NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 12/19/19
A good chunk of you played daily fantasy football this year, and I'd be willing to bet a significant portion of you 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.
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
Tuukka Rask ($8,300): Boston and their recent downturn benefits everyone on Thursday night. Rask will start against the New York Islanders, who are also struggling mightily of late. This could set up well as Boston could use an easier night defensively, in theory. The Islanders just allowed eight goals at home on Tuesday to the Nashville Predators. Both teams will want to tighten things up, which benefits the goaltenders in this matchup as the likelihood of a lower-scoring game is elevated. Darcy Kuemper ($8.800) is a target for Arizona as he tries to play better against Minnesota than he has this season (three-plus goals allowed in both games).
High-Priced Skaters
Jack Eichel ($8,900): While Nathan MacKinnon is on no rest, Eichel has had plenty of it and is also the better performing center of late. He has 10 goals and 19 points in his previous 10 outings. The center has racked up 28-plus FanDuel points in four consecutive contests. It is why the pivot's price has risen to the level of a MacKinnon. Eichel has 12 shots on goal on 18 attempts in his last two games, too. The only concern is the Philadelphia Flyers' defense that allows just 29 shots a game. Eichel did attempt nine shots in their last meeting, however. Mark Scheifele ($7,600) is a great alternative against a Chicago Blackhawks team that yields 35-plus shots per game on the road.
David Pastrnak ($8,700): Again, the Boston downturn has dropped Pastrnak's price a few hundred dollars. The good news is that Boston's top line has averaged 4.67 points per game against the Islanders in their last six meetings. It has not come quite as easy for the right-winger of late, but he does have 10 real-world points across his last 10 games and still has at least three shots in six straight outings. Pastrnak has managed to meet or exceed value in three of the previous five starts. Max Pacioretty ($7,600) has a nice shot output (4.5 per game) for Vegas and goes up against a Vancouver Canucks team that allows the second-most points to left-wingers in the NHL.
Value Skaters
Alexandre Texier ($3,900): Do know that this is a risky proposition tonight. On the other hand, Texier has points in three straight games playing with Pierre-Luc Dubois. The two have shown an undeniable chemistry together. Overall, the winger has six real-world points in his previous six games. His shot output is lower than what is typical for a winger, but if the points and chances keep coming, one has to ride the hot player. Jack Roslovic ($3,800) has points in his last two games for Winnipeg Jets and is a nice option if he sticks on the second line again tonight.
Ian Cole ($3,800): While Cole is not expected to fire five shots on net again Thursday night, the Colorado Avalanche defenseman can block shots as he averages 2.4 blocks per contest. If he fires a few shots on net and blocks a few shots, he will reach value. Jaccob Slavin ($4,100) is another option who is very good on peripherals.
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.
