Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 1/31/18

Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 1/31/18

Hello hockey fans and welcome to another day of NHL action here at DFSR. Today, we have a tiny three-game slate, but we have the league's worst defense as well as a few high-powered offenses hitting the ice, so we will still have our share of excitement and let's dive right into today's 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

Braden Holtby FD - $9100 DK - $8300
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 14.23 DK - 3.56

Holtby and the Capitals are a much better team on home ice as they're ranked 18th overall defensively, but they tighten up all the way to third overall when playing in Washington. The veteran tender is 5-1-2 in his last eight games while earning a respectable .923 save % and a 2.17 GAA so far this season and the Flyers own the league's 18th ranked offense, so Holtby is the only goalie that I'm considering in all formats this evening.

 

CENTERS

Logan Couture FD - $6600 DK - $6400
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 13.69 DK - 4.03

With news that "Big Joe" Thornton will be out for a couple of months, this guy has stepped up in a huge way with three goals(he just scored one as I write this) on five shots in his last two games and he now has 36 points in 44 games. The Red Wings are ranked 10th-worst defensively, so look for Couture and company to score a few goals this evening and he is a solid play in all formats.

Stack with: Tomas Hertl, Joe Pavelski(PP)

Auston Matthews FD - $7800 DK - $7100
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 15.98 DK - 4.58

Nazem Kadri FD - $5300 DK - $4900
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 9.44 DK - 2.79

We need to take advantage of the Islanders and their league-worst defense this evening and these two guys center the #1 and #2 lines and the #1 and #2 powerplay units for the Leafs. Matthews has three goals and an assist in his last four games to go along with 19 shots in his last six, and Kadri has been on fire in his last two games with three goals and eight shots. The Leafs are listed as -190 home favorites this evening with the total at 6.5 goals, so expect a goal-fest and fire these two guys up in all formats.

Stack Matthews with: Michael Nylander, Zack Hyman

Stack Kadri with: Patrick Marleau, Leo Komarov

 

Also Consider: Nicklas Backstrom(WSH)

 

WINGERS

Alex Ovechkin FD - $8800 DK - $7900
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 17.71 DK - 5.13

Fading Ovechkin on any given slate is tough enough to do, so on a three-game slate, he is a no-brainer in all formats. "The Great Eight" had a goal, an assist, and eight shots last game to give him two goals, two assists, and 13 shots in his last three games. He also provides an elite floor as he leads the league with an incredible 4.2 shots on goal per game. Fire up Ovi in all formats tonight.

Stack with: Evgeny Kuznetsov, 

Jordan Eberle FD - $5900 DK - $5600
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 11.85 DK - 3.43

Anthony Beauvillier FD - $4100 DK - $5100
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 7.93 DK - 2.56

These two wingers play on the same line for the Islanders, but one is a great play on Draftkings and one on Fanduel. Let's start with Eberle who is only $500 more expensive over at Draftkings. In his last four games, he has three goals and 16 shots, and next, we have Beauvillier who is $1800 cheaper on Fanduel and he has four goals, an assist, and 11 shots in his last four games. Like I said above, the total for this game is set at 6.5 goals and the Leafs are ranked below average defensively(17th), so lock and load these two guys in all formats.

Stack with: Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson (PP)

 

Also Consider: Timo Meier(SJ)

 

DEFENSEMEN

John Carlson FD - $5700 DK - $6400
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 11.74 DK - 3.54

I'm going to tell you right now that Brent Burns is a great play any time he hits the ice, but this guy is much cheaper on both sites and he's been playing very well lately. In his last three games, the veteran has two goals, an assist, a whopping 21 shots, and three blocks while averaging 26 minutes of ice-time making him an elite play in all formats.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic FD - $4400 DK - $4900
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 9.45 DK - 2.83

Last, but certainly not least is the French-Canadian point man, who has two goals, three assists, seven shots, and 16 blocks in his last four games, so at these prices he is simply too cheap for the production he has been providing, therefore making him an elite cash game play and a solid GPP play against a weak Red Wings defense.

Also Consider: Brent Burns(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.

image sources

  • Alex Ovechkin: Alex Brandon - AP Images
Ryan Couckuyt