Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8), from Russia, pauses on the ice in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Welcome back hockey fans. After a couple slow days in the National Hockey League, we are back with a large 11-game slate with a ton of players in great positions to put up points for your fantasy team. Let's dig in and take a look at a few of the top plays at each position.
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.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 20.44 DK - 5.11
Vasilevskiy is easily the top option at the position in all formats if he is back between the pipes for the Lightning. He has started all but one game this season and has been dominant with an 8-1 record and a .936 save percentage that sits #2 overall among goalies with five or more starts. Even after a few rough starts early where the offense backed him up, he has rebounded in a big way and has only allowed five goals against over his last five starts. Tonight he gets another top matchup as the Bolts are huge -220 home favorites facing a struggling Red Wings team that has lost five straight games. Vasilevskiy has reached a season-high salary on both sites but is still in play in all formats.
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 14.48 DK - 3.62
If you are playing tournaments and looking for some upside and separation, consider Michal Neuvirth. He is the Flyers backup which helps keep his price in the mid $7K range on both sites and he has been terrific to start the season. Through three starts, he has allowed just four goals for a league-leading .957 save % but has fallen on some bad luck and lost two of those games. He sits as a GPP only play tonight as he draws another tough matchup on the road in Ottawa but the upside is there as the Sens fire a ton of shots on goal(33.4 per game).
Also Consider: Matt Murray(PIT) in GPP formats
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 16.59 DK - 4.96
The toughest thing to do on these big slates at the moment is choosing a top center as the position is absolutely loaded(Crosby, McDavid, Seguin, Matthews). You get the point. I am not against any of them tonight but on DraftKings I lean Stamkos with his slight discount. He also leads the league with 20 points this season and comes into tonight with five straight multi-point games. He also gets a top matchup vs. a struggling Red Wings team that has lost five straight while allowing 18 goals. In cash games, it makes sense to pair him with Namestnikov who comes with a mid-tier price tag and in tournaments add Nikita Kucherov to your line stack as he leads the league in goals but also comes with an elite price tag.
Stack with: Nikita Kucherov, Vladislav Namestnikov
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 13.36 DK - 3.98
After the elite options at the top, I think we can get a bit of separation by rolling out Zibanejad. The price is going up and he is averaging under a point per game but gets the best matchup on the board facing a Coyotes team that has yet to win a game and sits with the league's worst defense that is allowing 4.3 goals per game. It is also a positive sign that Zibanejad has tallied six or more shots twice in the last four games and plays on the top line and powerplay unit. All things considered, he is in play in all formats.
Stack with: Rick Nash, J.T. Miller
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 12.03 DK - 3.32
Digging deeper down the value chain is once shut down center, Sean Couturier. He has spent most of his career as a third line option for the Flyers but in 2017 the team made a ton of changes moving him up to the top line to center Claude Giroux, who was moved to the wing, and Jakub Voracek. He has taken to the new role very well averaging a point per game through the first nine while maintaining his excellent defensive prowess with a +10 rating. He also skates on the top powerplay unit and with a mid $5K price tag, can also be considered in all formats despite the tougher matchup on the road.
Stack with: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 17.61 DK - 5.17
After scoring seven goals in his first two games, Ovi has scored just three in his last seven games but is still an option in all formats thanks to his elite shot volume that gives him a very high floor. He leads the league averaging 5.6 shots on goal per game and is one of the most elite goal scorers of our generation as he currently sits 22nd on the all-time list with 568 goals and is once again on pace for his ninth 40+ goal season. The Canucks defense has been a bit of a surprise this season but they have not faced a goal scorer like Ovi since their first game when McDavid recorded a hat trick on them. Roll Ovi out with confidence.
Stack with: Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alex Chiasson
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 11.88 DK - 3.39
Rakell filled in nicely while Ryan Getzlaf was on the shelf early in the season and was even a nice matchup type player skating on the second line with Cogliano and Silfverberg. With Getzlaf now healthy, the Ducks made the move last game and placed Rakell on the wing on the top line with Getzlaf and Perry which helps us stomach the rising price on both sites. The good news is that he responded in his first game on the line with a goal on four shots and the red-hot Ducks(12 goals in last two games) get another top matchup vs. the Panthers who rank as a bottom five team when looking at defense this season(3.8 goals against per game).
Stack with: Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf
Opponent - SJ
Proj Pts FD - 7.95 DK - 2.36
With so many superstar players on this big slate tonight, we are going to need to dig deep and find some value. Enter rookie Anders Bjork of the Bruins who has responded in a big way since being thrust into a top line role with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. In his first seven NHL games, he has scored three goals and added three assists with points in three of his last four games. As long as he continues to skate on the top line and comes witha mid $4K price tag, he will be a top value play almost every game the Bruins play.
Stack with: Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand
DEFENSEMEN
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 15.05 DK - 4.47
When paying up for a high priced player on defense we need to make sure they offer fantasy value in multiple areas. Enter John Klingberg who continues to grow as a real-life player but also as a fantasy player. Through the first nine games of the season, he ranks fourth in points(9) and sixth in shots on goal(29 or 3.2 per game) among all defensemen which put him at the top of the list for fantasy on a nightly basis.
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 11.57 DK - 3.53
The Los Angeles Kings are one of, if not my favorite team to target for defense value. Drew Doughty is always a nice option but comes at a higher price and you have heard us also talk about Jake Muzzin on a regular basis. Tonight I will be leaning on Alec Martinez who does lack the offensive upside of the other two but has an elite floor for the price with his balance of shots(15) and blocks(21). With a mid $4K price tag, he is safe in all formats.
Also Consider: Shayne Gostisbehere(PHI), Olli Maatta(PIT)
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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