(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Welcome back hockey fans. Time to get ready for a busy Friday that includes 11 games on the schedule including four that have a high 6.5 total. Let's jump in and take a look at some of my core plays and then head over and check out the projections and lineup optimizer.
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Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 17.29 DK - 11.85
In terms of raw points, Bishop gets the edge in the system but I lead off with Hart who is in the better spot overall. It starts with the matchup as the Flyers open as huge -250 home favorites against the Red Wings who have been shutout in back to back games, rank dead last in offense(2.2 goals per game), and hold the worst record in the league. For the Flyers, they have been much better on home ice(7-1-4) led by their young netminder who is 5-1-2 at home with an elite .938 save %. We only get a slight $200 discount from Bishop on DraftKings making the decision a little tougher but on FanDuel, Hart is the play in the mid $7K range.
Opponent - STL
Proj Pts FD - 18.37 DK - 13.43
Like I mentioned above, Bishop leads the positon in raw points projections but falls to second in my rankings for a couple of reasons starting with the matchup against the defending Stanley Cup champs. The good news is that their offense has not been nearly as powerful with Tarasenko on the IR and the Stars have been a much better team on home ice(9-3-1). Bishop has been a big reason for that with his .938 save % and he also comes in red-hot winning eight of his last nine starts with an eye-popping .954 save %. He is in play in all formats but most of my exposure will be on DraftKings as Hart is just too cheap on FanDuel tonight.
Also Consider:
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 23.92 DK - 19.38
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 22.21 DK - 17.69
The center position is very much the same as Tuesday in that if you have the salary, Nathan MacKinnon is the clear #1 center with 17 points and 56 shots in his last 10 games. He backs that ridiculous shot volume up with a 24.0 iCorsi/60(shot attempts). If you are not into the stars and scrubs approach, Jack Eichel is a great place to start a more balanced lineup especially with the PTS/$ value he has provided lately with 14 points and 37 shots in his last 10 games for an average of 17.9 DK/20.9 FD points per game. I also prefer the matchup for the Eichel as the game has a 6.5 total with both teams ranking in the bottom half of the league defensively. Either way, both centers are in play in all formats.
Stack MacKinnon with: Joonas Donskoi
Stack Eichel with: Victor Olofsson, Sam Reinhart
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 11.41 DK - 8.72
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 13.48 DK - 10.49
The reason we can consistently play the MacKinnon's and Eichel's of the world despite the rising prices is in large part to the tremendous value at the position with players getting new opportunities. It starts with rookie Morgan Frost who is not only getting a shot in the NHL since being called up but he is centering the top line and powerplay unit alongside Claude Giroux. He tallied three points in his first two games and has at least three shots on goal in each of his first five games. His best value is on FanDuel in the low $4K range.
Jared McCann has stepped up in a big way with Sidney Crosby going down tallying seven points in eight games in his absence while also averaging over three shots per game. He is centering the second line and powerplay unit and comes under $5K on both sites making him a terrific PTS/$ value in all formats.
Stack Frost with: Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny
Stack McCann with: Alex Galchenyuk
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 18.93 DK - 14.54
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 15.26 DK - 11.72
There is no shortage of options if you are looking to pay up at the winger position and I am leaning a Penguins two-man stack for a couple of reasons starting with the insane production lately. The Pens, without Sidney Crosby, have scored a whopping 28 goals in their last six games as the entire team has stepped up in his absence. The top line pairing has led the way with Guentzel coming off a four-point outing against the Canucks and enters tonight with goals in three straight and 12 points over his last 10 games with 36 shots on goal. Bryan Rust skates on the wing opposite Guentzel and has been equally as good with 13 points in his last 10 games and provides even more shot volume with 43 shots in that time backed up by a 18.0 iCorsi/60. On DraftKings, where both are high-priced options, you will likely have to choose one or the other but on FanDuel they have yet to price adjust for Rust leaving him in the sub $5k range making these two an elite two-man stack in all formats. Add Malkin to complete the high upside line stack.
Stack with: Evgeni Malkin
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 17.21 DK - 13.38
In fantasy sports, we are always looking for a buy-low situation on a player and Timo Meier presents us with that opportunity. He got off to a bit of a slow start after a breakout campaign last year but is starting to trend in the right direction averaging a point per game over the last three weeks. There are also signs of more of a breakout on the horizon as he enters tonight with six shots in each of his last two games, 31 in his last 10 games, and he is also averaging over 11 scoring chances per 60 minutes on the season which is Top 20 in the league. Tonight is a great time to jump on board as he and the Sharks face a Kings team that ranks 25th defensively. Meier is in play in all formats.
PP Stack with: Evander Kane, Logan Couture
Also Consider: Alex Debrincat(CHI), Tom Wilson(WAS), Ondrej Palat(TB)
Opponent - NAS
Proj Pts FD - 19.67 DK - 15.74
Hamilton has firmly placed himself in the elite defense conversation, at least from a fantasy perspective. He leads all D-men on this slate with 10 goals and is second to only John Carlson(36) with 26 points and now gets a plus matchup vs. a regressed Preds team that ranks 24th on defense(27th on the road). The sky-high floor is what stands out the most as Dougie has tallied an insane 40 combined blocks/shots over his last six games(6.7 per game) and ranks 7th overall with an average of 4.9 per game on the season. Fire up Hamilton in all formats.
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 10.83 DK - 8.57
It has been a second since I mentioned Cam Fowler in any fantasy sense but here we are. The floor has been high recently as he has a combined 17 blocks/shots in his last four games and has even caught fire offensively with six points in that time as well. He gets a plus matchup against a Jets below-average defensive unit and comes in the sub $5K range on both sites making him a top value target at the position tonight.
Also Consider: Tyson Barrie(TOR) who has caught fire under a new head coach or Jakob Chychrun(ARI) who provides a high floor and near-elite PTS/$ value on FanDuel
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