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
Erik Haula, Center, Carolina Hurricanes
FanDuel Price: $3,700
Erik Haula has mostly played on the teams third line this season, but 22 points in 39 games is not too bad. His current line is certainly intriguing even if the production hasn't been great, as he centers Martin Necas and Nino Niederreiter.
The one benefit if you stack this entire line, is that they play together on the top power-play unit which gives them full-game correlation. Haula is the top point-per-dollar center tonight, as per our projections.
Alex DeBrincat, Winger, Chicago Blackhawks
FanDuel Price: $4,800
After putting up an incredible 41 goals and 76 points last season, Alex DeBrincat has followed that up with a disappointing 14 goals and 37 points in 60 games this season. One big reason for the drop off here is that DeBrincat has not regularly played with Patrick Kane nor on the top power-play unit. Additionally, his shooting percentage has dropped to 8.3 percent, while it was 18.6 last season and 15.5 percent two seasons ago — his rookie season.
Tonight is an interesting matchup against the Nashville Predators, a team that is surprisingly allowing 3.19 goals per game, the 8th-most in the NHL.
Kailer Yamamoto, Winger, Edmonton Oilers
FanDuel Price: $4,500
Two seasons of disappointment for Kailer Yamamoto have led us to his current stint in the NHL where we can safely say he will remain. He has 18 points in 19 games this season, including 9 goals on 34 shots. That 26.5 percent shooting percentage is obviously going to come way down, but being able to play alongside Leon Draisaitl has done wonders.
Other injuries around the team, specifically to Connor McDavid and James Neal, have allowed Yamamoto to play on the top power-play as well. While the production isn't there yet, the Edmonton Oilers NHL-best 29.1 percent success rate with the man advantage will surely allow Yamamoto to start to pick up some power-play points.
Devon Toews, Defense, New York Islanders
FanDuel Price: $3,700
Devon Toews is having a decent season this year with 22 points in 59 games. While the 25-year-old is in just his second NHL season, he is manning the New York Islanders top power-play unit tonight as they take on the Detroit Red Wings who have the third-worst penalty kill in the NHL.
While Toews has just 104 shots and 66 blocks, the matchup against the Red Wings is a huge boost to his value, especially at this price. He comes in as the second-best point-per-dollar defenseman, as per our projections.
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.