Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane celebrates after scoring his goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oiler,s Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015, in Chicago. The Blackhawks won 4-2. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Welcome back for another night of daily fantasy hockey with DFSR. Thursday brings us seven games with all home teams coming in as favorites once again. Even with six games last night there is only one team(DET) playing on a back to back. Let's dig in and take a look at some of the top value plays from the projection system.
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.
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 19.25 DK - 4.81
The decision to roster Crawford in daily fantasy this season comes down to one thing. Play him at home! Looking at his splits, he is averaging close to 35% more fantasy points at home where he is 7-2-3 with an impressive .938 save percentage. He is already confirmed and the Blackhawks are the second biggest favorite(-190) on the slate. They get a plus matchup vs. the Sabres who sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and don't provide much fire power ranking 28th overall in offense. Crawford is safe in all formats.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 17.62 DK - 4.4
Up next on the PTS/$ scale, when looking at the projections, is Peter Budaj who has been getting a ton of run while Jonathan Quick is out. He has been a key contributor to the Kings #6 ranked defense and has been really good lately winning two straight games and Budaj has not allowed more than two goals in a game since mid-December. The Kings are the biggest favorite(-205) on the slate tonight and get a matchup vs. a struggling Red Wings team who has lost eight of their last 11 games. I probably wouldn't consider him in cash games with Crawford in such a good spot but he makes an excellent high upside GPP play tonight.
Also Consider: Sergei Bobrovsky(CBJ)
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 15.47 DK - 4.72
Despite their struggles on the road this season, the Kings have been a top team on home ice. That is where they will be tonight as -205 favorites to the Red Wings. If you are targeting one player on the Kings make it Jeff Carter who has carried the offense with 33 points including nine points on the powerplay. He comes with elite shot volume(19.5shot att/60) which he has converted into 3.3 shots on goal per game this season. This makes him a very safe, high-upside play for any format tonight.
Stack With: Tanner Pearson, Devin Setoguchi
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 12.39 DK - 3.7
Once again we can not ignore the value that is the Columbus Blue Jackets. They continue to tear up the NHL with 16 straight wins and will look to tie the '92/'93 Penguins with 17 straight wins, the most in history. The offense has been on fire as well during the streak as they have only been held under three goals once. Wennberg isn't completely safe in cash games as he fails to provide even average shot volume but his body of work suggests his salary is a bargain for tournaments. He has tallied 12 points over his last 10 games including six points on the powerplay.
Stack with: Cam Atkinson(PP), Sam Gagner(PP), Nick Foligno
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 10.02 DK - 3.23
Big Joe, at age 37, is still providing value for fantasy hockey at a mid-tier salary on both sites. Like Wennberg, he doesn't provide enough safety in shot volume to be considered in cash games but still remains on of the top play makers in the league. he has nine assists over his last 10 games and when the Sharks are clicking on the powerplay he always seems to be right in the middle.
Stack with: Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 15.18 DK - 4.64
I get it. He doesn't stand out from a PTS/$ perspective like he did last season when he lead the league in points pretty much the entire season en route to winning the MVP. While he has only recorded nine points over his last 10 games(great for some players, average for him lol) he is firing the puck at an elite rate, averaging just under four per game. He comes at a discount from Ovi and Tarasenko and combining him with his linemates is a contrarian stacking approach tonight as the price to roster all three is very high and tough to fit.
Stack with: Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov
Opponent - NAS
Proj Pts FD - 16.02 DK - 5.21
Kucherov comes into tonight's game on absolute fire. He has recorded a point in five straight games including three multi-point efforts. What has been most impressive this season is very similar to what Crosby is doing. Both have missed time due to injury and played only 32 games. Kucherov sits just outside the Top 5 in points and sits second behind only Crosby in points per game(1.19). He gets a matchup vs. a middle of the road defensive team in the Preds who also struggle on the road(6-9-2). Safe in all formats.
Stack with: Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson
Opponent - STL
Proj Pts FD - 10.69 DK - 3.21
If you are looking to save a little bit of salary in your lineup to make room for some elite players consider Aho tonight. He is still a bit of an unknown name to most as he plays in Carolina but for those close to the game he is definitely turning heads. The rookie has already recorded 21 points this season and comes in hot having scored in two straight and picking up points in four straight games. He has also seen an uptick in shot volume with 18 shots in that time making him safe in all formats.
Stack with: Teuvo Teravainen, Lee Stempniak
DEFENSEMEN
Opponent - NAS
Proj Pts FD - 14.98 DK - 4.77
There is a huge gap in price between Brent Burns and everyone else tonight making it an easy choice to pivot down, at least in cash games. Right at the top of the next tier is Victor Hedman and it isn't even close. He has been red hot with 16 points over his last 10 games and now sits tied with Burns for the point lead(35) among defensemen. The only thing separating Burns from Hedman, from a fantasy perspective, is the elite shot volume that Burns provides. As of now Hedman is also providing a bit more upside with 17 points on the powerplay while Burns sits with just 11. Take the value tonight in all formats and roll with Hedman.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 11.12 DK - 3.44
For cash games, I always try and look for mid to low tier D-men and start by looking at shots and blocks. Lately, it has been Alec Martinez who has been standing out in this department as he has recorded 30 blocks and added 17 shots over his last 10 games while averaging 12.4 FanDuel/3.6 DraftKings points per game. He has also been much better on home ice where he has recorded 14 points in 16 games.
Also Consider: Andrej Sekera(EDM)
Hockey is back and with it comes 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.
image sources
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