NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 10/19/18
A good chunk of you probably already play daily fantasy football, and I'd be willing to bet a significant portion have also tried out daily fantasy basketball and baseball. But hockey? Hockey?
It's time to give it a try over on FanDuel, because it's a ton of fun. And our analysis and projections can help you win.
To help, let's take a look at some goalies, high-priced skaters, and lower-priced players to target for today's slate.
Goalie to Target
Mike Smith ($7,900): As 1.5-goal underdogs, the Calgary Flames may be an extreme risk against the Nashville Predators. On the other hand, Smith has won three of his five starts, including an impressive shutout against Nashville on the road (this one's in Calgary). The Flames may be without John Gaudreau, which could tilt shot rates more in Nashville's favor. As far as tournament plays, this may be a lower-owned choice (around 8-10%). There are a few other options -- like Braden Holtby (minimal risk) and Devan Dubnyk (another high-risk pick but with potential for a high save count) -- but there will be more clarity on the slate's goalies once the other starters are confirmed.
High-Priced Skaters
Tyler Seguin ($7,900): The Dallas Stars' forwards enjoy a great matchup against Minnesota's bottom defensive pairings tonight. Seguin has not topped 15 FanDuel points in his last 2 contests, which may take a tiny bit of ownership off of him. But the forward created several High-Danger opportunities in each of those contests. The total cost of the Dallas top line is something to keep an eye on. One may have to do a mini stack or just try to train (four or more players) it then spend frugally elsewhere. There is a way of sneaking in a power-play stack to save a little bit of money, and Dallas' conversion rate on the advantage is is 38.9%(!). Other highly-owned Dallas players include John Klingberg and Jamie Benn.
Alex Ovechkin ($8,800): Ovechkin is another solid choice on Friday, with the Florida Panthers tending to give up many High-Danger chances as well as 3.50 goals per game allowed. Ovechkin will be high-owned (above 20% in most every format), but it may be too hard to fade the left winger. Ovechkin averages over four shots per game and that one-timer on the man advantage is still the most feared shot in the league. The Capitals' top-line forward will have an excellent chance to extend his point run tonight, as Florida's bottom pairings were heavily cratered possession-wise by the Philadelphia Flyers the other night. Florida tends to play straight ahead, which leaves them vulnerable in high-event contests. However, do not sleep on the Panthers. Vincent Trocheck and Mike Hoffman (high risk because of starting on the fourth line) are decent one-off options.
Value Skaters
Ryan Hartman ($3,400): Hartman may play on the third line for the Nashville Predators, but he has been averaging around 15 minutes of ice time lately. This Nashville team prides itself on balance, and Hartman combines enough speed and physicality to make him a decent play. The winger usually does not see man advantage time, which can be a problem. Consider that his floor is around three shots a contest for the most part. Scoring chances are up nearly 20% from the start of the 2017-18 campaign. Other inexpensive wing options include Frank Vatrano ($3,000), who carries some risk due to erratic ice time, and Jakub Vrana ($3,700), who is creating some chances in the Washington Capitals top six.
Miro Heiskanen ($3,800): Heiskanen is pretty good at creating chances and has 14 shots on net in 6 contests. His floor is a bit risky, but when looking for value defensemen, this may be one of the few choices out there. His shot is above average, and there is the possibility of more man advantage time. Friday night carries a ton of danger as even Mark Jankowski might be a decent choice yet dicey due to less than 10 minutes of TOI. As always, watch for late injury news and last-minute line shifts for potential high-value options. Shifts are expected by morning skate in most cases.
Chris Wassel is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Chris Wassel also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username chriswassel. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
