4 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 4/6/21

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's slate is nine games in all. Let's find some studs!

Aleksander Barkov, Center, Florida Panthers

FanDuel Salary: $7,800

So, the Florida Panthers are among the best teams in the entire NHL, and Aleksander Barkov is a huge reason why. Barkov returned from injury recently and helped extend the Florida winning streak to six games. He had three points in two games along with a slew of scoring chances. More importantly, in his last game, he had nine shot attempts and five shots on goal. Barkov is capable of generating this shot volume on a nightly basis when his game is consistent.

The scary part is Barkov still has 40 real-world points in 33 games and has room for improvement. Going up against the Carolina Hurricanes should be intriguing as both teams are top-five in the league when it comes to shots on goal (Florida -- 2nd, Carolina -- 4th). The expectation is to see the top lines matched up against each other and in theory, Barkov has the more favorable matchup here at even strength. Barkov has four assists in four meetings this season while averaging more than four scoring chances in each contest. A breakout could occur here.

Also, Sebastian Aho ($7,800) is a possible counter here as Carolina has the number one power-play in the league and Aho is the main reason why.

Alex Ovechkin, Wing, Washington Capitals

FanDuel Salary: $8,300

The Washington Capitals forward was stuck in a rut in January and February and then broke through with double-digit goals in March. It has been a wild ride for Alex Ovechkin who has excelled against the New York Islanders but is only averaging two shots a game against them. Ovechkin has brought his shots per game average back up to nearly four in this month-long streak.

Washington is one of those teams that finds ways to win even against the grain of play. They do tend to score more goals against the Islanders than most teams do for that reason. Yes, it is nice to have the top power-play unit as they do. However, even at five-on-five, it does not take Washington much to go from completely out of it to engaged and vice versa. Ovechkin can quickly go from zero to offensive stud. The expectation is for another high-scoring game between the two teams tonight.

Artemi Panarin ($7,800) has been excellent for the New York Rangers recently -- with 25+ FanDuel points in three straight games.

Adam Fox, Defenseman, New York Rangers

FanDuel Salary: $5,900

Adam Fox is the hottest defenseman production-wise in the NHL right now. He has real-world points (18) in 10 straight games. That is not a misprint. While Fox does not have the greatest shot volume, he creates opportunities. Also, Fox rushes the puck up the ice like few defensemen can which creates havoc for the opponent.

When looking to go up against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Fox has that acceleration that few Pittsburgh forwards or defensemen can catch up to. Pittsburgh did slow him up a little bit but that was ten games ago. This is a different Fox now and arguably a different New York Rangers team. Fox's overall floor is not bad either and will average a couple of blocked shots a game as well. His salary is a budget option when compared to some of the other top studs tonight.

Roman Josi could be in for a performance tonight against the Detroit Red Wings. He has eight assists in six meetings versus Detroit and has hit two posts and two crossbars also.

Andrei Vasilevskiy, Goalie, Tampa Bay Lightning

FanDuel Salary: $8,600

If it was not for Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Tampa Bay Lightning would be in some deep trouble. In his last two starts, the goaltender has faced 64 shots and stopped 61. Both games were wins and the one was a 36-save performance versus the Columbus Blue Jackets -- the team that Vasilevskiy faces tonight.

Columbus is a team capable of producing 35 shots+ in a game and they allow around that amount as well. This game will come down to goaltending and Tampa Bay has the better goaltender here. This is a nice matchup for Vasilevskiy and Tampa Bay is a more than respectable 11-6-2 on the road.

After Vasilevskiy, this slate becomes almost like a minefield. There are intriguing plays and traps galore. Who starts for the Carolina Hurricanes? Does one even look to Juuse Saros ($7,600) who is on a run for the Nashville Predators? Waiting for confirmations will be a prudent idea tonight.

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.