3 NHL Studs to Target on 11/25/19
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.
This Monday has more games than a typical one due to the Thanksgiving week. We have nine games to choose star players for our lineups, so let's see which ones stand out.
Evgeni Malkin, Center, Pittsburgh Penguins
FanDuel Price: $8,600
Evgeni Malkin tops the centers in terms of salary at the position. There is no Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon or Auston Matthews for us to pay up for, so that's part of why Malkin finds himself at the top. He also warrants it based on his own play of late, with seven points in his last four games. He has picked up the slack for the injured Sidney Crosby in the shooting department, with 24 shots on goal in his last five games.
Tonight, the Pittsburgh Penguins face off against the Calgary Flames on home ice. The Flames have not been as good defensively as they were last season, rating as an average team in terms of goals against average and shot attempts allowed per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Penguins are tied for the third-best implied goal total tonight at 3.30. Malkin should be the main man contributing to that total, making him a great option to roster for your lineups.
Artemi Panarin, Wing, New York Rangers
FanDuel Price: $8,400
Another talented Russian who is in play tonight is Artemi Panarin. Panarin has been delivering in his first year with the New York Rangers. He had a 12-game point streak snapped on Friday night but followed that up with a goal and assist on Saturday. In November, he has seven games with multiple points, compared to just one with no points.
The Rangers are back at home tonight against the Minnesota Wild. The Wild are a team with good underlying numbers on defense but have been getting below average goaltending all year. This could be why the Rangers still have a solid implied goal total of 3.08.
Panarin has been matchup proof this month, with solid outings against tough teams like the Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens. He should be able to get the job done again tonight.
Victor Hedman, Defense, Tampa Bay Lightning
FanDuel Price: $6,400
A trip to his home country of Sweden has seemingly rejuvenated Victor Hedman. Since the Tampa Bay Lightning traveled to Sweden and played two games on November 8th and 9th, Hedman has scored a point in every game. He has multiple games above 20 FanDuel points, and he did not hit that mark once before the trip. The trip may not be the driving force behind the hot streak, but there is no denying that he has been producing more of late.
Against the Buffalo Sabres tonight, the Lightning are huge favorites at -250. They also have an implied goal total of 3.86, by far the largest on the slate. Hedman is the quarterback of Tampa's elite power play, which has scored at a 33% clip so far this season. Hedman has the upside for a big game if the power play gets going again. He can be used in cash games with the how solid his production has been lately, plus the upside that goal total suggests is there for the team 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.
