NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 12/12/18
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 ($7,600): The Calgary Flames are projected to start Smith against the Philadelphia Flyers tonight. This is about as high-risk as it gets because of Philadelphia's volatility in their play from night to night. This is a Flyers team that can score three-plus goals with ease but can give up three or more goals even easier. Their scoring performances are all over the place; they may score eight in one game then one each for about a week or two. As for Smith, he has won six straight contests while allowing just nine goals in that span. He has claimed back the starter's spot from David Rittich, and his low price makes him as intriguing as his recent play. However, watch for who starts for Pittsburgh -- or even Anaheim -- first. Goalie confirmations should start to trickle in by early this afternoon.
High-Priced Skaters
Johnny Gaudreau ($8,300): When the Flames' forward has this kind of matchup, he basically becomes a plug-and-play guy. Gaudreau is averaging nearly 3 shots per game and has 39 real-world points in 31 games. Furthermore, Calgary has the highest projected goal total of the night at 3.36. Philadelphia's penalty kill is hovering at just 70% on the road and Calgary converts at nearly 25% at home. Most players could be more on Pittsburgh because they are playing Chicago, and that is understandable. That being the case, Phil Kessel ($8,000) remains an option to utilize along with Jake Guentzel ($7,100) and -- again for Calgary -- Elias Lindholm ($6,500).
Sidney Crosby ($8,800): Chicago is not just bad; they may be historically bad when all is said and done. Against Winnipeg, they allowed the first 14 shots and eventually gave up 4 goals before bouncing back a bit. They face Pittsburgh and their top-tier power play tonight. Meanwhile, Chicago kills penalties at just a 72.6% clip. That number dips closer to 70% over the last dozen contests. It matters little who is in net for Chicago as the Blackhawks allow the third-most daily fantasy points to centers and the highest on this slate. With the short slate, there are fewer options in the upper tier. Another higher-priced play is Sean Monahan ($7,800) and the other Ryan Getzlaf ($7,100). Getzlaf is higher risk because of decreased speed and shot volume.
Value Skaters
Pontus Aberg ($3,800): Aberg finally went up $100 in price but still remains a solid value Wednesday against the Dallas Stars. The winger scored against New Jersey on Sunday on four shots. Dallas has been a bit more stingy on defense of late (11 goals yielded in their last 5 games). That is where the risk lies. However, top-line minutes and continued production at a great price is why many have rode the Aberg wave so long. Dominik Kahun ($3,300) is an intriguing second-line choice from Chicago and could surprise tonight against a Pittsburgh team that allows goals in droves.
Nate Schmidt ($3,800): Schmidt is a high-danger play on Wednesday as Vegas plays the New York Islanders. He does, however, have 5 real-world points in 12 games this year. The defenseman averages about 1.25 shots and 1.36 blocks per game on the season. The problem with Wednesday night is the lack of value plays. However, monitor line shifts in case one or two should pop up. Scott Mayfield ($3.700) is a decent floor play as well. Even Henri Jokiharju ($3,800) may be an idea given he hits the net nearly twice a game and blocks more than a shot a contest.
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.
