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
Corey Crawford ($7,900): The Chicago Blackhawks are solid 1.5-goal favorites tonight and yet Crawford is priced more like a value goalie on this slate. The problem lies in the New York Rangers' erratic shot volume. One night it can be 20, and then the next 40-plus, like against the Calgary Flames or Florida Panthers. The one good aspect is that the Blackhawks yield 35.8 shots per contest (5th-worst in the NHL). Crawford is performing at his usual elite form, which saves the player around $800-$1000. As far as cash plays, this option is a good one for the price, and even for GPPs, his ownership rate should be climbing but may not tonight. At the same price, Keith Kinkaid is not a bad choice, either, among the early goalie confirmations so far.
High-Priced Skaters
David Pastrnak ($8,300): The Boston Bruins forwards enjoy an enormous plus matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers. Due to several high-output games, ownership will be intriguing here. Pastrnak scores at the rate of Patrick Kane (another option at $8,600), and 10 goals on 38 shots is impressive enough, but consider he had 2 goals waived off already this year. Also, the Boston winger has 15 real-world points in 10 games. While there are better stacking options out there, Boston line one has been as reliable as Colorado line one during October. Other potentially high-owned wingers include Alex Ovechkin (coming off a four-point performance) and John Gaudreau.
Connor McDavid ($9,200): McDavid becomes a good, safe play tonight going up against a Washington Capitals team that has high potential to allow three-plus goals. The Oilers' forward should be high-owned, but other Edmonton players will not be, adding to the stacking appeal here. McDavid tallied more than 20 FanDuel points in three of his last four games, and 35-plus in two of those. The Capitals yield 3.62 goals per game on the season and are having huge issues yielding high-danger chances. This game has several stacking choices including game stacks. Watching roster changes and line shifts will be vital on this larger slate because of the bevy of choices.
Value Skaters
Nick Ritchie ($3,500): Ritchie looks like a good punt play tonight against the Dallas Stars. His first game back on the top line was a solid one (three shots, two scoring chances, one blocked shot). The forward will start seeing multiple looks on the Anaheim Ducks man advantage. Another inexpensive winger option could be Kailer Yamamoto ($3,500), who is projected to play again on the first line with Connor McDavid tonight and has the speed to break past Washington's defense.
Neal Pionk ($3,900): Pionk has become the steady fantasy point producer most projected and then some. The New York Rangers defenseman now has six assists in seven contests. The bonus lies in the fact that he has 14 shots and blocked shots. His floor was nowhere near that last season. As his ice time increases, trust in him as an option should as well. Thursday night features some value potential with the larger slate. Treading carefully and playing it safe is key. Even Vince Dunn at $3,700 is a wise choice from the St. Louis Blues because of his power-play potential. Radko Gudas presents a floor option at $3,600 as hard-noses games between Philadelphia and Boston are often games he unexpectedly puts up points in.
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.