DraftKings Daily Fantasy NHL Helper for 1/26/21
With a massive 13-game slate, there are many ways to build lineups on DraftKings, and it's difficult to get every player you like into one lineup. The good news is that with so many games, it should spread out the popularity of the players, which could give us an advantage if we can key in on certain players we want in our lineups. So, let's look at two high-salary players, two values, and a goalie to build lineups around.
High-Salary Skaters
Connor McDavid ($8,400): McDavid has been chugging along to start the season, so much so that people haven't talked about him much. He's tied for the league-lead in points with 10 in 7 games. He also leads the league in shots on goal, something that he's not been known for in his career as he could be considered a pass-first player. Early in the season, he's been getting to the net so much that he has no choice but to shoot instead of look for the pass. We see this in the high danger chance metric from Natural Stat Trick, in which McDavid is tied for first. With the Edmonton Oilers having the second-highest implied team total on this slate, McDavid is a priority player to spend up on as he has one of the best floor/ceiling combinations of any player tonight.
Mikko Rantanen ($7,700): Rantanen may get overshadowed by some of his teammates, but he is a fantastic player in his own right. His five goals are tied for the league-lead. After coming up empty on opening night, he's scored in each of the five games after that. His 20:08 of ice time per game is 11th among wingers in the league. He gets those minutes alongside Nathan MacKinnon at both even strength and on the power play, which gives him a leg up on most other wingers. Tonight, his Colorado Avalanche will face the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks allowed the third-most goals last season, and have surrendered the eighth-most this season. They've yet to face an elite offense like Colorado, so it's likely their older defense group and shoddy goaltending will be overwhelmed in this game. This means that Rantanen and company have a lot of upside in this matchup.
Value Skaters
Chris Kreider ($4,000): It hasn't been the best start to the season for Kreider, but this steep drop in salary seems a bit harsh. He scored 24 goals in 63 games last season. He did this by playing on Mika Zibanejad's left wing and by playing on the top power play with Artemi Panarin. Well, those things are still true, and yet the salary doesn't reflect it. Kreider hasn't been terrible in every game. Last week, against the New Jersey Devils, he had a goal and five high danger scoring chances. The New York Rangers have tied for the fourth-highest implied goal total on tonight's slate at 3.25. We should take the opportunity to benefit from the overreaction to Kreider's one point in five games and roster him tonight.
Jakub Voracek ($4,100): Another winger who has seen his salary go down a lot to start the season is Voracek. This one also makes little sense, as Voracek hasn't been bad to start the season. When he hasn't been getting in verbal spats with Philadelphia sports reporters, Voracek has been getting assists, with six in six games and seven points total. He's on the Philadelphia Flyers' top line and second power play unit, and he is seeing 16 minutes of ice time per game. The Flyers will face the Devils in a matchup that should see them bounce back from a 6-1 defeat on Saturday. The Devils have allowed the fourth-most expected goals per 60 minutes this season. While Voracek isn't likely to hit the shot bonus, the value comes from the point upside he has with his role and in the matchup.
Goalie to Target
Darcy Kuemper ($8,000): Kuemper will likely be happy to see any team that isn't the Vegas Golden Knights, as his last four games have been against them. Tonight, the Arizona Coyotes will instead face the Anaheim Ducks in a much easier game on paper. The Ducks are in the bottom-five in shot rate, expected goal rate, and high danger chance rate at the start of the season. Kuemper was a solid goalie last season, with the fourth-most goals saved above average in the league. The Coyotes typically play a solid defensive style of hockey, so it's unlikely that Kuemper will completely sink your lineup, especially in this matchup.
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.
