4 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 11/19/19
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 tonight.
A massive 13 game slate awaits daily fantasy players on Tuesday. Let's sort through the most expensive players and see who we want to spend for tonight.
Connor McDavid, Center, Edmonton Oilers
FanDuel Salary: $9,200
Connor McDavid was named the NHL's first star of the week for last week after he had 10 points in the three games the Edmonton Oilers played. He now has points in seven straight games, including four multi-point games in that run. Last Tuesday, he faced these San Jose Sharks and was able to record just one assist and one shot on goal.
This is still a good matchup for McDavid and the Oilers, though, as the Sharks have allowed the fourth most expected goals per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick. While the Oilers are underdogs in this game, they still have a healthy implied goal total of 3.05.
When taking a look at numberFire's Daily Fantasy Matchup Heat Map, we see that the Sharks allow the second most power play opportunities per game on the slate. That's good news for the Oilers' power play, which is the most effective on the slate, scoring on slightly more than 31% of their opportunities.
McDavid is always in play in all formats and makes a great spend at the center position tonight.
Patrick Kane, Wing, Chicago Blackhawks
FanDuel Salary: $8,500
After a slow start to the season, Patrick Kane has been on a tear of late. He has a goal in six straight games and points in nine straight. He leads his team and is 11th in the league with 3.79 points per 60 minutes.
Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks face the Carolina Hurricanes at home on Tuesday night. Over the past few years, playing guys against Carolina was a scary proposition because they would be so good defensively. That hasn't totally come to fruition this year, as they rank more in the middle of the pack in some metrics, including expected goals rate -- in which they are 19th in the league. With Chicago's 3.08 implied goal total, the oddsmakers are telling you to not be afraid of this matchup.
Kane has been reunited with his linemates from the end of last season, Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat. This trio was on fire in the second half of last campaign, which led to Kane finishing third in the NHL in scoring. Kane makes for a great pay up in tournaments as he could go overlooked with so many games on the slate.
Roman Josi, Defenseman, Nashville Predators
FanDuel Salary: $6,800
A clear spend up option at defense is Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators. Josi is having an incredible season with 20 points in 19 games, good for the team lead. He is leading all defensemen in shot attempt rate.
The Predators are in a good spot tonight, facing the Winnipeg Jets on home ice. Nashville has the highest implied goal total on tonight's slate, at 3.7. Their power play will face a Jets penalty kill that has not been good, killing off just 73% of power plays. Josi already has three power play goals this season and could add to that total.
With how much he has been shooting and his team's situation, Josi has a great floor/ceiling combination for a defenseman.
Ben Bishop, Goalie, Dallas Stars
FanDuel Salary: $8,900
Ben Bishop and the Dallas Stars return home to face the Vancouver Canucks. These teams have been going in opposite directions since November hit, with Dallas winning six out of seven games and Vancouver losing six out of eight. The Stars seem to be hitting the same stride they hit last season, when they rode solid defensive play to a playoff series victory over the Predators. They are the third best team in the league in terms of goals allowed per 60 minutes.
Bishop has had some ups and downs so far this season, but his overall numbers are still solid with a 2.07 goals against average and a .925% save percentage. He goes up against the Canucks, who have the lowest implied goal total on the slate. also makes the Stars a -145 favorite, so there's a good chance Bishop will be getting the win.
Rostering a goalie who plays on a good defensive team who will likely win is what we need to look for when spending at the top of the salary list for the position, and Bishop checks those boxes in this spot.
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.
