NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 1/18/19
A good chunk of you played daily fantasy football this year, 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
Pheonix Copley ($7,800): The Washington Capitals may start Copley on Friday night against the New York Islanders. Risk is still high here, as there is a possibility that Braden Holtby (eye) could still start despite an injury. Throw out the seven goals allowed against Nashville Predators, and the backup goalie has won 10 games in 18 appearances. Copley's price makes him attractive against the Islanders, but New York is not rested, which puts shot volume in question. If Copley faces 25 to 30 shots, that may be an accurate projection when you consider that Washington has allowed almost 33 shots per 60 in their last 15 contests. Petr Mrazek ($7,700) appears the likely starter for Carolina as Curtis McElhinney is day to day with a lower-body injury.
High-Priced Skaters
Jack Eichel ($7,300): Eichel has slowed in pace due to the injury he suffered a few weeks ago. However, the overtime goal against the Calgary Flames has to be encouraging to fantasy owners. Expect his shot volume to creep back up to his season average of 4.08 shots per contest. Vancouver is a bit more stingy at home allowing 2.86 goals per game but has a penalty kill under 78% as well. Three of Eichel's four quality scoring chances against the Flames came in the third period and overtime. His price is just under those of the highest-priced centers. Elsewhere, John Tavares ($8,100) remains a steady option for Toronto and Matt Duchene ($7,100) has topped 15 FanDuel points in four consecutive outings.
John Gaudreau ($8,900): Gaudreau is an excellent tournament choice against the Detroit Red Wings. He has topped 20 FanDuel points in seven of his last nine games, and Detroit yields 3.64 goals per game with a penalty kill around 77% on the road. It may not matter who Detroit starts as Calgary has scored 23 goals in their last five games. Gaudreau upped his shot volume to nearly 3.5 shots per contest this year and his chances are up by a little over 10%. He averages 1.5 real-world points per game, and his speed will test Detroit's slower defense out wide. Cam Atkinson ($7,400) is another high-volume shooter who could excel in GPPs. Alex Ovechkin ($8,800) is heating up with three goals and five real-world points in his last five starts as well.
Value Skaters
Henrik Borgstrom ($3,600): Borgstrom comes with some risk for Florida, but he has a plus matchup against a tired Toronto team. Points could be had from anyone. He fired 19 shots in his previous six games, which has increased his floor. Florida is giving him a mostly middle-six role with minimal power play time. Toronto is 23rd in the league in shots allowed at 32.5 per game (33.6 per on the road). Florida is third in the league in shots on goal at 34.1 per night. Borgstrom fits right in with his speed and above-average wrist shot. Jordan Weal may get a little more first line time for Arizona, and his price is just $3,200. He could be a nice secondary option on a sizable slate.
Brady Tkachuk ($4,000): Tkachuk returning to the top line for Ottawa is great news for him as he has topped 11 FanDuel points in each of his last three appearances. Shot volume can be frustrating as the forward had seven in one game and three in five previous other games. However, his point potential increases playing with Mark Stone. This is not the greatest first line, ranking 29th, but it comes at a value. Christian Fischer ($3,800) is a higher-risk choice on Friday night for the Arizona Coyotes , who face off with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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.
