Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 10/15/17

Hello hockey fans and welcome to another day of NHL action here at DFSR. We have a tiny three-game slate today, but there are still a couple of juicy games to take advantage of. Let's get started, shall we?

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 lineups with a single click, or research as deeply as your heart desires, click the button below to test out yourself.

GOALIE

John Gibson FD - $8300 DK - $8100
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 18.05 DK - 4.51

The Ducks' #1 net-minder hasn't been in his best form to start the season as his GAA is 3.00 and his save % is .923 after four games, but he does have a 2-1-1 record so far and Anaheim has a plus matchup on home-ice this evening as they welcome the Buffalo Sabres to town who have a record of 0-4-1. This will be their third west-coast road game in four nights and they are ranked 23rd in the league on offense with a measly 2.20 goals scored per game. Gibson is my favorite goalie in all formats for this tiny three-game slate.

Also Consider: Darcy Kuemper (LA)

CENTERS

Rickard Rakell FD - $6700 DK - $6600
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 10.83 DK - 3.1

With Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler injured, Rakell has had to step up and play a bigger role for his team and so far he has done a decent job. He has two goals and two assists in five games while averaging 4.2 shots on goal per game. He skates on the #1 line and the #1 PP unit for the Ducks and tonight's opponent, the Buffalo Sabres have allowed a brutal 4.20 goals per game which is 2nd worst in the league so far this season. The center position is very thin today, so make sure you fire Rakell up in all formats.

Stack with: Jakob Silfverberg, Andrew Cogliano

Brock Nelson FD - $4200 DK - $3900
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 11.14 DK - 3.1

Yikes! I told you this position was thin, but it's a tiny slate so it is what it is. John Tavares is doing next to nothing on the ice lately, so I won't be spending the money to roster him today. Instead, I like Nelson who has quietly been one of the Islanders best players. He scored a goal last night and he has three goals, an assist and 10 shots in his last three games. He is seeing more ice-time this season at regular strength as well as the PP and I don't mind him in any format today, because of the instability of the position.

PP Stack with: Josh Bailey, Andrew Ladd

WINGERS

James Neal FD - $7900 DK - $6900
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 18.4 DK - 5.22

This guy is a sniper and he's already a hero in  "Sin City." He scored the very first goal in Vegas franchise history, as well as two game-winning goals for a total of six goals and 14 shots on goal in only four games. Neal is easily the most proven player on this brand new team and look for him to keep carrying them on his back. He offers a safe floor with his shot output and with his sniping abilities, he has a large ceiling on any given day.

Stack with: David Perron, Cody Eakin (PP)

Dustin Brown FD - $4100 DK - $4900
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 14.72 DK - 4.02

I actually struggled for words to start this guy's write-up because I never thought he would ever make it close to one of my fantasy hockey articles. This kind of stuff makes us all feel good though. Brownie has always been a better real-life player than a fantasy one and this is his 14th year in the league. His highest point total was 60 in the 2007-2008 season. Well, this year he came to camp extremely motivated and in great shape and he is proving that fact as he already has four goals, two assists and 17 shots in four games. He skates on the #1 line and the #1 PP unit while averaging 20 minutes of ice-time per game. I don't think we can fade him in any format at these prices at least not with this kind of production.

Stack with: Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter (PP)

Also Consider: David Pastrnak

DEFENSEMEN

Drew Doughty FD - $5300 DK - $5800
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 11.97 DK - 3.6

I don't understand why Doughty is so cheap especially on FanDuel, but that's fine with me. The superstar defenseman has a goal, two assists 13 shots on goal and 10 blocked shots  in only four games while averaging just under 26 minutes of ice-time per game. Doughty also plays on the #1 PP unit and he kills a lot of penalties so he is an elite play in all formats today.

Also Consider: Brandon Montour (Ana)

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.