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
Ryan Strome, Center, New York Rangers
FanDuel Price: $4,900
Ryan Strome has certainly benefited by playing alongside Artemi Panarin for a good chunk of this season. On a New York Rangers team that figured to be in a bit of a rebuild this season, even with the big signing of Panarin, they have at least played exciting hockey and showed signs of a bright future for the team.
Strome plays in the team's top power-play unit that ranks sixth in the NHL with a 23.4 percent conversion rate. This is a fantastic matchup for the Rangers power play, too, as the Winnipeg Jets have the 26th ranked penalty kill.
Nikolaj Ehlers, Winger, Winnipeg Jets
FanDuel Price: $4,900
On the other side of the Rangers/Jets game, Nikolaj Ehlers is the top point-per-dollar winger, as per our projections. Ehlers plays on the Jets second line both at even strength and on the power play, which is fine.
The Rangers have young goaltender Igor Shesterkin in net tonight who has been phenomenal. That is certainly a knock against the Jets, but Ehlers is still a solid play at this price.
Joonas Donskoi, Winger, Colorado Avalanche
FanDuel Price: $3,800
Joonas Donskoi was a much more exciting play when he was playing with Nathan MacKinnon, but he's still a fantastic bargain at this price. News came out this morning that Nazem Kadri will be out for a while, so this could boost Donskoi's value.
It's unclear who will replace Kadri on the second line at even strength as well as the top power-play unit, but if Donskoi gets either of these boosts, then the value at this price point is further emphasized.
Nate Schmidt, Defense, Vegas Golden Knights
FanDuel Price: $4,300
The Vegas Golden Knights are -145 favorites against the Minnesota Wild, despite being on the road. In addition, Nate Schmidt is the highest point-per-dollar defenseman, as per our projections.
Schmidt has been solid this season with 6 goals, 26 points, 89 shots on goal, and 69 blocked shots. He is a very well-rounded fantasy contributor at a very reasonable price. He's currently quarterbacking the top power-play unit, which faces the worst penalty kill in the NHL, as the Wild kill off just 73.7 percent of their penalties.
Jakob Chychrun, Defense, Arizona Coyotes
FanDuel Price: $3,700
The Toronto Maple Leafs may be getting starting goaltender Frederik Andersen back in the crease tonight, which certainly hurts the Arizona Coyotes. However, the good thing about Jakob Chychrun is that he does not need to get on the scoresheet to reach value.
Not only is his price tag $3,700, but Chychrun is the fourth-highest point-per-dollar defenseman on the slate, as per our projections. He averages 2.33 shots per game and 1.6 blocks per game.
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.