Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 12/10/18

Tuesday brings us a big 10-game slate with jsut two teams(LA, DET) playing on a back to back and two more(BOS, OTT) playing a third game in four nights. Seven of the Top 10 teams in offense are in action and almost every elite player it seems like so expect some high-scoring games. Let's jump in and take a look at some of the top plays at each position.

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GOALIE

Connor Hellebuyck FD - $8500 DK - $8300
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 20.53 DK - 5.13

After constant mentions of Hellebuyck a year ago, it has been mostly a love/hate relationship early in the 2018-19 season as he has been very inconsistent. The good news is that he has been better as of late winning four of his last five starts and his only loss was a 1-0 shutout against the Blues where he stopped 26 of 27 shots. He has also been much better at home going 8-4-1 and now gets a plus matchup against a surprisingly bad Blackhawks team that has lost seven straight and 18 of their last 21 games and now sits at the bottom of the standings. The Jets are -235 home favorites and Hellebuyck is my top overall goalie in all formats.

**Update - Laurent Brossoit will start for the Jets tonight. He is GPP only on DraftKings but a nice value in all formats on FanDuel.**

Tuukka Rask FD - $8500 DK - $8200
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 11.43 DK - 2.86

Rask is another goalie I have had trouble mentioning on a consistent basis and not only because he has been somewhat inconsistent but he has been outplayed by backup Jaroslav Halak. The good news is that he has been better as of late and while the wins haven't been piling up he hasn't allowed more than three goals in a game since mid-October and the Bruins have the second-best home record in the Eastern Conference. The matchup also lines up tonight as they face a Coyotes team that ranks near the bottom of the league in offense(28th) and have been slightly worse on the road(2.5 goals per game). Rask is in play in all formats.

CENTERS

Jack Eichel FD - $7700 DK - $7500
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 13.51 DK - 5.42

The hardest decision on the entire slate tonight is what center to pay up for as Matthews, Tavares, MacKinnon, McDavid, Eichel, and Scheifele are all in good spots. While I will have likely alternate them in my multiple entry contests, I lean Eichel in cash games for a couple reasons starting with the fact he is the cheapest of the group. On top of that, he leads not only those other five but all centers on this slate with a ridiculous 12.8 shots per 60 and 19.1 iCorsi/60 which give him a sky-high floor. His upside also stands out as he has 36 points on the season and all things considered has an elite PTS/$ value making him a top play in all formats.

Stack with: Jeff Skinner, Sam Reinhart

Aleksander Barkov FD - $7500 DK - $6600
Opponent - STL
Proj Pts FD - 13.95 DK - 4.67

With the Panthers on the road combined with so many options at the top of the salary, Barkov may be a bit overlooked tonight. I think fading him would be a big mistake seeing as the Panthers offense ranks #10 on the road while the Blues are allowing 3.6 goals against on home ice which ranks dead last in the league. Barkov has also been hot lately with 10 points(five on the powerplay) in his last 10 games with 31 shots on goal while averaging a whopping 24 minutes of ice-time. It is risky fading all the top centers in cash games but I love pairing Barkov and Eichel at center to run out a more balanced lineup.

Stack with: Mike Hoffman, Jonathan Huberdeau

Also Consider: Nicklas Backstrom(WSH) in all formats, especially on DraftKings where he is sub $6K, as he centers Alex Ovechkin and faces a Red Wings team playing on a back to back

WINGERS

Kyle Connor FD - $5200 DK - $5300
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 10.94 DK - 4.32

The Winnipeg offense is in one of the best spots of the night facing a Blackhawks team that is in the middle of an epic struggle as they have dropped 18 of their last 21 games while giving up a whopping 3.9 goals against per game. There are plenty of Jets players to pay up for tonight(Scheifele, Wheeler, Laine) but I will take the value route, at least for cash games, and roll with Kyle Connor. He skates alongside Laine on the second line and has also been jumping up and playing with the top powerplay unit as well. Over his last 10 games, he may only have six points but has 26 in 29 games on the season while averaging just under three shots on goal per game. All things considered, Connor is a top PTS/$ play at the wing position.

Stack with: Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele(PP), Blake Wheeler(PP)

Vladimir Tarasenko FD - $7400 DK - $6300
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 11.45 DK - 4.19

While it seems impossible to trust any Blues player in cash games with their 22nd overall offense, Tarasenko shouldn't be overlooked on DraftKings where his price has dipped into the low $6K range. He is still an elite player in the league and has provided a high floor over his last 10 games despite the points(4) with 38 shots on goal and has an elite 12.8 shots per 60 and 21.3 iCorsi/60 on the season. The matchup also stands out as the Panthers defense has given up five goals in three of their last four and six of their last 11 games and rank 27th overall on the season. With the price differential, he is safe in all formats on DraftKings but should be reserved for GPP's on FanDuel.

Stack with: Brayden Schenn, Alex Steen

Also Consider: Kevin Fiala/Craig Smith(NSH) as value plays in a plus matchup against the Senators who rank dead last in road defense allowing over five goals per game

DEFENSEMEN

Jacob Trouba FD - $4900 DK - $5000
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 8.32 DK - 3.52

With so many top forwards in good spots tonight, I am going to go a more value approach at defense tonight and it starts with Jacob Trouba of the Jets. He has been very consistent lately averaging over 23 minutes of ice-time over his last 10 games while tallying six points with a nice balance of shots(20) and blocks(17). He skates on the top pairing and second powerplay unit and gets a plus matchup against a struggling Blackhawks team. Fire him up in all formats tonight.

Michal Kempny FD - $3600 DK - $4400
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 5.94 DK - 3.48

Kempny continues to meet and exceed value on a regular basis and is easily my top PTS/$ play once again tonight. Over his last 10 games, he has seven points but what is most impressive is the balance of shots(20) and blocks(27) which have helped him to an average of 4.0 DraftKings/13.9 FanDuel points per game. He doesn't get powerplay time but is skating on the top pairing with John Carlson and is in play in all formats tonight.

Also Consider: Aaron Ekblad/Keith Yandle(FLA) in all formats, Justin Faulk(CAR) in cash games

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