NHL

NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 8/20/20

A good chunk of you played daily fantasy football this year, and I'd be willing to bet a significant portion of you 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.

Our analysis and projections can help you win. To help, let's take a look at a goalie, some high-priced skaters, and lower-priced players to target for today's slate.

Goalie to Target

Anton Khudobin ($8,600): The Dallas Stars expect to start Khudobin on Thursday night against the Calgary Flames but check back just to make sure. That has been the one lesson of this year's playoffs. Expect the unexpected. He stopped all but one shot in Game 5 against Calgary and seems to be the hot hand going forward with a less than 100% Ben Bishop. He is the highest-priced goalie on the slate but also represents the best chance of a win with higher-point totals. At least, that is the thought process. Semyon Varlamov may face 30+ shots in net for the New York Islanders and is $400 cheaper. Braden Holtby would be the ultimate risk-reward at just $7,500.

High-Priced Skaters

Mathew Barzal ($6,500): With just a handful of choices out there, Barzal may be the most consistent option in a sea of uncertainty. He had four shots on goal, four scoring chances, and a goal on Tuesday night in Game 4. The Islanders did blow a 2-0 lead but that was not due to a lack of effort from Barzal. He had a few more quality chances after his goal and has not been slowed down exactly. Tyler Seguin ($7,200) of the Dallas Stars is another possibility with a high-shot floor and has three assists in his last two contests.

Alex Ovechkin ($8,700): Ovechkin came out firing during Game 4 on Tuesday night. The result was an effort that saved the Washington Capitals season. He had four shots on goal but most importantly two goals (one on the man advantage). That helped erase a 2-0 deficit against the New York Islanders and allowed Washington to fight another day. The Capitals' forward also had eight shot attempts and five scoring chances. Washington may need an even better effort from their winger tonight. Jamie Benn ($7,200) is a bit higher-risk for Dallas because of his volatile floor (erratic shot volume).

Value Skaters

Dillon Dube ($3,800): Dube enjoys middle-six playing time for Calgary and has an ability to easily put up 2-3 shots a game and as many as two blocks a game as well. That is the kind of floor from a value winger one would not expect. He generates a couple of chances with his speed and as we saw with Tyler Motte last night, speed kills. Dallas has had their issues containing Dube out wide in this series. Two awful games have Josh Bailey at just $4,500 for New York and that could be a good buy-low alternative.

Nick Leddy ($3,700): The New York defenseman is a moderate risk GPP play on Thursday night but does have two real-world points in his last three games. His shots and blocks are low to erratic at best but lately, he has managed 2+ blocks in five consecutive outings. At least, that is something. He has seen 20+ minutes of ice time as well which was in contrast to during the season where his ice time had decreased below that mark at points. Scott Mayfield ($3,600) is another choice with a more dynamic floor but less offensive upside (also from New York).


Chris Wassel is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Chris Wassel also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username chriswassel. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.