in things that truly matter on the ice, gives us lots of reasons to play Mark Stone tonight. Stone has been a darling of the analytics community for a few years, and he finally is getting the recognition he deserves in the mainstream media. Stone was nominated for the Selke Trophy last season after being traded to Vegas from Thursday night's opponents, the Ottawa Senators.

Stone has started off this season on fire, with 10 points in his first seven games. According to , the Vegas Golden Knights are huge favorites at -290. Their implied goal total is nearly four, per numberFire's Daily Fantasy Matchup Heat Map. It's hard to imagine Stone not getting on the score sheet if they hit that implied total, given how he has scored so far this season. Stone has had 20 FanDuel points in every game aside from one this season, showing he has the consistency we want if we spend up for him.

Taylor Hall, Wing, New Jersey Devils

FanDuel Price: $7,400

Taylor Hall and the New Jersey Devils have not gotten off to the greatest start this season, having yet to win a game so far. Thursday they get a visit from cross-river rivals in the New York Rangers. This could be a get right spot for a team that had so much hype coming into the year. The Rangers have only played three games so far this season, but in those three games they have the worst shot attempts against rate and expected goals against rate, per Natural Stat Trick. Hall hasn't quite produced to the level we have expected of him so this season, but he did get a goal in his last game against the Florida Panthers and has been getting shots off, as he leads the team in shot attempts with 35. The Devils have the third-highest implied goal total on this slate with 3.36. If there were ever a game for Hall and the Devils to break out of their slide, this is the matchup in which they can do it.

Mark Giordano, Defenseman, Calgary Flames

FanDuel Price: $6,500

Last season's Norris Trophy winner Mark Giordano has not put up the points that we would want if we were to pay up for him. He has been putting up a decent floor however, posting multiple shots and/or blocked shots in every game. If there were a time for him to get going, it would be tonight against the Detroit Red Wings. The Calgary Flames' strong power play will face the Red Wings penalty kill that has killed just 72.22% of penalties successfully this season. The Wings have allowed 21 goals in six games this season -- good for 3.5 per game. Calgary's implied goal total is higher than that, with 3.89 goals, as they are a -250 favorites at home on Thursday. Giordano plays the most minutes on the team, and could score his first goal since opening night if Calgary dominates like the oddsmakers expect.

Marc-Andre Fleury, Goalie, Vegas Golden Knights

FanDuel Price: $8,900

Marc-Andre Fleury couldn't ask for a much better matchup than what he will see when he gets to face Ottawa tonight. Ottawa has not scored a power play goal all season, and they won just one of their first five games. On Monday they were shutout by the Minnesota Wild -- a team that has allowed 4.17 goals per game this year -- at home. Going to Vegas to face a team that is usually solid defensively does not bode well for the Senators after that performance. Fleury is as safe as it gets for an expensive goalie, and has a reasonable chance of getting a shutout to go with his probable win.