Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 12/18/17

Hello and welcome to another day of daily fantasy hockey here at DFSR. Today, we have a small slate with only five games in action, but there are still some exciting games in store for us, so let's not waste any more time and dive right into some of my favorite picks.

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

Cory Schneider FD - $8200 DK - $8100
Opponent - ANA
Proj Pts FD - 14.96 DK - 3.74

This isn't an easy position today, but Schneider looks like the "safest" option as the Ducks are ranked third-worst offensively while scoring only 2.61 goals per game. The veteran tender has been sharp lately with a 2-0-1 record and only five goals allowed in those three games and he has a record of 5-2-1 in his last eight. The Devils should be fired up tonight as their superstar winger Taylor Hall will be back in action, so look for a Devils victory and fire Schneider up in your cash game lineups.

Tuukka Rask FD - $8200 DK - $7700
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 15.25 DK - 3.81

Here we have another veteran who has been sharp lately as he is 5-1-1 in his last seven games while allowing only 13 goals during that time. Tonight, the Blue Jackets and their 21st ranked offense(2.71 goals scored per game) travel to town and Vegas has the Bruins listed as -135 favorites to win. While I don't like targeting goalies in cash games when Sergei Bobrovsky is in the other net, I will be seriously considering Rask for my tournament lineups.

CENTERS

Nathan MacKinnon FD - $7800 DK - $6500
Opponent - PIT
Proj Pts FD - 11.91 DK - 3.55

We have two elite centers in action today in Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, but when we dig a little deeper, we find that this young superstar in the making has been outperforming them both lately. He has 38 points in 30 games and in his last two games, MacKinnon has four goals, an assist, and a whopping eleven shots on goal, and he has averaged an incredible 4.7 shots in his last seven. The Av's top line has been firing on all cylinders lately, which makes this young man an elite play in every single format against the Penguins and their 23rd ranked defense(3.15 goals allowed per game).

Stack with: Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog

Evgeni Malkin FD - $7900 DK - $7400
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 12.86 DK - 3.87

There is very little value at the center position today, so I believe that it's a great idea to roster a couple of higher end guys and then look for value at the winger position. The star Russian center had a goal, an assist, and five shots last game, which gives him an average of a point per game this season and he has points in seven of his last eight games(three goals, six assists). The Avalanche allow 3.31 goals per game which is sixth worst in the league, so lock and load this guy in all formats.

Stack with: Carl Hagelin, Patric Hornqvist

Also Consider: Connor McDavid

WINGERS

Taylor Hall FD - $7300 DK - $6800
Opponent - ANA
Proj Pts FD - 15.31 DK - 4.46

The Devils have surprised a lot of people this season as they are second in the Metropolitan division and only two points back of the first place Capitals. After missing two games due to a minor injury, they get their star winger back who scored two goals in his last game to give him 31 points in 30 games this season and he has averaged 3.5 shots on goal per game. The Ducks own a top-10 defense, but it is a small slate and with his high shot output and his ability to take over a game at any time, he is a solid play in all formats.

Stack with: Nico Hischier, Kyle Palmieri

Joe Pavelski FD - $6900 DK - $6400
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 14.32 DK - 4.16

"Little Joe" had a slow start to the season by his standards, but he has turned things around lately as he has a goal and four assists(three powerplay points) in his last five games to go along with 14 shots on goal. The veteran winger plays on the #1 line and the #1 powerplay for the sharks and while his shot volume is too low for me overall in cash games, I like stacking him with his powerplay line-mates in GPP formats against the Oilers who are ranked sixth worst in the league(3.21 goals allowed per game).

Stack with: Joe Thornton, Logan Couture(PP)

Danton Heinen FD - $3900 DK - $4200
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 10.96 DK - 3.19

When looking for value this evening, I stumbled upon this young man who has been playing well since he was recently upgraded to the #1 powerplay unit for the Bruins. In his last two games, he has a goal, two powerplay assists and six shots, and three goals, two assists, and 11 shots on goal in his last five games. He plays on the #3 line at even-strength, but he has still averaged 16 minutes on ice-time this season, so at these cheap prices, Heinen is a great cash game play.

Stack with: David Backes, Riley Nash

DEFENSEMEN

Brent Burns FD - $7200 DK - $7100
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 15.49 DK - 4.71

This bearded wonder has been on a rampage lately as he has four goals(three on the powerplay) and an impressive 14 shots on goal in his last three games. Like I said above, the Oilers are ranked sixth worst defensively, which means that Burns has a crazy amount of upside to go along with safety as he leads all defensemen with 128 shots on goal. Sometimes, we just need to pay up at the defense position and here is a perfect example, so fire Burns up in all formats and fade him at your own risk(not recommended).

Kris Russell FD - $4200 DK - $4300
Opponent - SJ
Proj Pts FD - 9.72 DK - 2.98

I wonder if this guy takes an ice bath after every single game as he leads the league with a painful but impressive 96 blocked shots and he has 39 in his last 10, which works out to an average of 3.9 per game(in case you are like me and are bad at math). What sweetens the deal, even more, is the fact that he has seven shots on goal in his last two games, so it is a smart idea to lock Russell into your cash game lineups.

Also Consider: Shayne Gostisbehere(PHI) in GPP formats, Alec Martinez(LA) in cash game formats. 

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.