5 NHL FanDuel Value Plays to Target on Thursday 4/14/22
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.
With 12 more games on Thursday night, there are plenty of places to find those valued gems.
Alexander Chmelevski, Center, San Jose Sharks
FanDuel Salary: $3,400
The San Jose Sharks are not a very good team. That is a fact. However, if Alexander Chmelevski is going to have a top-six role on the team going forward, why not roster him versus the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday night.
Furthermore, though Chmelevski has just three assists in 10 games, he is being trusted more and more in the San Jose lineup. For what it is worth, Chicago has lost eight games in a row and San Jose has dropped seven consecutive games. Someone has to win and that is why it feels like goals should come too. The Blackhawks yield 3.53 goals per game and 32.8 shots per contest allowed.
This could be an ideal matchup for the center because Chicago's penalty kill drops to 74.6% at home. Finally, Chmelevski has 11 shots on goal in his last five games with 15 scoring chances.
Philipp Kurashev, Wing, Chicago Blackhawks
FanDuel Salary: $3,600
This seems to happen at the end of the past few seasons but Philipp Kurashev is starting to finish chances for the Blackhawks again.
He is far from the greatest value on this large NHL DFS slate but Kurashev has a goal and three assists in his last four games. At such a cheap salary, anyone that produces on their chances this time of year is going to get noticed.
As always with the winger, shots on goal are low. He has three shots on goal during this span but eight scoring chances. Two of his three assists during this run have come off missed chances that turned into positive results.
Kurashev will be heavily overlooked but San Jose and Chicago has the makings of being a wilder game with two teams so desperate just to win a game.
Oliver Wahlstrom, Wing, New York Islanders
FanDuel Salary: $3,500
The value bin is about taking huge dangerous shots. Now, Oliver Wahlstrom is a big one on Thursday night.
New York Islanders fans can relate here as they have seen him and Mathew Barzal struggled to score goals. Guess what? Barry Trotz has put these two forwards together. It makes sense. Let the two of them figure this problem out together. Wahlstrom has scored once in his last dozen games.
Wahlstrom and Barzal have to figure it out eventually. They are too good not to as previously effective goal scorers.
Michael Del Zotto, Defenseman, Ottawa Senators
FanDuel Salary: $3,900
One of the funnier things this NHL season is how efficient Michael Del Zotto has been in the Ottawa Senators organization.
As beat writers have noted, Del Zotto had 27 real-world points in 26 games in the AHL. As of now, the blueliner has a respectable two goals and nine assists in 22 games with the Senators. That is, in spite of, playing third-pairing minutes (16 a night).
The Senators' defenseman has a decent shot to snipe double-digit NHL DFS points. The Boston Bruins are a bit banged up of late.
Expect Del Zotto to potentially log 19-20 minutes as he is matched up against Boston's bottom-six forwards mostly on Thursday night.
Thatcher Demko, Goalie, Vancouver Canucks
FanDuel Salary: $7,300
Now, who let this one slip in? Thatcher Demko is at what salary on Thursday night? Is $7,300 a cruel joke?
The Vancouver Canucks are not getting shelled or anything. Honestly, the opposite is true. Demko has won three straight games while stopping 109 of his last 116 shots faced.
So, Vancouver is still battling for a playoff spot. And yes, the Canucks have a 69.0% chance of netting a victory.
Most still will forget about Demko because of the large slate. Do not be one of them.
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.
