Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 10/30/18

Welcome back hockey fans. After a slow Monday night, we are back with a huge 11-game slate on Tuesday with two teams(MIN, CGY) on a back to back and both also playing a third game in four nights. Let's dig in and take a look at some of the top plays at each position.

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GOALIE

Andrei Vasilevskiy FD - $9100 DK - $7900
Opponent - NJ
Proj Pts FD - 14.83 DK - 3.71

There is a nice selection of goalies to pay up for tonight but for cash games, Bobrovsky(CBJ) and Murray(PIT) have been way too inconsistent which has me leaning Vasilevskiy as my top option tonight. Outside of one bad start where he gave up five goals to the Wild on the road, Vasilevskiy has been elite holding opponents to two or fewer goals in each of his other six starts and now sits with a 5-1-1 record, 1.83 GAA, and elite .940 save %. The matchup may not seem terrific as the Devils rank 6th in offense but have played seven of eight games at home and have lost their only road game. They now start a long seven-game road trip and face a Bolts who are 4-1 at home. The decision is closer on FanDuel where Vasilevskiy is the most expensive option but on DraftKings it is much easier as he is priced in the sub $8K range.

Martin Jones FD - $8600 DK - $8300
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 15.06 DK - 3.77

The other option I am looking to tonight in all formats is Martin Jones. Not only are the Sharks the biggest favorites(-260) on the slate but they also get a tremendous matchup against a Rangers team that has lost four of their last five games and sit with a 3-7-1 record on the season while ranking 27th in offense scoring just 2.45 goals per game. The only issue I have with Jones is that the Sharks give up the fifth-fewest shots per game(28.4) which limits their goalie's upside in GPP's but the win probability is high enough to not worry too much about cash games.

Also Consider: Antti Raanta(ARI) who is a big -192 favorite at home with the #1 defense in front of him vs. a Sens team that has dropped three straight scoring just seven goals

CENTERS

Evgeni Malkin FD - $8700 DK - $7900
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 13.91 DK - 5.27

The Penguins/Islanders game opened with a huge 6.5 Vegas Total so it would seem they are not buying into early season defensive rankings(NYI-4th, PIT-14th). I know that I definitely don't buy into the Islanders Top 5 ranking coming off a season where they were dead last in the category and are also giving up nearly 34 shots per game this season. Malkin is the player I am targeting the most on the Penguins as he comes in red-hot with points in seven straight and eight of his nine games on the season including six multi-point efforts. He has also seen an uptick in shot volume lately with 15 over his last five games. All things considered, he is the center I will have the most exposure to on Tuesday night.

Stack with: Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby(PP), Kris Letang(PP)

Dylan Larkin FD - $6200 DK - $5800
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 10.72 DK - 4.65

The Red Wings are having a disastrous start to the season sitting at the bottom of the league with just two wins in nine games while ranking 29th in offense but that doesn't mean we can't target them in fantasy. The one player I am looking at tonight is Dylan Larkin who comes in the mid-tier of pricing on both sites and has provided a high floor for cash games averaging over three shots on goal and over 20 minutes of ice-time per game. He has also provided some upside with nine points and gets a plus matchup tonight vs. a Blue Jackets team that has given up four or more goals in four straight and six of their last seven games. He is in play in all formats tonight.

PP Stack with: Anthony Mantha, Justin Abdelkader

Also Consider: Jack Eichel(BUF) who is averaging over 4.1 shots and a point per game against the 22nd ranked Flames defense

WINGERS

Evander Kane FD - $6900 DK - $6300
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 11.39 DK - 4.97

If you have been targeting against the Rangers early this season you have been a happy camper. They rank 21st overall in defense allowing 3.45 goals per game and have been even worse lately allowing four goals against in four of their last five games. On top of that, they have allowed an average of 34.9 shots against per game which plays right into Evander Kane's fantasy value. On the season, Kane is averaging just under four shots on goal per game with an elite 23.4 iCorsi/60 and has also added 10 points(three on the PP) in 11 games for a Sharks team that leads their division and ranks 8th in offense. All things considered, Kane is a terrific play in all formats at his sub $7K price tag on both sites.

Stack with: Joe Pavelski, Kevin Labanc

Rickard Rakell FD - $6900 DK - $5500
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 10.13 DK - 4.04

After a career-high 69 points a year ago, Rakell hasn't gotten off to the explosive start we all expected with just seven points in 12 games for the Ducks. There is no better matchup to get things going than at home against the Flyers who rank dead last in defense this season and the only team still allowing an average of over four goals against per game. The price is a little steep on FanDuel leaving him as a GPP option for me tonight but on DraftKings his price is back in the mid $5K range which brings him into the all formats conversation, especially in this matchup.

Stack with: Ryan Getzlaf, Adam Henrique

Also Consider: 

DEFENSEMEN

Dougie Hamilton FD - $5600 DK - $5400
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 8 DK - 3.1

From a PTS/$ perspective, Dougie Hamilton is easily my top play of the night on defense for cash games. His floor has been sky-high as he leads all defenseman with 47 shots which is backed up by a crazy 26.5 iCorsi/60 rating which is higher than any other player in the league(all positions) who has played at least five games. He has started out slow on the offensive side of things with just four points but the upside is most definitely there as he is coming off four straight 40+ point seasons and skates on the top even strength and second powerplay unit.

Kris Russell FD - $3600 DK - $4100
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 6.43 DK - 2.37

This is the first time mentioning Russell this year after he was a punt value favorite of mine a year ago when he led the league in shot blocks. He was nowhere to be found in the Oilers first two games but has been much better since tallying 28 blocks in his last eight games averaging 3.1 DraftKings/10.6 FanDuel points per game. The upside is limited as the points are few and far between which makes him a cash play only on DraftKings but on FanDuel in the mid $3K range, he is in play in all formats helping us to get to multiple top shelf players.

Also Consider: Erik Karlsson(SJ) on DraftKings who remains in the mid $5K range and gets a plus matchup against the Rangers 21st ranked offense and 24th ranked penalty kill

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