Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 10/18/18

Welcome back hockey fans. Thursday brings us a big nine-game slate with just two teams(BOS, NYI) on a back to back and the slate also includes eight of the Top 10 offenses so buckle up for another high-scoring slate. Let's jump in and take a look at some of the top plays at each position.

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GOALIE

Andrei Vasilevskiy FD - $9000 DK - $8500
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 22.29 DK - 5.57

Vasilevskiy is our top projected goalie tonight and it makes perfect sense as he has gotten off to a tremendous start to the season. He took a hard-luck loss to the Canucks a week ago but won his other two starts and has allowed just five goals against in those three starts for a .950 save % and 1.64 GAA. He now gets an elite matchup as a huge home favorite( )against a Red Wings team that has started off 0-4-2 and has struggled to score goals averaging just 2.3 per game. Pay up and lock Vasilevskiy into your lineups in all formats tonight.

Martin Jones FD - $8400 DK - $8000
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 20.48 DK - 5.12
Aaron Dell FD - $7700 DK - $7800
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 18.03 DK - 4.51

For a GPP play or even a value cahs play to help load up at other positions, I will be turning to the Sharks goalies tonight. Neither has been great to start the season as they have split the starting job but I would prefer if Dell started as he has been the better of the two going 1-0-1 in his two starts with a .917 save %(Jones 1-3 with a .880 save %). While the Sharks defense has struggled allowing 3.2 goals against per game so has the Sabres offense as they have scored just 12 goals in their six games. The Sharks are big favorites(-230) tonight on home ice so get on board in the late game.

Also Consider: Connor Hellebuyck(WPG)

CENTERS

Auston Matthews FD - $8600 DK - $8200
Opponent - PIT
Proj Pts FD - 17.15 DK - 6.76

Until Matthews cools off or at least slows down this torrid pace, fading him would be a mistake. He has been nothing short of amazing to start the 2018-19 campaign as he has now recorded seven straight multi-point games and leads the league with a whopping 16 points. The floor has also been there as he is averaging 3.1 shots and 1.1 blocks per game on just over 18 minutes of ice-time. Early in the season the trend has most definitely been high scoring games and this has all the makings of another one as the Pens have given up an average of 3.8 goals per game and the Leafs just over three per game. Get as much exposure to this game as possible and for it starts with Matthews.

Stack with: Patrick Marleau, Kasperi Kapanen

Jonathan Toews FD - $7100 DK - $6800
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 10.89 DK - 4.66

If you are looking to go a more balanced approach or go with two elite centers tonight, you can't go wrong with Jonathan Toews. After a somewhat disappointing season for teh Blackhawks captain, he changed up some offseason training in hopes of getting faster and scoring more goals. So far so good as he already has five goals(20 all last year) and nine points and has provided a very high floor as well averaging just shy of four shots on goal per game. He has helped elevate his linemate and second-year player Alex Debrincat to a hot start as well and now the pair gets to go up against a Coyotes team on home ice. Both are terrific targets in all formats and should be paired together.

Stack with: Alex Debrincat, Dominik Kahun

Tyler Johnson FD - $5600 DK - $5100
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 9.27 DK - 3.6

On the value end of things at the center position, I will be looking to Tyler Johnson who is now centering elite sniper Nikita Kucherov after Jon Cooper did a line shakeup last week. Johnson is coming off a hat-trick performance against the Hurricanes on Tuesday and recorded two assists the game before against the Blue Jackets. He isn't known to be a high-volume shooter especially with Kucherov on his wing but he is currently averaging 3.3 shots on goal per game at the moment which helps elevate his floor from a safety standpoint. Above all else, Johnson and the Bolts get a plus matchup tonight against a struggling Red Wings team that is winless and is giving up a league-high 4.83 goals per game. Fire up Johnson in all formats tonight and pair him with his linemates in GPP formats.

Stack with: Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat

WINGERS

Phil Kessel FD - $8000 DK - $6600
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 14.64 DK - 5.59

This pick is right up narrative street as Kessel will head back into Toronto to face his old team that he spent the better part of six seasons with earlier in his career. To be fair, I don't really sign up to narritives when predicting fantasy outputs and there is a lot more to this pick as Kessel, first of all, comes at a discount from some of the other wingers tonight and is in a game that could see a ton of scoring. He is also off to a hot start sitting second in points on the team with eight and while the shot volume is down from last year, I fully expect that to come back up above the three per game range.

Stack with: Evgeni Malkin, Carl Hagelin, Sidney Crosby(PP)

Kyle Connor FD - $5400 DK - $6100
Opponent - VAN
Proj Pts FD - 11.71 DK - 4.28

Whenever looking at the mid-range at the winger position I always look in the direction fo the Jets. This isn't the first time I have mentioned Kyle Connor and it most definitely won't be the last. He has scored a goal in four of the Jets six games and for cash, what stands out the most is the high floor he is producing as he is averaging 3.5 shots on goal per game. Finally, what stands out the most about Connor is that his price has dropped $200 on FanDuel and a whopping $700 on DraftKings. He gives us exposure to the Jets powerful top line in the mid-range and is safe in all formats.

Stack with: Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler

Ty Rattie FD - $4600 DK - $4200
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 4.05 DK - 2.4

A good strategy when looking for a value player at the forward position is to find a player who is getting more opportunity by jumping up a line or a player who is skating alongside a superstar. Rattie falls into the second category as he skates on the Oilers top line with Connor McDavid. The upside could be higher as he has just two points in four games but the opportunity is there and he has also tallied multiple shots in three of those four games including a season-high five last time out against the Jets. There is risk in rolling him out there in cash games but at his price against a Bruins team playing on a back to back, it is definitely viable tonight.

Stack with: Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

DEFENSEMEN

Alexander Edler FD - $5500 DK - $5800
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 8.94 DK - 3.77
Morgan Rielly FD - $5700 DK - $6200
Opponent - PIT
Proj Pts FD - 9.31 DK - 3.96

If you are spending up at defense tonight there are two names that stand out above the rest. I will start with Morgan Rielly who is off to a historic pace for a defenseman with 13 points through his first seven games for the high-flying Leafs. He is only getting just over 20 minutes of ice-time per game but he is making the most of it, especially on the powerplay where he has tallied six of those points. Not only does he provide huge upside in this matchup against the Penguins he also has provided a high floor with 23 shots and 15 blocks.

For Edler, he doesn't have near the same upside as Reilly but hits cash value almost every single night on blocked shots alone. He leads the league in that category with 35 through six games(5.8 per game) and has also added 13 shots on goal and five points(three on the powerplay). On FanDuel where both players are nowhere near the price of Karlsson, Burns or Letang but outperforming them from a fantasy standpoint it is fair to say they are elite targets in all formats. On DraftKings, it is a little closer in price for them but they are still viable in all formats provided you can find a punt value play to roll out with them at defense.

Jack Johnson FD - $3700 DK - $3300
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 5.03 DK - 2.21

To fit some of the top players tonight, we are going to need a punt or two and one that I will be using in cash games is Jack Johnson. He provides little to no upside as he has yet to record a point this season but he has hit cash value in each of the last two games with seven blocks and three shots on goal. The Penguins defensive corps are a little thin right now so he is going to get his ice-time as well and he started the season playing over two minutes per game on the powerplay so hopefully that trend picks back up. If not, he plays a ton of time on the penalty kill where he picks up most of his blocks.

Also Consider: Duncan Keith(CHI), Sami Vatanen(NJ)

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