If you follow the NHL, you already know all of the top players. Obviously, when playing DFS, these players will come at a high cost. In this article, we are looking to find the cheaper value plays to help you afford the superstars.

Nazem Kadri, Center, Colorado Avalanche

FanDuel Price: $5,000

Nazem Kadri has fit in pretty nicely on his new team — the Colorado Avalanche — as he settles into the role as their second-line center. He is the second-highest point-per-dollar center value on the slate, per our projections. In addition, he spends time on their top power-play unit with all of the big guns, which is fantastic for his upside.

The Avs take on a Pittsburgh Penguins team that is still full of injuries, despite finding ways to keep winning. We would like Kadri to shoot the puck a bit more, but as long as he's racking up assists on the power play it is okay. With Sidney Crosby and company looking to shut down the Nathan MacKinnon line, Kadri, Joonas Donskoi and Andre Burakovsky should be able to feast on whatever line they end up matching up against.

Ondrej Kase, Winger, Anaheim Ducks

FanDuel Price: $4,000

As long as FanDuel prices Ondrej Kase way down here, I am going to continue to fire him up in this article because it means not enough people are playing him. He's put up four points in six games, which is decent and is averaging over three shots per game. These are not elite numbers but certainly worthy of being priced much higher than $4,000.

Kase plays on the top even-strength line with Ryan Getzlaf and Max Comtois while playing on the second power-play unit, with Getzlaf. They host the surprisingly undefeated Buffalo Sabres team that does not seem to be slowing down. However, being on home ice, this should benefit Kase and the Ducks.

Jakub Vrana, Winger, Washington Capitals

FanDuel Price: $4,500

Jakub Vrana has been slotted in on the Washington Capitals second line at even strength with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson. The Caps will host the Toronto Maple Leafs — a team on the tail-end of a back-to-back this even. The Leafs will be rolling with Michael Hutchinson in net, which the Caps should be salivating at.

Vrana plays on the second power-play unit, but that isn't even that great of a benefit. The Capitals' top power-play unit is much better and spends the majority of the man-advantage on the ice, leaving very little time for the second unit to do any damage.

Darnell Nurse, Defense, Edmonton Oilers

FanDuel Price: $4,900

When you're the highest point-per-dollar defense value on the slate, per our projections, it is tough to ignore. Darnell Nurse has managed to put up five points in six games while averaging more than one shot per game and more than two blocks per game. He has offensive upside with his offensive ability while maintaining a solid floor with his shots and blocks.

The Edmonton Oilers have a home matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers — a team on the tail-end of a back-to-back which should allow for the Oilers to capitalize on a tired team. Nurse plays on the second power-play unit which gives him some addition upside despite it not being with guys like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

James Reimer, Goaltender, Carolina Hurricanes

FanDuel Price: $7,500

This is a tough one because the Carolina Hurricanes are on the tail-end of a back-to-back on the road. However, they have the seventh-best goals-against-per-game at 2.29 and are taking on a struggling San Jose Sharks team that has scored just 2.17 goals per game, which is tied for the second-lowest in the NHL.

The sample sizes are small, sure, but there isn't much to go off right now for this season. The Sharks should be better but as long as they're struggling, we can target them with goaltending as they aren't even generating shots at a very high rate. Although it's just three games, James Reimer has looked good this season with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.

Ryan Sheppard is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Ryan Sheppard also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username donkshow_. 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 articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.