3 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 4/2/21
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.
Friday night brings us six games on the slate. Let's find some studs!
Connor McDavid, Center, Edmonton Oilers
FanDuel Salary: $8,800
The Edmonton Oilers' center had a bagel on FanDuel on Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens. But McDavid has 14 real-world points in six meetings against the Calgary Flames this season. Some will counter that Darryl Sutter's version of Calgary may slow down McDavid. That seems unlikely.
This is a Flames team that still allows more than three goals a game on the road. Overall, they yield right at three goals per game. Two of McDavid's biggest FanDuel point totals (36.5 and 59.7) have both come against Calgary.
McDavid could have a big game Friday. His speed is just too much for a less-than-mobile defense that relies way too much on Jacob Markstrom to bail them out. Edmonton could come very close to 35 shots at home. One can look to Darnell Nurse ($5,900) as a stackable option from the defensive position.
Also, there are alternate choices among the top centers on Friday. Auston Matthews ($8,500) is going up against the Winnipeg Jets, and Nathan MacKinnon ($9,000) plays the St. Louis Blues.
Alex Ovechkin, Wing, Washington Capitals
FanDuel Salary: $8,300
The gift that keeps on giving is Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals getting to play the New Jersey Devils. New Jersey has not defeated Washington this season and has given up four-plus goals with regularity. Across the previous two matchups, Ovechkin has three goals and an assist with eight shots on goal and six scoring chances. He even blocked a shot.
Ovechkin loves to play New Jersey, and even though this is a back-to-back scenario, the compressed schedule matters little in divisional rivalry games. Washington has been able to push around New Jersey -- led by Ovechkin and Tom Wilson. The expectation should be for more of the same on Friday night.
Mikko Rantanen ($8,500) is a decent alternative against the Blues, and Evander Kane ($7,600) is a good wildcard in the "Battle Of California."
Cale Makar, Defenseman, Colorado Avalanche
FanDuel Salary: $5,600
The danger here is real with Cale Makar -- to a point. He plays on the second pairing at even strength to take advantage of more offensive opportunities. That increases his shot total but at times decreases his blocked shot potential. Makar makes up for it by being deployed as the primary power-play quarterback.
When the Colorado Avalanche play at home, they are one of the more dominant teams in the NHL, going 15-4-2 in Denver. Also, Makar has six real-world points in his previous five games and has been averaging around three shots a game. That includes 13 scoring chances created.
Among the other stud defenseman on Friday night, John Carlson ($6,700) faces New Jersey and has two goals with an assist in his previous two contests.
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.
