NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 8/6/20
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 a goalie, some high-priced skaters, and lower-priced players to target for today's slate.
Goalie to Target
Connor Hellebuyck ($7,500): The Winnipeg Jets goalie will start again on Thursday against the Calgary Flames. It is certainly not easy to start him as he was lit up for five goals in Game 3. However, Winnipeg is facing elimination, and the goalie has faced 30+ shots in each game, so volume is not a question. This is about trying to maximize shot volume, price, and the chances of gaining an elusive win. Another low-priced, high-volume candidate may just be Joonas Korpisalo ($7,300), as he has faced 35+ shots in two games against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
High-Priced Skaters
Auston Matthews ($8,800): Matthews has been wreaking havoc in this series with two points, nine shots on net, six scoring chances, and a plethora of near misses. This has been the one constant for Toronto so far -- it comes down to can Korpisalo from the Columbus Blue Jackets foil his opportunities. What Matthews, as a center, does better than most is create space for himself. Columbus has not found an answer to contain that fully. The pivot will continue to create and pile up shots no matter who is against him. Elias Pettersson ($6,600) is a good choice from Vancouver if he keeps hitting the net with his shot (five shots on net in Game 2 versus the Minnesota Wild).
Kevin Fiala ($7,000): The Vancouver Canucks cannot stop Fiala. He has three goals in two games and, honestly, could have more. No one from Vancouver wants to hear this, but the reality is that Fiala's first stride and acceleration has left Minnesota defensemen in the dust all series. There are few signs of that changing now. Fiala has 11 shots on net, 8 scoring chances, and 5 high-danger chances so far in two games. Did we mention Minnesota has the last line change this afternoon? We just did. Mark Stone ($7,300) looks like a solid alternative from Vegas, as the Golden Knights' forward keeps finding ways to produce quality numbers even in the round-robin.
Value Skaters
Alex Tuch ($3,600): Tuch provided some surprise value in the round robin and played 17 minutes in the last game against the Dallas Stars. If he stays in his custom slot and plays a little on the power play with Mark Stone, then he can be utilized even more. Most forgot about Tuch, and that is because of the injury-plagued season he had. The first two games of the round robin have shown him to be in good health, and that is vital to his game. Jack Roslovic ($3,800) is a high-risk pick from Winnipeg that could pay some dividends on Thursday night.
Alexander Edler ($4,300): The Vancouver defenseman has an insanely high floor for his price and the one quirky thing about this Vancouver-Minnesota series is all the value that can be found from it. Edler has the ability to produce 3+ shots and 3+ blocks on a fairly regular basis. He also has offensive upside, as evidenced by his two assists in Game 2. With players like Mathew Dumba and Quinn Hughes both priced below $5,000, there are options galore from the blue line on Thursday.
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.
