If you follow the NHL, you already know all of the top players. Obviously, when playing DFS, those 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.
Anthony Cirelli, Center, Tampa Bay Lightning
FanDuel Price: $4,400
As the Tampa Bay Lightning continue to shuffle up their lines, Anthony Cirelli is expected to play on the teams second line at even strength with Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn. In addition, he plays on the Lightning's second power-play unit which doesn't have nearly the same firepower as the top unit but is still an advantage.
The Lightning face a Florida Panthers team that cannot figure out their goaltending. Off season signing Sergei Bobrovsky has struggled mightily this season with an ugly 3.24 goals-against average (GAA) and a .893 save percentage (SV%).
Pavel Buchnevich, Winger, New York Rangers
FanDuel Price: $4,500
Despite playing pretty well this season, Pavel Buchnevich has been relegated to the third line at even strength and perhaps completely removed from the power play (this is to be determined). He is expected to skate with Brett Howden and Brendan Lemieux which is not really the greatest line to be on.
One saving grace here is that Jonathan Quick is expected to be in net and he's been terrible. He's sporting a brutal 3.23 GAA and .884 SV% which is probably why Buchnevich grades out as the fourth-highest points-per-dollar winger, as per our projections.
Nick Schmaltz, Winger, Arizona Coyotes
FanDuel Price: $4,600
Nick Schmaltz has certainly been solid since being acquired by the Arizona Coyotes last season. He clearly is not producing as well as he did last year with his 14 points in 17 games post-trade, but 22 points in 32 games this season is still solid.
The Coyotes host the Calgary Flames, a team that is on the tail-end of a back to back after winning in overtime last night. Schmaltz also plays on the team's second power-play unit and given that the Coyotes don't necessarily have the fire-power to load up considerably on one, so he should get his time.
Nate Schmidt, Defense, Vegas Golden Knights
FanDuel Price: $4,000
With an average of 0.55 real-life points per game, 1.9 shots per game and 1.7 blocks per game, when Nate Schmidt is not producing offensively, he can produce in other ways. The peripheral stats production with blocks and shots are likely to be more beneficial to his floor when he is not playing on the power play which seems like it could be the case tonight.
The Vegas Golden Knights host the Chicago Blackhawks tonight as they look to continue to move up the standings and out of a Wild Card spot.
Neal Pionk, Defense, Winnipeg Jets
FanDuel Price: $4,200
Neal Pionk has managed to put up 15 points, 67 shots, and 30 blocks in 30 games this season which is very good. He is playing on the Winnipeg Jets top power-play unit with all of their firepower which includes: Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor.
The power play is specifically noteworthy tonight as the Jets take on the Detroit Red Wings — the team with the worst penalty kill in the NHL. They kill off just 72.2 percent of their penalties, and while the Jets lowly 15.4 percent conversion rate on the power play (27th) isn't very good, I feel that talent will win out tonight.
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.