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
Semyon Varlamov ($8,200): The Colorado Avalanche are in a decent position on Wednesday night, and Varlamov could reap the benefits. The Nashville Predators are coming into town and are capable of putting up 30-35 shots on net. Also, with Pittsburgh and Washington playing each other, goaltending is tough to nail down there. The late matchup is hard to trust as well, which presents quite a dilemma. Varlamov is reasonably priced on Wednesday considering his numbers. If one wants to take a risk, it may be on Pekka Rinne ($8,600). Rinne's goals saved above average is better than Varlamov's currently and tops on the slate. As always, wait for confirmation to make sure because, again, there were last minute changes on Tuesday.
High-Priced Skaters
Nathan MacKinnon ($8,800): MacKinnon has been a little hit or miss lately. He has two 35-plus FanDuel point performances and two single-digit games in the last week or so. Which MacKinnon are you going to get is the risk you have to assume tonight? However, Colorado's first line remains the highest-projected line on the slate. They generate the most high-danger chances as a group, and their power play is around 30% at home. Only Washington's -- at nearly 40% -- is better. The problem is most will game stack the living daylights out of the Capitals and Penguins. This may deflect a portion of ownership away from MacKinnon. Playing Nashville may do that as well. Sidney Crosby ($8,900), and Evgeny Kuznetsov ($7,600) have to be prioritized as top targets from the center position on Wednesday night.
Johnny Gaudreau ($8,100): The Anaheim Ducks allow nearly 40 shots a night and the second-most high-danger chances per 60 out of any team in the league (worst on the slate). Gaudreau is quietly averaging over three shots per night and three high-danger chances per contest. Calgary is capable of scoring in bunches, which makes the Calgary top line a lower-owned play on Wednesday night. Anaheim's depth is suspect and the uncertainty of Ryan Getzlaf only adds to the possibilities. Anaheim is not as rested and their forwards are not fleet of foot as it is. Calgary's speed could be a killer here. Other choices from the wing include Filip Forsberg ($7,900) and Alex Ovechkin ($9,000).
Value Skaters
Patrick Eaves ($3,500): By default, Eaves is a value option on Wednesday because few of them exist with just a three-game slate. He played 16 minutes on Tuesday night, totaling two shots and two scoring chances. His energy level has risen from his debut against the New York Rangers, and the winger is capable of putting up points with moderate shot volume. Risk is involved in the sense of how does he handle his first back-to-back scenario. The chances he plays is high but if one feels leery plugging him in then Pontus Aberg ($3,600), Ryan Hartman ($3,400), and perhaps Dmitrij Jaskin ($3,000) could be options. Jaskin was skating on the top line at even strength this morning for Washington.
Ian Cole ($3,800): Colorado's defensive pairings have been intriguing all year from a floor standpoint. Cole blocks quite a few shots, at 3.1 per contest. He only averages just over one shot per game, but that is enough to equal value on Wednesday night. Nashville will generate lots of chances which, should be conducive to a better floor for Cole. Samuel Girard ($3,800) and Jacob Larsson ($3,500) are potential options because they are expected to see first pairing time at even strength. That should elevate their floors more than usual.
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.