Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane (88) during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Welcome to another huge day of daily fantasy hockey. Saturday brings us a split slate with three afternoon games 10 games on the main state later tonight. 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.
Early Slate
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 15.79 DK - 3.95
The early slate is a bit of a mess at goalie with the top two guys(Holtby & Price) facing each other today. The Jets are the biggest favorites(-160) of the three early games which has me leaning Pavelec. To be honest, I would only recommend playing GPP's in the early slate as Pavelec just doesn't ring those "safety" bells to me. Despite being on the road, he gets a great matchup vs. the Avalanche who rank dead last in both offense and defense and have been terrible at home(5-18-1) all season long.
Main Slate
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 18.7 DK - 4.67
Looking at the 10 game main slate, there are two big favorites(SJ/NSH), both at home in great spots to come out victorious and produce the top goalie of the night. I lean Rinne over Jones for two reasons. First of all, the Sharks rank third overall in shots against and Jones has only seen around 26 shots per 60 minutes which really limits the floor on a night to night basis. Second, Rinne is coming off a 31 save shutout of the Oilers and now faces a struggling Red Wings team playing on a back to back night.
Also Consider: Martin Jones(GPP)
Early Slate
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 13.58 DK - 4.44
There is definitely merit in fading him in tournaments as the ownership should see a big bump with his recent form. He picked up two goals against the Stars on Thursday and has now recorded three straight multi-point games and has 14 points over his last 10 games. The shot volume isn't exactly where we would like it but the price is still in a range where we can deal with just over two shots a game, especially in an elite matchup vs. the Avs 30th ranked defense.
Stack with: Blake Wheeler, Mathieu Perreault(PP)
Main Slate
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 14.79 DK - 4.88
When looking at the main slate, the first thing that stands out is the Sharks at home as -270 favorites. When looking at a cash game center, Couture fits the mold best on the team as he doesn't cost an arm and a leg(Burns) and ranks inside the top 50 in shot attempts per 60 minutes played. He is currently centering the second line of Mikkel Boedker and Patrick Marleau and also skates on the top powerplay unit with big and little Joe. There is also tons of upside tonight for the Sharks PP as the Coyotes not only rank 27th in PK but have been operating at a 67% clip since mid-January.
PP Stack with: Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Brent Burns
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 11.74 DK - 3.58
The Sens/Sabres game isn't expected to be high scoring but that doesn't mean there isn't fantasy value. Turris has been playing some of his best hockey of the year lately and is a safe play in all formats. He went into the All-Star break with nine points in his last 10 games and has come out of the break with three points in his first two games. He is averaging over 19 minutes of ice time per game and has also seen an uptick in shot volume averaging nearly a full shot more per game lately.
Stack with: Bobby Ryan, Ryan Dzingel
Early Slate
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 13.23 DK - 3.97
The Jets are just in too favorable of a spot to fade today. They have won three straight games and have scored four or more goals in five of their last seven games. Ehlers gives us exposure to the other Jets top line and the best part is that he skates with Scheifele on the top powerplay unit giving you more reason to stack the two together. Ehlers comes into today's action with a three-game point streak on the line and has averaged just over three shots in his last 10 games.
Stack with: Patrick Laine, Bryan Little
Main Slate
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 14.3 DK - 4.58
How do you fade an average of 4.5 shots per game over the last three weeks? You don't, plain and simple. The offense has't been standing out as he has only tallied seven points over the last 10 games but things are looking up as he is coming off a multi-point effort vs. the Coyotes on Thursday. He gets another high-end matchup tonight against the Stars and their 29th ranked defense. Kane is safe in all formats.
Stack with: Artem Anisimov, Artemi Panarin
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 9.35 DK - 3.11
Next, we are going to dip into the Leafs young offensive core for a play suitable for all formats tonight. William Nylander(5th) is one of three Leafs first year players(Matthews & Marner) occupying the Top 5 in rookie scoring. For fantasy, he is an excellent play in any format as he comes with a nice floor for the mid $5K price tag, averaging just over 2.5 shots on goal per game and plays on the top lie with Matthews.
Stack with: Auston Matthews, Zach Hyman
DEFENSEMEN
Early Slate
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 9.69 DK - 2.96
You guessed it. The Flyers rookie D-man highlights our picks once again. He has continually proved he doesn't need to contribute offensively to hit value in daily fantasy. He is becoming an elite all-around option that provides a balanced combination of shot volume and shot blocking while playing big minutes for a defensive lacking Flyers team. Until his price at least reaches the mid $5K range, I will auto play him on a nightly basis.
Main Slate
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 16.5 DK - 5.26
I normally like implementing two value or punt options on the point but tonight will be an exception. Karlsson is an elite play in all formats as he has come out of the All-Star break on fire! He has recorded back to back multi-point games against the Panthers and Lightning while firing 11 shots on net and blocking six shots. That is now 12 points over his last 10 games with 28 shots on goal and 29 blocks.
Also Consider: Marc-Edouard Vlasic(SJ)
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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