NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 10/23/19
A good chunk of you played daily fantasy football this year, 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
Andrei Vasilevskiy ($8,500): The Tampa Bay Lightning are off to a slower start this season compared to last, but they are still a good team, and we want to be targeting them for their win equity tonight. They come in as -210 home favorites and will likely have Vasilevskiy in net tonight. They are coming off a full three days rest, so there is no reason the backup would be in the crease tonight. Vasilevskiy is also off to a slow start this season, posting a save percentage under .900, along with allowing over three goals per game.
Tampa Bay clocks in as the sixth-worst team in the league when it comes to Corsi Against this season. They are giving up a ton of shot attempts, which should lock Vasilevskiy in for a solid floor of points from saves, but this isn't without risk -- as noted above. Ultimately, I expect the Lightning to come away with the win -- which are great fantasy points for Vasilevskiy -- but he will likely allow two goals to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the process.
High-Priced Skaters
Steven Stamkos ($8,700): Stamkos is on the top forward line and the first power-play unit for the Lightning as he has been for a few seasons. He comes in with 25 shots on goal through eight games (nine points) and is without a doubt one of the most consistent NHL DFS options. He is up against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who come in allowing the third-fewest shot attempts this season, but the 12th most High-Danger-Scoring-Chances per 60 minutes.
The Penguins are on the second night of a back-to-back, which means they should have Tristan Jarry, who will be seeing his third game of the season. With the Lightning carrying an implied goal total at 3.75, you can expect plenty of scoring from them, and Stamkos is in a great spot having the second line change, which should have him avoiding Sidney Crosby.
Dylan Larkin ($7,000): The Detroit Red Wings aren't a good team, but they are up against the Ottawa Senators -- who are even worse. Attacking the lowly Senators is nothing new since they are dead last in the league in Corsi Against and bottom-five in the number of High-Danger-Scoring-Chances per 60 minutes. They allow a ton of shot attempts and valuable chances, and they take too many penalties.
Larkin is the rising star for the Red Wings, who centers their top line and the first power-play unit, giving him ample opportunity to rack up fantasy points. He only has 23 shots on goal in nine games -- along with seven points -- and hasn't recorded a point in three games. Overall, this lack of production comes down to the Detroit offense simply not being that good. He is the best player they have but can be held back by his teammates at times. That's the truth of it, but he has a chance to buck that trend tonight since the matchup versus the Senators is so favorable.
Value Skaters
Anthony Duclair ($3,500): If you are trying to fit a full stack from the Lightning into your lineup tonight, you are going to need the salary relief on this two-game slate. This might sound bad, but we need to consider some Senators players tonight. That's not something I will say very often, but simply from a roster construction standpoint, they make sense. Duclair is on the first forward line and the first power-play unit and is just $500 above the minimum salary.
The Senators are somewhat of a necessary evil tonight, and there is even a bit of upside. They are up against the Detroit Red Wings, who hold a 61.23 Corsi Against this season, which is the fourth-worst in the league. That means they are allowing over one shot attempt per 60 minutes at even-strength. That is horrible. Duclair has 21 shots on goal through eight games, which is really average, but hopefully, the matchup presents him with the chance to increase that tonight.
Dominik Kahun ($3,500): Kahun is on the second forward line and the second power-play for the Pittsburgh Penguins, which is promising for a player this cheap. As mentioned above, the Lightning are struggling on defense -- bottom-six in Corsi Against -- so they are worth attacking on a smaller slate. Kahun doesn't have a ton of numbers to show off, but at this cheap of a price tag, we are looking for opportunity with low risk.
