Welcome back hockey fans. On a normally quiet day in fantasy hockey, we get a decent six-game slate that includes five Top 10 offenses and five bottom 10 defenses giving us a ton of options to help build our lineups. Let's dig in and take a look at a few of the top options at each position and don't forget to grab a copy of my cheatsheet in the chat or comments section.
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 - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 15.84 DK - 3.96
There are currently no odds out for this game at the time of writing this article but Lundqvist is my top goalie on a slate with limited options to get excited about. He once again got off to a slow start this season but like he has so many times, has bounced back nicely getting the Rangers back into the race before Christmas. He has only picked up a win in six of his last 10 starts but has been above average with a .932 save % while facing just shy of 31 shots per game. He is getting to face a dangerous Stars team at the right time as they have struggled over the last week dropping three straight games while scoring just five goals. Fire up King Henrik in all formats.
**Update - Ondrej Pavelec is making the start for the Rangers. This gives the slate a little more of a GPP feel and I now trust Hellebuyck the most**
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 15.04 DK - 3.76
I have been a fan of Hellebuyck all season and he has delivered with a 15-3-4 record but will be a GP only play tonight as he has struggled recently. He has won five of his last 10 games but has recorded just a .901 save % having given up four or more goals four times in that span. What intrigues me tonight is that the Jets are big -180 home favorites as the Canucks and their weak 26th ranked offense comes to town. If you are playing on FanDuel, there is a case to be made using him in cash games if you are trying to save some salary as he is the 7th most expensive option.
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 14.21 DK - 4.23
After missing four games with an upper-body injury, Evgeni Malkin returned to the Penguins lineup at the start of December and has been red hot. He has tallied at least one point(six total) in all five games while recording 17 shots on goal. Malkin and the Penguins now get a plus matchup on Monday night and while the Avalanche did snap out of a mini losing streak against the Panthers, they have given up 19 goals over their last four games and rank 25th overall this season. Malkin comes at a big discount from Crosby on both sites and is safe in all formats.
Stack with: Phil Kessel, Jake Guentzel
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 15.39 DK - 4.39
Trocheck filled in for Aleksander Barkov, who is day-to-day, on the top line on Saturday night and picked up an assist to extend his point streak to four games where he has tallied seven total points. There is a chance he will be back up on the top line on Monday as it's still not clear if Barkov will return. Either way, he is one of the top PTS/$ plays on the slate as he not only has flashed the upside this season with 30 points in 29 games but he has also provided a very high floor averaging 3.4 shots per game.
Stack with: Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad
Also Consider: Nathan MacKinnon(COL)
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 18.61 DK - 5.38
With plenty of value on defense(see below) and at the forward position, it would be crazy to fade the "Great 8" right now. He picked up an assist on Friday night and now has points in four straight and seven of his last eight games with 39 shots on goal. Speaking of shots, he leads the league, by a wide margin, with 140 on the season and with a 15% shooting percentage also leads the league with 21 goals. Despite going on the road tonight, Ovi and the Caps get a terrific matchup vs. the Islanders who rank 28th in defense who has given up 23 goals in their last five games. Fire up Ovi in all formats.
Stack with: Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 13.17 DK - 3.78
If you are looking to go a bit more balanced at the wing position consider Anders Lee who is well on his way to a career-best season. After scoring 34 a year ago, he already has 17 this season while playing alongside Josh Bailey and superstars John Tavares. He comes into this plus matchup vs. the Pens 23rd ranked defense red-hot as well with goals in five of his last seven games and whiel he doesn't provide elite shot volume, has multi-shot games in 10 of his last 11. He is in play in all formats.
Stack with: Josh Bailey, John Tavares
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 8.9 DK - 2.49
My top value play at the position tonight is Kyle Connor who has stepped up into a top-six role this season and delivered in a big way. He skates on the top line with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler and has already recorded eight goals and 18 points and has also provided a high floor for fantasy lately averaging three shots per game over his last 10. Tonight, he and the Jets get a plus matchup at home as the Canucks come to town having dropped two straight games where they have given up eight goals. Connor is in play in all formats, especially on FanDuel in the mid $4K range.
Stack with: Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler
Also Consider: Jeff Skinner(CAR)
DEFENSEMEN
Opponent - PIT
Proj Pts FD - 10.92 DK - 3.22
If you are looking for value at the defense position, there are not many players who have been better(from a fantasy perspective) than Erik Johnson. He is never really considered an upside play with just 11 points on the season but has scored in back to back games but what should draw your attention is the high floor he is providing. Over his last 10 games, he has tallied 23 blocks and 35 shots on goal. Fire him up in all formats tonight.
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 9.52 DK - 2.87
Digging even deeper for a value/salary relief play to help fit some of the top forwards, we find Esa Lindell who is no stranger to our articles this season. Like Johnson, he isn't going to give us elite upside but in his second full NHL season is close to setting a career-high with 11 points so far while skating over 21 minutes per game. What really intrigues me is that he adds a nice combination of blocks and shots. Over his last 10 games, he has 26 shots and 21 blocks and comes at a sub $4K price on both sites.
Also Consider: Kris Letang(PIT) if wanting to pay up tonight.
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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NHL sheet for Monday:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1S1GDWNR-Y1hOtetS92Y032FQloYJXurXFpObVqw5NM4/edit?usp=sharing