3 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 8/31/20
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.
There are two games on Monday in the NHL, and they are both potential elimination games. Both teams that could be eliminated have major star power on their side, and they will need to be at their best to avoid going home.
Brayden Point, Center, Tampa Bay Lightning
FanDuel Salary: $7,900
The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the teams that could be doing the eliminating on Monday. Brayden Point is one of the reasons why they are in a position to do that, as he has been great in this series. He has been excellent in the postseason, with his 16 points in 12 games being tied for third in scoring. Point has been Tampa's best offensive player of late, with nine points in his last five games and 18 shots on goal in that stretch.
The Lightning lost the first game in this series against the Boston Bruins, but have stormed back and dominated this series. They have 14 goals in the three wins they have in the series. In this game, they have a 2.84 implied team total, according to our daily fantasy matchup heat map. Tampa Bay is averaging three goals per game in the bubble while the Bruins are allowing three goals per game, so they could easily go over that implied total. Point will be one of the guys you want on your team if they do score at least three goals, as he is likely to get a few points if that happens.
Mikko Rantanen, Wing, Colorado Avalanche
FanDuel Salary: $7,700
Surprisingly, the Colorado Avalanche find themselves down 3-1 in their series against the Dallas Stars. The blame can be assigned to the injuries they've had that have hurt them in keeping the puck out of their net, but the offense hasn't suffered. They have 15 goals in this series and 10 in the last two games. Mikko Rantanen has been a great part of their top line, with points in every game in this series and points in seven straight games overall. Like Point, Rantanen is tied for third in scoring in the postseason, second on his team as he rides shotgun on the same line with Nathan MacKinnon.
This Game 5 is obviously a must-win for the Avalanche, so it wouldn't be shocking to see their top players get increased ice time if the game is close in the third period. Despite the series having gone the way it has, the Avs are still favored in this game and have the highest implied goal total at 3.48. Rantanen is second in numberFire's projections at the wing position. Regardless of whether or not Colorado can win this game, there should be plenty of goals to go around, and Rantanen's line should be able to get their share.
Miro Heiskanen, Defenseman, Dallas Stars
FanDuel Salary: $5,800
One of the reasons the Stars are in the position that they are has been the play of Miro Heiskanen. Heiskanen has been great at both ends of the ice, helping defensively while also scoring 16 points in the postseason. He leads Dallas in points in the playoffs and also in time on ice, as they rely on him heavily despite him being just a second-year player. His 13 assists are the second-most of anyone in the bubbles, and he now has an assist in five straight games.
Dallas is an underdog to close out the series tonight, but that shouldn't stop you from rostering their players. They have an implied team total over 3.0 goals, the second-best on the slate. The Avalanche have struggled with injuries to their starting goaltender, Philipp Grubauer, and one of their top defenseman, Erik Johnson, and it has made them vulnerable defensively in this series. Heiskanen has multiple points in three games in the postseason, and that kind of upside is rare to get from a defenseman. He fits the bill as a player you'll want exposure to in this game.
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.
