Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) skates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Welcome back for another night of daily fantasy hockey with DFSR. Tonight we have a huge 13 game slate as it will be the last night of action before the All Star weekend. Let's dig in and take a look at some of the top values 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 - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 16.35 DK - 4.09
Mik Condon and the Senators are not the biggest favorites but Condon is definitely in the conversation as top goalie tonight. Even with a few poor performances lately, he has ran really good going 6-1-1 in his last eight starts including shutouts of the Capitals and Blue Jackets. Tonight the Sens are at home as -140 favorites to the struggling Flames who have dropped four straight while being outscored 20-7. Ouch! He is safe in all formats in this matchup tonight.
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 15.27 DK - 3.82
If you are looking for that owned option that could take you to GPP glory tonight, look no further than Mie Smith. This marks the first time this season I have recommended a Coyotes goalie and no I haven't gone insane....well all the way. I think you have to be a little insane to play and have success in GPP's as you have to think outside the box to separate yourself. The good part about Smith is that he faces a ton of shots(34.8/60) which gives him a very high floor and a ton of upside should he actually stop most of them. I look to Smith tonight mainly due to the matchup vs. the Canucks who have really struggled on the road this year(6-14-3) and rank outside the Top 25 in offense.
Also Consider: Devan Dubnyk(MIN)
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 17.02 DK - 5.2
While I would never fade Crosby completely, I will be in cash tonight as there are some other terrific options from a PTS/$ perspective. It starts with Auston Matthews of the Leafs who comes with a price tag under $8K on both sites and gets an elite matchup vs. the Flyers. Matthews is having an incredible rookie campaign with 23 goals and 39 points in his first 46 NHL games and appears poised to get the Leafs back to the playoffs. There is a little risk as the Leafs are playing back to back and a third game in four nights but it's the Flyers as painful as that is to say. Their defense is awful(ranked 25th) and prone to giving up three plus goals.
Stack with: Connor Brown, Zach Hyman
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 14.2 DK - 4.61
I am sticking with youth at the position in the #2 spot tonight. Despite missing most of October and November due to injury, Eichel sits fifth in Sabres scoring with 21 points in his first 26 games. He isn't always going to be the safest option as the Sabres offense struggles at times but he is the future and has a ton of multi-point upside which he has showed with three such games in his last 10 played.He now faces a Stars team that has given up 25 goals over their last six games played.
Stack with: Marcus Foligno, Sam Reinhart
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 11.98 DK - 3.77
For a balanced approach to your lineups, consider the Senators at home tonight, specifically Kyle Turris and the second line. He has 33 points on the season and has been very consistent lately with nine points in his last 10 games while skating close to 19.5 minutes per game. Stacking him with Dzingel and Ryan is a very affordable route for GPP's that allows you to stack two or three other high-end players. The Sens also get an elite matchup at home vs. the Flames who have lost four straight games while be outscored 20-7.
Stack with: Ryan Dzingel, Bobby Ryan
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 15.14 DK - 4.91
The more I look at the DraftKings salaries, the more shocked I get that the reigning MVP is in the mid $7K range right now. Not that he has been cold as he has 11 points over his last 10 games and 48 points in 50 games this season. He also has a very high floor averaging 3.4 shots on goal per game for the season and 4.4 shots on goal per game over the last 10 games played. He also gets a golden matchup at home vs. the Jets 27th ranked defense that has given up three or more goals in eight straight games. Lock and load!
Stack with: Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov
Opponent - STL
Proj Pts FD - 12.66 DK - 3.77
I will continue to ride the Wild's second line for value, even though those prices are quickly coming up on DraftKings. They have been one of the more consistent lines in the league this season as all three players have 30 or more points going into the break. Granlund has been the top option from a fantasy perspective leading the Wild with 40 points and nine over his last 10 games. He also provides the best shot volume of the three if you are playing cash games.
Stack with: Jason Zucker, Mikko Koivu
DEFENSEMEN
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 13.79 DK - 4.72
At the top of the D salary today I lean Erik Karlsson who comes at a big discount, especially on DraftKings. Now, I get that Burns is in the MVP race with his outstanding season but this is a salary cap game and we must be conscious of that. While Karlsson doesn't have the same offensive upside this season, he has provided a sky high floor averaging close to three blocks and three shots on goal per game. He plays huge minutes both at even strength and on the powerplay and gets a matchup vs. the Flames who rank 20th in defense.
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 9.65 DK - 2.96
While I won't be using Burns from the Sharks, I will most definitely be using Vlasic as he ranks as one of the top PTS/$ players of the entire slate. He isn't totally known for his offensive abilities, he has been red hot lately with eight of his 16 total points coming in the last 10 games while he has averaged 3.7 DK/13.2 FD points. He is safe for cash games as he also provides a high floor with a nice balance of shot blocking and shot volume and gets time on the powerplay.
Also Consider: Ivan Provorov(PHI)
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.
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