3 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 2/23/21
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 salaried 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.
Tuesday night features six contests. Let's take a look at which studs are the best bets.
Connor McDavid, Center, Edmonton Oilers
FanDuel Salary: $9,100
Connor McDavid does have a little bit of risk. Using his small sample size against the Vancouver Canucks, McDavid had one pointless game (real-world points) and then a hat trick plus an assist the next. One thing was constant from the early-season mini-series between these two squads -- scoring chances. McDavid had 11 scoring chances in those two games.
Vancouver leads the league in penalty minutes per game at 11.4. They are 29th in both goals against average and shots per 60. The Edmonton Oilers' 10th-ranked power play will meet Vancouver's 10th-ranked penalty kill. The advantage still goes to the Oilers. Some can argue that the Oilers' power play is underperforming. Edmonton and their top line scores more on the road and wins more on the road (6-3 road/6-5 home). Expect some goals.
For other options, Nicklas Backstrom ($6,400) is off to his best-ever start for Washington with eight goals and 22 real-world points in his first 17 games.
Filip Forsberg, Wing, Nashville Predators
FanDuel Salary: $7,600
Play Filip Forsberg one more time against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. In the last mini-series versus Detroit, Forsberg had real-world points in both contests, eight scoring chances and eight shots on net. Detroit has one of the historically worst penalty kills and even strength team defenses in the NHL. This should be a pick and pick-on type of game where one can pick on the Forsberg line as well as attacking with his line.
Forsberg can create on his own but is capable of a dud, too, like the bagel we got last Thursday in Columbus. That is where the risk lies with anything Nashville these days. There can be offense, and there can be nothing. However, this option can pay off given a slightly lower salary and expected lower draft percentage.
Again, Patrick Kane is the highest-salaried option at the position, but Alex Ovechkin and Alex DeBrincat may be more cost-effective options. DeBrincat's salary is $1,800 lower than Kane's.
Quinn Hughes, Defenseman, Vancouver Canucks
FanDuel Salary: $5,600
The two highest-producing defensemen in the North Division are still Quinn Hughes and Tyson Barrie.
Hughes has been shooting more for the Vancouver Canucks, frequently recording games of two and three shots a night. He is still looking to use his vision but may be due for a goal or two his way (two goals, 19 assists). Two goals on 57 shots translates to just a 3.5% clip. That is a very low percentage for a defenseman who shot around 6% all last season.
The top defensemen are relatively cheap tonight as Tyson Barrie is just $5,500 from Edmonton. Monitor the status of Thomas Chabot ($4,900). If he plays, the Ottawa Senators' defenseman could thrive against the Montreal Canadiens as he's put up double-digit FanDuel points in both meetings this season.
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/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.
