Welcome back hockey fans. After a quiet Monday where we honored the Veterans who allow us the freedoms to play fantasy sports, we are back with a jam-packed Tuesday slate that includes nine games. Let's jump in and have a look at some of my core plays at each position then be sure to check out the projection system and lineup optimizer closer to lineup lock. Got questions? Hit me up in the DFSR member chatroom.
Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our NHL optimizer! Get started for free by clicking the button below.
First time with NBA? Be sure to read our free NBA Ebooks on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 19.91 DK - 14.93
Gibson is coming off back to back losses but is right at the top of my ranks on Tuesday as he checks almost every other box. It starts with the matchup as the Ducks are -145 home favorites against a Red Wings team that ranks dead last in offense and has lost seven straight road games while averaging just 1.3 goals per game. The floor is also high for Gibson who is seeing over 31 shots per game combined with the Red Wings who average over 30 shots for per game. Gibson is my top goalie in all formats tonight.
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 17.49 DK - 12.97
There is a lot more risk here with Hellebuyck as he is facing an Avalanche team that ranks 3rd overall in offense but the GPP upside and projected lower ownership make him a great GPP target tonight. What Hellebuyck has going for him is that he has been terrific on home ice with a .945 save % while facing 33 shots per game and comes in hot holding teams to two or fewer goals in four straight starts. I lean Gibson in cash games but will have plenty of shares of Hellebuyck in GPP formats tonight.
Also Consider: Jordan Binnington(STL) who has wins in five straight and seven of his last eight starts and faces a Coyotes team that ranks 20th on offense
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 16.53 DK - 11.54
Opponent - PIT
Proj Pts FD - 12.76 DK - 8.99
The Penguins/Rangers game is one of just two games on this slate with a 6.5 total as both teams currently rank inside the Top 10 offensively. Let's start with Evgeni Malkin who has tallied points in three of four games since returning from injury to go along with 15 shots on goal. He now gets a projected boost in usage as Sidney Crosby is not traveling with the team on the road trip due to a lower-body injury. Malkin's price has definitely adjusted on FanDuel making the decision more difficult for cash games but on DraftKings in the mid $6K range, he is in play in all formats.
Ryan Strome is a salary saver on both sites and comes in red-hot with points in nine of his last 10 games including five multi-point efforts. He has found excellent chemistry with Artemi Panarin on the top line and powerplay unit and in the mid $5k range on both sites, he is also in play in all formats.
Stack Malkin with: Jared McCann, Jake Guentzel(PP)
Stack Strome with: Artemi Panarin, Jesper Fast
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 22.03 DK - 15.28
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 9.82 DK - 7.11
The Bruins/Panthers game is the other game with a 6.5 total(as of writing this) but I will be concentrating mostly on the Bruins who are -180 home favorites tonight. They are 5th on offense(6th at home) and sit neck and neck with the Oilers with the league's top powerplay unit clicking at just over a 29% rate. My top pay up at the center position is Patrice Bergeron who offers both a high floor(3.5 shots per game, 18.5 iCorsi/60) and a very high ceiling as he is averaging a point per game centering arguably the best line in hockey.
There is no consistency or high floor talk with Krejci(1.6 shots per game) but he does center the second line and powerplay unit and provides us nice PTS/$ on both sites. It mostly has to do with the matchup against the Panthers 26th ranked defense(21st on the road) and the fact he has been heating up with three multi-point efforts in his last six games.
Stack Bergeron with: Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak
Stack Krejci with: Charlie Coyle, Danton Heinen
Also Consider: Bo Horvat/Elias Pettersson(VAN) who are likely lower owned against the Preds but they have struggled on the road allowing 3.9 goals per game
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 13.59 DK - 9.54
This marks the first time this season I have mentioned a Ducks player outside of Gibson and for good reason as they rank 25th on offense scoring just 2.6 goals per game. They stand out tonight for a couple of reasons starting with the fact they have been better at home(3 goals per game) and they also get a plus matchup against the Red Wings who rank 30th in road defense allowing 4.2 goals per game. If you are looking for cash game value, my top play on the Ducks is Rakell who leads the team in shots with 54 and backs it up with a 15.6 iCorsi/60(shot attempts). He and his linemates have provided 43% of the team's offense so in GPP formats I love a full line stack.
Stack with: Jakob Silfverberg, Adam Henrique
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 8.66 DK - 6.38
With all the high scoring games we have seen over the past couple of years, a stars and scrubs strategy has become more and more relevant even in cash games. If you are loading up on the Bruins top line or any other expensive stack Nick Cousins makes a perfect punt at the wing position. The price stays low as he skates on the fourth line for the Habs but they spread the ice-time out more than almost any other team and most of his value comes from skating on the team's top powerplay unit. They get a plus matchup tonight against the 23rd ranked defense in Columbus so get Cousins into your lineups if you need the savings or decide to powerplay stack the Habs.
Stack with: Max Domi, Joel Armia, Jonathan Drouin
Also Consider: Brendan Gallagher(MON) in all formats with his elite shot volume(14.4 shots/60, 24.3 iCorsi/60) and plus matchup or Jeff Carter(LA) as a mid-tier value who is averaging over three shots per game over his last 10
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 15.35 DK - 12.12
There is a ton of options at the top of the position tonight(check them all out on the cheatsheet) but I will lead off with Doughty who is the cheaper of the group, at least on DraftKings(Trouba very cheap on FD). He doesn't provide us the huge upside like he once did earlier in his career but he does have a lot going for him from a fantasy perspective. He has a combined four or more shots and blocks in five straight games and is averaging 4.5 per game on the season. There will be a bit of added upside tonight as the Kings are at home facing a Wild team that ranks 25th in road defense allowing 3.8 goals per game. Fire up Doughty in all formats.
Opponent - STL
Proj Pts FD - 11.62 DK - 9.37
In the mid to low range of pricing, we are getting a bit of a buy-low situation with Jakob Chychrun who is easily on pace for his best season as a pro in his 4th year in the league. He is coming off a season-high 27 minutes of ice-time against the Caps last night and has tallied a combined 20 shots and blocks over his last four games while averaging over 3.5 per game on the season. It is a back to back for Chychyrun and the Coyotes but I love the price here and will have exposure in all formats.
Also Consider: Jacob Trouba(NYR) on FanDuel in the mid $4K range, Roman Josi(NSH) as my top overall raw points play or Alex Martinez(LA) as a value in all 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.
image sources
Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks & Projections Playing NBA DFS Nightly? Join one…
Week 9 NFL DFS plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Packed slate of NBA action on FanDuel and DraftKings
Thursday night NBA picks for DraftKings and FanDuel
Daily Fantasy NFL Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - Week 8 Sunday 10/27/24 Now’s…
A main slate of NBA DFS action on FanDuel and DraftKings.