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
Henrik Lundqvist ($7,800): The New York Rangers goaltender is not as risky of a play as he would appear. Is there at least moderate danger? Yes. Lundqvist has seen 184 shots faced in his last five starts and has won three consecutive games. On a points per dollar basis, that has resulted in Lundqvist hitting 1.5-2 times his value. His even strength save percentage is .933 which is similar to what he managed in his primer years. The Detroit Red Wings should pepper the Rangers goaltender enough to make him a viable GPP play. Other targets that could see high-shot outputs include whomever starts for the Minnesota Wild and the San Jose Sharks.
High-Priced Skaters
Vladimir Tarasenko ($7,900): The St. Louis Blues winger is heating up at the right time -- playing with Ryan O'Reilly has paid dividends. Tarasenko is up to six goals on 54 shots for the season. Points in five straight games have pushed Tarasenko back to the point-per-game mark. A mini stack going up against a San Jose team on no rest is at least worth considering, though it will be one of the higher-owned on Friday night. Other options from the less advantageous positions include Taylor Hall ($7.600), Gabriel Landeskog ($6.800), and Artemi Panarin ($7,300). Straying from the more obvious plays may be profitable on this night.
John Tavares ($8,100): Tavares presents chalky (high) ownership along with Evgeny Kuznetsov ($7,800) on Friday night. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward has adapted well, weathered a dip after a hot start, and has a plus matchup against a porous New Jersey Devils team. Tavares is familiar with New Jersey from his days as a New York Islander. Eight goals on 57 shots in 15 games is not too shabby. He has generated seven-plus shot attempts a game which is slightly higher than last season. The over/under in this game is over 6.5, meaning there should be plenty of goals and assists available.
Value Skaters
Anthony Duclair ($3,800): Duclair's danger is his low ice-time, which can be sometimes around 10 minutes. However, his ability to score goals (six on the season) has to be noted. This is a high-risk, high-reward play. The Washington Capitals defense can easily yield 3-plus goals per night and has had troubles against speedy wingers. Four goals in his previous seven contests is enough to consider playing him on Friday, and he will also likely be low-owned in tournaments. Other choices from the value bracket might include Michael Rasmussen ($3,500), Robby Fabbri ($3.400), and even high-danger pick Blake Coleman ($3,500).
Vince Dunn ($3,800): The blues average just over 3.5 goals per game this season, with about 0.35 power play goals per game. This means Dunn could figure in on the action. He has seven real-world points in 11 games. More importantly, he averages nearly 2.5 shots per game and over a block per contest. Among other defensemen in the mix, other value choices to consider include Ian Cole ($3,800), Jacob Larsson ($3,500), and Dennis Cholowski ($3,900). Cholowski is the Detroit Red Wings best blueline hope at generating 10-plus FanDuel points on Friday night.
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.