4 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 8/3/20

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 from paying up in sports like NBA or NFL. Someone can be one of the highest-priced players at his position and 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.

The main slate on FanDuel has three games on it, with two being in the qualifying rounds, and one being a part of the round robin. There are some of the NHL's biggest stars playing in both sets of contests, so let's see which ones we'll want to roster tonight.

Connor McDavid, Center, Edmonton Oilers

FanDuel Salary: $8,800

The Edmonton Oilers may have gotten off to a rough start in their opening game against the Chicago Blackhawks, but that didn't slow down Connor McDavid from having a great game. He had a goal and two assists, all on the power play. McDavid played 23:21 in the first game, over his season average of 21:51. He seems well-conditioned after the restart, and Head Coach Dave Tippett is prepared to ride him to get the win in this play-in series. We can expect McDavid to keep up his production given the matchup in this series.

The Blackhawks were one of the weakest teams defensively throughout the season. They allowed the third-most expected goals per 60 minutes during the regular season, according to Natural Stat Trick. McDavid and company should be able to feast at even strength against a team like this, to go along with the production they get from having the league's number one power play. Those are some of the reasons why they have the highest implied goal total on the slate, according to numberFire's Daily Fantasy Matchup Heat Map. Power play points give you a bonus on FanDuel, so if McDavid is able to rack up a few more, he'll do wonders for your fantasy lineups. He is the top play at the center position in all formats.

Jake Guentzel, Wing, Pittsburgh Penguins

FanDuel Salary: $7,600

The long layoff benefited Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel more than most, considering it looked as if he would miss the rest of the season when he went down with an injury in December. He was one of the league's best goal scorers before getting injured, averaging 1.49 goals per 60 minutes. He was back for the first game of the play-in round and slotted right back at the wing on the top line and top power play unit alongside Sidney Crosby.

The Penguins lost Game 1 to the Montreal Canadiens, but are still the biggest favorite on the main slate for Monday. Pittsburgh dominated the game in most categories, including having 4.44 expected goals against to just 2.39 for the Habs. With a little better shooting luck in this game, they should be able to win and score some goals, as their team total is over 3.0 tonight. Guentzel is our second-highest projected winger tonight and has our highest chance to score a goal at the position. He is a high upside play in tournaments and will look to add to his two career playoff hat tricks.

Oscar Klefbom, Defenseman, Edmonton Oilers

FanDuel Salary: $5,600

With many other options on the Oilers, Oscar Klefbom goes overlooked in fantasy. He shouldn't be underestimated, though, as he has a lot to offer. During the regular season, he averaged 2.5 shots on goal and 2.9 blocked shots per game, making him a high-floor play. He is also the quarterback on Edmonton's lethal power play, giving him upside to score multiple points.

The Oilers versus Blackhawks game figures to be another high-scoring affair, as it has the highest total on the slate. Klefbom will benefit from this type of game, either from getting shots at the offensive end or blocking shots at the defensive end. He averaged the fifth-most time on ice per game in the NHL, so he should see the most ice time for any player in this game with a high total. He can be played in cash, and also makes sense in stacks with Oilers forwards.

Robin Lehner, Goaltender, Vegas Golden Knights

FanDuel Salary: $8,500

You can be forgiven for forgetting that Robin Lehner now plays for the Vegas Golden Knights, as he only played three games for them before the league was put on pause. He will be in the net tonight for Vegas, taking over for normal starter Marc-Andre Fleury. Lehner was seventh in the NHL in goals saved above average. Lehner and the Golden Knights will face a Dallas Stars team that, at times, struggled to score, including at the end of the season, when they scored just three goals in their last four games. Lehner is numberFire's highest projected goalie on the slate tonight and is a -135 favorite, making him a great play across the board at the goaltender position.