Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 10/18/16

Welcome back for another day of daily fantasy hockey with DFSR. Tonight we have a huge 12 game slate as the first week of the NHL season rolls on. As we get deeper into the season we will be tracking teams playing back to back games and three games in four nights. Tonight we have four teams(SJ, PIT, OTT, COL) playing back to back with the Sharks and Avs playing both games on the road. Let's take a look at some top plays from our projection system for tonight.

 

Hockey is back and with it come our NHL projections which help inform these picks every night. When you purchase a DFSR NHL subscription to our base hockey projections you also get access to our brand new NFL DFS suite of tools including full projections, optimal NFL lineups and our Player Lab, which includes filters to help you create NFL lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings for any format. It’s a set of tools well beyond anything we’ve ever had, and something we feel will help our users *ahem* tackle the NFL season.

If you want to see the numbers behind our projections, create linueps with a single click, or research as deeply as your heart desires, click the button below to test out yourself.

GOALIES

Braden Holtby FD - $9700 DK - $8300
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 13.17 DK - 3.29

From a raw points perspective Holtby is by far the top goalie tonight. The Caps open as huge -220 home favorites vs. the Avalanche playing their second of back to back games on the road. While the Caps once again disappointed in the playoffs they were dominate in the regular season with 120 points while Holtby recorded a career high 48 wins. He started the season on the wrong end of an overtime game stopping 28 of 30 shots but rebounded nicely keeping the Islanders to one goal while the defense only allowed 22 shots. Look for another strong outing tonight.
Devan Dubnyk FD - $8400 DK - $7500
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 16.92 DK - 4.23

While I recommend spending up for Holtby in cash games I will take the savings with Dubnyk in GPP and load up with my stacks. He hasn't been sharp in his first two starts allowing three goals against in each. That combined with a matchup against the perennial playoff power LA Kings will definitely keep his ownership down as well increasing his value tonight. The upside is there as the Kings have lost their starting goalie and have only scored three goals their first two games.

Chad Johnson FD - $7800 DK - $7600
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 13.42 DK - 3.36

If you are looking for a little more savings on FanDuel take a long look at Johnson tonight who is likely to get the start vs. the Sabres. Johnson received 40 start last season with the Sabres and impressed with 22 wins and a .920 save percentage. He made his first start of the season on Saturday in Vancouver stopping 30 of 31 shots he faced but took the hard luck loss in a shootout. The Flames open as -145 favorites giving Johnson nice win potential and upside as he is projected to face around 30 shots tonight.

 

 

CENTERS

Connor McDavid FD - $8600 DK - $8500
Opponent - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 16.45 DK - 5.03

After recording back to back six point games to open the season, McDavid went pointless after the Sabres surprised the Oilers on Sunday. The price leveled off and honestly I don't think price is a concern for the up and coming superstar. He He has multi point upside every night and is approaching must play territory night in and night out. He gets an above average matchup vs. the Hurricanes who have allowed nine goals in their first two games. 

Stack With: Jordan Eberle, Milan Lucic, Leon Draisaitl
Alex Galchenyuk FD - $5900 DK - $5800
Opponent - PIT
Proj Pts FD - 10.86 DK - 3.35

Playing on the top line with a price under $6K on both sites makes Galchenyuk a top play tonight. He has opened the season with an assist in both games averaging around 17 minutes per game. While he has only recorded two shots on the season I fully expect that to increase as he averaged over 14.5 iCorsi per 60 last season. He also plays on the top powerplay unit adding to the upside.

Stack with: Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher
Victor Rask FD - $4700 DK - $5100
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 11.19 DK - 3.64

If you are looking to go the value route with one of your center spots take a look at Rask tonight. After an impressive second season in the NHL where he recorded 48 points he has picked up where he left off with a goal both of the Hurricanes first two games. He skates on the top line with Skinner and Stempniak and also gets top powerplay minutes. He is safe in all formats.

Stack with: Lee Stempniak, Jeff Skinner

 

 

WINGERS

Alexander Ovechkin FD - $8200 DK - $8400
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 22.07 DK - 7

There is no player in the league that offers a higher floor and ceiling that Alex Ovechkin. Last season Ovi recorded his third straight 50 goal season and whopping seventh of his career. At 31 years old he has already climbed into 33rd on the all time list and will soon pass legends like Frank Mahovlich, Rocket Richard and Guy Lafleur. The Caps are huge favorites against the Avs who are playing a second of back to back games. Ovi is an elite play and safe in all formats but for cash you will most likely have to make a choice between him and his goalie.

Stack with: Evgeny Kuznetsov, TJ Oshie

 

 

Mike Hoffman FD - $5500 DK - $5900
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 13.8 DK - 4.39

Hoffman has yet to record a point but is starting to flash the high floor he carried throughout last season where he ranked 8th among all skaters in iCorsi per 60 minutes(20.3). Over the last two games he is getting back to that level and has fired 11 shots on net. He gets over 16 minutes of ice time on the Sens top line and PP unit and will get plenty of opportunities to score as the defense of the Sens will force them to be trailing a lot this season. He doesn't have the upside for GPP's at the moment but makes an excellent cash game play.

Stack with: Kyle Turris, Mark Stone
Tomas Hertl FD - $5300 DK - $5100
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 12.16 DK - 3.64

The best way to find value in DFS hockey is to look for that one cheap winger who plays with some high end talent. Enter Tomas Hertl. He plays on the Sharks top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski and while the upside was limited last season he is getting much more time on the powerplay this time around. At a low $5K price tag he is safe as a stand alone cash game play or as a part of a Sharks line one stack.

Stack with: Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski

 

 

 

DEFENSEMEN

Mark Giordano FD - $6800 DK - $6700
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 13.44 DK - 4.25

As I have been mentioning in almost every article, Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns are always elite plays at the position. I prefer them more in GPP's tonight as I am wanting to pay right up for Braden Holtby in cash games. Take the discount with Giordano and get a very comparable floor and a slight downgrade in upside. He has only recorded one point on the year but has already blocked 11 shots and added six shots on net. He gets heavy minutes as the Flames top D man and is due to breakout.

Kris Russell FD - $3500 DK - $3900
Opponent - CAR
Proj Pts FD - 7.29 DK - 2.18

When looking for a cheap D man in daily fantasy I always look for a guy who gets 20+ minutes of ice time and can provide a decent floor with blocks or shots on net. Russell doesn't contribute offensively on a regular basis but is very active defensively and averages over two blocks per game after a season where he blocked close to 3.5 per game. He is a great play for cash games to save salary.

 

 

 

Hockey is back and with it come our NHL projections which help inform these picks every night. When you purchase a DFSR NHL subscription to our base hockey projections you also get accessto our brand new NFL DFS suite of tools including full projections, optimal NFL lineups and our Player Lab, which includes filters to help you create NFL lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings for any format. It’s a set of tools well beyond anything we’ve ever had, and something we feel will help our users *ahem* tackle the NFL season.

If you want to see the numbers behind our projections, create linueps with a single click, or research as deeply as your heart desires, click the button below to test out yourself.