NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 2/13/19
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
Jacob Markstrom ($8,300): The Vancouver Canucks are projected to start Markstrom against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night. The dilemma is that Markstrom was held out on a precautionary basis on Monday. It will be wise to check closer to lock to make sure he does indeed start, but Markstrom has seen 188 shots come his way in the last five starts (37.6 shots per game). Vancouver's shot and chance allotments have gone up by about 15-20% over the past month. Even Anaheim, who is bad in basically every metric, may be able to muster 30 shots against this Vancouver defense. Also, Matt Murray ($8,600) expects to be highly-owned after his 50-save performance against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.
High-Priced Skaters
Sidney Crosby ($9,000): Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins are without Evgeni Malkin tonight due to suspension. However, they still enjoy a nice matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers' penalty kill converts at a 74% rate on the road and is among the bottom-five when it comes to chances allowed against the man advantage. Edmonton yields 3.37 goals per game on the road, including 21 in their last five outings alone. Crosby has four real-world points over the last two games, as well as seven shots and seven scoring chances in that span. The Canucks' Elias Pettersson ($7,300) is an intriguing option for the late game.
Leon Draisaitl ($7,700): Draisaitl chunked the game against the San Jose Sharks with zero points. That was unexpected and cannot be expected to happen again. He had been producing almost as frequent as Connor McDavid and at a cheaper price. Five of the past six games featured 18 or more FanDuel points and 4 at 25+ points. Draisaitl carries a nice floor, averaging three-plus shots a game over the past couple months and blocking shots at almost one a contest. Tonight's first game could be high-event with lots of chances going both ways. No one would be surprised to see 70 or more combined shots on net -- and Draisaitl expects to get his share. Jake Guentzel ($7,600) is an excellent option for Pittsburgh, especially on the power play and in the absence of Malkin.
Value Skaters
Jared McCann ($3,600): This is a reasonable value play, given that McCann draws Edmonton's bottom lines and pairings on defense. He has been a nice fit for Pittsburgh so far, while generating chances on counter attacks. The risk is ice time, and that is a theme among most "punt" choices for tonight. McCann plays about 12 to 13 minutes a night, but the Oilers are far from tough competition. He has two goals in his previous three contests. Zack Macewen ($3,300) is a high-risk pick from Vancouver but should see some top-six time at even strength.
Nick Ritchie ($3,500): Ritchie's progress this year has been lost in the quicksand that has enveloped Anaheim as a whole. He carries risks because of shot volume (1.5 shots per game), however, Ritchie has tallied 8 goals and 25 points in 41 games. He provides somewhat of a floor, too, with 24 blocked shots and 2 power-play goals. The winger still sees 15-plus minutes of ice time a night, so opportunities are there. Meanwhile, Vancouver's penalty kill hovers just under 78% on the road over their previous 12 games. Zack Kassian ($3,500) plays on the top line for Edmonton for now, leaving him as a secondary option on Wednesday 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.
