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 ($7,700): The New York Rangers are projected to start Lundqvist against the Arizona Coyotes on Friday night. Arizona playing on zero rest helps as far as chances of a win but could hurt as far as shot volume. The main concern involves Lundqvist allowing 15 goals in his last 4 starts. He has faced 35.5 shots per game in that span, however, boosting his upside. Arizona has problems scoring on the road (2.4 goals per game) while New York is stingy (allowing just 2.2 goals per game at home). Chances of a quality start are high for the New York goalie on Friday night. Add in the fact that his price is so low, and that is a recipe for success. Wait for other confirmations along the way as a few other opportunities may open up.
High-Priced Skaters
David Pastrnak ($8,000): Both Pastrnak and Brad Marchand are solid plays on Friday against a Pittsburgh team that gives up 3.53 goals per game at home. Despite Boston's inability to score on the road (just 1.88 goals per game), the chances of the Bruins scoring three or more goals is moderate. Both wingers are experiencing higher shot volume and may get a boost if Patrice Bergeron comes back sooner than expected. Even if Bergeron does not return just yet, this is a moderate-risk play that could pay bigger dividends. Patrick Kane ($8,200) against a tired Winnipeg defense is an intriguing possibility. And finally, Patrik Laine ($8,300) could be part of a Winnipeg power play stack (30% conversion rate) against a poor Chicago penalty kill.
Nathan MacKinnon ($8,800): MacKinnon is back on a bit of a hot streak for the Colorado Avalanche, with four real-world points in his previous three contests. Colorado comes in with a power play that converts at 29.7% against a St. Louis Blues team that yields 3.59 goals per game at home. The fun part for daily fantasy players is that Colorado has been a fun team lately. They have given up 21 goals in their last 5 games, while their penalty kill hovers around just 76% on the road and their goaltending has been a bit sporadic as well. Ryan O'Reilly ($6,700) and William Karlsson ($7,100) are picks that could surprise with big nights, too.
Value Skaters
Andrei Svechnikov ($3,600): Svechnikov has some shot, and lately he has been firing it on net often (four-plus shots in four straight games). That volume is enough to merit using the value pick even if Carolina is on zero rest. Carolina is a bit better scoring goals at home, at 2.74 per contest on close to 40 shots per night. As the young forward garners more power-play time, expect more scoring chances to be generated. Washington will allow some chances, and Scechnikov's price has remained steady in the $3,500 to $4,000 range all season long. Look to Jesper Bratt ($3,700) and even Danton Heinen ($3,500) for higher-risk value plays on Friday night.
Darnell Nurse ($4,000): Hello, Nurse! The Edmonton defenseman will definitely attract ownership after a 20+ point FanDuel night on Thursday. He has produced double-digit FanDuel points in four of his last five games and is still priced at a value rate. Playing a defenseman on no rest can always be dicey, however, Nurse averages 2.5 shots and nearly 2 blocks per outings, adding to his floor. If Philadelphia pushes the pace as expected, that will further the Nurse floor. Michal Kempny ($3,800) presents a good option on Friday as well for an expanded floor. Kempny averages 1.7 shots per game and almost 2.3 blocked shots per 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.