NHL

NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 8/7/20

Chris Wassel  —  @ChrisWasselDFS Aug 7th, 2020
Friday's slate features six potential elimination games while we dive into the five game main slate which starts at 2:30 pm ET.

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

Darcy Kuemper ($7,800): The Arizona Coyotes will start the goalie for the third time in four days on Friday. Fatigue does not seem to be a part of Kuemper's vocabulary as he has weathered the Nashville Predators storm so far. In two of the three games, the Coyotes' goaltender has faced 40 or more shots. It appears the higher volume just suits him in this series as in those two games, Nashville peppered him with shots early. If he gets in a rhythm again, look out! Carey Price ($8,100) and even Jacob Markstrom ($7,800) are viable alternatives on what expects to be a chaotic Friday slate.

High-Priced Skaters

Auston Matthews ($8,500): Matthews has been very good in this series with points in the last two games and a bunch of scoring chances even in Game 3 when Toronto blew a 3-0 lead. The center was one of the few Toronto players who kept playing (at least from an offensive standpoint). His price came down a few hundred dollars, which does not sound like a lot, but it helps slot in a few other players at least a little bit easier. The Toronto Maple Leafs will have a good number of offensive chances led by the top line as they try to avoid being eliminated. It is still the one line that is giving the Columbus Blue Jackets major fits. Connor McDavid ($8,700) can be used, but maybe a bit more sparingly. Does one try to play Jonathan Toews ($6,700) one more time? He is ringing shots off posts and scoring goals like it is 2010.

Patrick Kane ($8,100): Kane had a bit of a down game in Game 3 for the Chicago Blackhawks with just an assist and two shots. He only generated one good scoring chance which was odd given the flow of the game. Do not expect that in Game 4 as Kane should be all over the ice for better or for worse. Kane thrives on total chaos which means whoever he plays against will have plenty of scoring chances as well. Among lesser-priced forwards, there is the intrigue of a Montreal Canadiens line stack from their top line. Just make sure they keep it together before game time first.

Value Skaters

Paul Byron ($4,000): Byron needs to play with players that possess some speed as well as good puck handling skills. The winger has blazing acceleration that gave the Pittsburgh Penguins all they could handle on Wednesday. Being paired with Phillip Danault and Artturi Lehkonen was something media and fans had been clamoring for all season. Pittsburgh could not handle this line at all as Byron had a goal and assist. This line will generate plenty of chances as the Penguins do not have an answer to slow them down. It is a question of converting those scoring chances into goals. Conor Garland ($4,100) is another option from the Arizona Coyotes that also has great speed and a deceptive wrist shot.

David Savard ($3,800): The Columbus defenseman expects to block even more shots and has one of the better slap shots in the league (as far as getting them on net -- greater than 50%). His floor can be that of an Alexander Edler and for $500 cheaper. Again, this does not sound like much but every dollar adds up on slates like these. Again, the back end of a back-to-back increases his shots and blocked shots potential because more mistakes are expected to be made. Edler is still a viable option for Vancouver due to the same methodology.

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.