NHL

4 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 11/12/19

Nathan MacKinnon has been shooting the puck a ton in recent games. Who else is a star to pay for 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.

Tuesday has nine games for us and has some of the league's biggest stars on the ice. So which ones stand out above the rest?

Connor McDavid, Center, Edmonton Oilers

FanDuel Price: $9,100

Fresh off a hat trick on Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks, Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers travel to northern California to face the San Jose Sharks. That big game put him up to 30 points this season, tied for second in the league.

The matchup is good here for McDavid, with the Sharks allowing the fourth most goals against per 60 minutes and the sixth most expected goals per 60 minutes, per Natural Stat Trick. McDavid is second in the league in ice time per game for forwards, so paying up for him makes sense, because we are sure that he will get the opportunity he needs to generate fantasy points.

The Oilers will face off against Martin Jones in goal for the Sharks, and that is favorable for them. Jones has an .888% save percentage this season and has a -7.92 goals saved above average. McDavid and company should feast on the good matchup, making him a great play in both cash games and tournaments. He is numberFire's highest-projected player at the center position.

Nathan MacKinnon, Center, Colorado Avalanche

FanDuel Price: $8,600

Another center who is worth paying up for tonight is Nathan MacKinnon. MacKinnon has been on a shooting tear lately, with 57 shots in his last 10 games. He has the fifth best shot attempt rate in the league among forwards.

Tonight against the Winnipeg Jets, he faces a team that has allowed the seventh most shots against per game and the ninth most expected goals against per game. The Colorado Avalanche should be able to get their power play working, as the Jets have killed off just 73% of their penalties this season.

This gives MacKinnon great upside because in scenarios in which Colorado gets a lot of power plays, he could rack up two or three points on those chances. He makes for a great floor play with how much he has been shooting lately, and he has the upside to win tournaments given his matchup and skillset.

David Pastrnak, Wing, Boston Bruins

FanDuel Price: $9,200

The player with the most goals in the NHL is David Pastrnak with 15. His line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand have been the second most productive line in the NHL behind only McDavid's line.

Once again the oddsmakers love the Boston Bruins, with making them a -165 favorite and giving them an implied goal total of 3.58. This game against the Florida Panthers checks a lot of boxes for Pastrnak and the Bruins. The Panthers have allowed 3.43 goals against per game, and part of that has to do with their goaltending. Sergei Bobrovsky has not been what the Panthers had hoped for when signing him, with a well below average .884% save percentage this season.

Pastrnak is numberFire's highest projected player on this slate, and he and his linemates make for a great way to spend up and stack in your tournament lineups tonight.

Jordan Binnington, Goalie, St. Louis Blues

FanDuel Price: $8,500

The St. Louis Blues are showing no signs of a Stanley Cup hangover, having won seven in a row and nine of their last 10 games. Goalie Jordan Binnington has continued his strong play from last season, with a .922% save percentage.

Tonight, he catches the Arizona Coyotes on the second night of a road back-to-back after Arizona played at Washington last night. Arizona being a lower-scoring team and the Blues being a solid defensive team still gives the Coyotes just a 2.43 team implied goal total for this game. Binnington and the Blues are -165 favorites to win, implied win odds of about 62%. Paying up for a goalie who will win is the key to consider; Plus, you want the goalie to have shutout upside, and Binnington has that tonight.



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.