4 NHL FanDuel Values to Target on 3/25/21

Spending lower in any daily fantasy lineup is a way to incorporate some diversity into your roster. In NHL DFS, there is typically more value in this strategy but also a good deal more risk. This is especially true on tonight's slate, where there are lots of lower-salaried plays. Plugging in these options will afford you more chances to play some studs, as well.

Thursday night is a back with a vengeance featuring 11 games. Really? Yes, it does. Let's look at some value picks.

Jason Spezza, Center, Toronto Maple Leafs

FanDuel Salary: $3,600

On Thursday night slate, expect to see a lot of the unexpected. Ottawa continues its long stretch of games at home, and the Maple Leafs come to town for the Battle Of Ontario. Goals are expected to be aplenty here (6.5 over/under), and Jason Spezza loves to play against his former team. The center had 15-plus FanDuel points in consecutive games before Toronto's rest.

Wait -- Toronto had a five-day break in the middle of a compressed schedule? Yes, they did. The nice thing is that Toronto goes up against a team they know well and a team they routinely score three-plus goals on. The last meeting between these two squads on March 14th ended up with Ottawa winning 4-3. More of the same can be expected.

If one does plot going way off course, Travis Zajac ($3,800) is a decent option Thursday as the New Jersey third line has been opportunistic of late.

Oliver Wahlstrom, Wing, New York Islanders

FanDuel Salary: $4,000

Oliver Wahlstrom has double-digit FanDuel points in four straight games -- the last three versus a Philadelphia team that has allowed 29 goals in their previous six contests.

The Islanders keep getting contributions from players like Wahlstrom in their recent run of success (winning 13 of 15). Earlier in the season, the winger had seven shots on goal and five scoring chances in two games against the Boston Bruins despite playing just 20 minutes combined. Now that he has an expanded role, Boston may have massive matchup problems with the young, speedy Wahlstrom.

Elsewhere, Alexis Lafreniere ($3,500) is worth a look against the Flyers.

Connor Murphy, Defenseman, Chicago Blackhawks

FanDuel Salary: $3,900

The floor play against the Panthers is the rational choice here. Connor Murphy had four shots on net and three blocked shots on Tuesday against this very same Florida team.

Murphy looked 100% and in good form for the Blackhawks and is a sorely needed cog when facing the Aleksander Barkov line. He specializes in getting shots on net and being able to alter the opposition's shots.

Murphy plays around 22 minutes a night and in all situations, which increases his floor. Florida is a team that can easily eclipse 35 shots on goal and well over 60 attempts a contest. Also, the Chicago defenseman can chip in offensively occasionally as he does have eight real-world points in 27 games.

Ty Smith ($3,600) is a high-risk option on Thursday against a Capitals team that allowed four goals to New Jersey in their last meeting.

Kevin Lankinen, Goalie, Chicago Blackhawks

FanDuel Salary: $7,100

With Florida second in the league in shots per game at 34.7, the likelihood of Kevin Lankinen seeing 35 or more shots tonight is high -- or at least elevated. He stopped 33 of 35 shots against this very same team on Tuesday.

This features lots of risk in that Florida can easily score three-plus goals with as many chances as they create. Chicago is a team that allows lots of shots -- more than 34 per 60 on the season. That is the pratfall of playing Lankinen. If he plays very well, he could rack up a lot of FanDuel points. If he does not, it may be a long night.

Also, the 72% penalty kill for the Blackhawks going up against a seventh-ranked power play at 26% is guaranteed to result in lots of shots Lankinen's way.

The goaltending position may require unusual patience tonight while waiting for confirmations. See who starts for Dallas as well as Nashville.

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.