Spending lower in any daily fantasy lineup is a way to incorporate some diversity into your lineup. In NHL DFS, there is typically more value in this strategy but also a good deal more risk. This is especially true on tonight's larger slate where there are lots of lower-salaried plays. Plugging in these options will afford more chances to play some studs as well.
Thursday night presents the first big slate of the DFS NHL season. Let's take a look at what values we may find.
Boone Jenner, Center, Columbus Blue Jackets
FanDuel Salary: $3,900
We are lucky to take a look at Boone Jenner because his salary dropped back just enough. His production has been good, and with visa issues of other players, Jenner benefitted by playing 22 minutes a night the past two contests. That will lead to more opportunities for the Columbus Blue Jackets pivot. Jenner is one of the few forwards out there who has a solid floor because of his shot and block potential.
His last game against Tampa Bay saw him garner an assist with two shots and a blocked shot. The extra time he sees on the power play temporarily is something to take advantage of while one can. Jenner is generating nearly three individual scoring chances per contest. The good thing is the Florida Panthers have only played a few games in the early going. Defensively, they still are allowing among the most scoring chances in the NHL. Jenner should be able to forecheck and generate.
Adam Lowry, Center, Winnipeg Jets
FanDuel Salary: $3,600
While the Winnipeg Jets wait for Pierre-Luc Dubois to be cleared, Lowry will continue to see 17-plus minutes of ice time per night. That involves power play and penalty kill, as well, which again increases his floor. He has eight-plus FanDuel points in each of his previous four starts. Lowry, in short-term bursts, meshes extremely well with the top-six talent that Winnipeg has. That makes him versatile enough especially at this low of a salary.
The Edmonton Oilers are a total enigma, but they will give up goals defensively. Winnipeg scores 3.67 goals per game, while Edmonton yields 3.21 goals per contest. Also, the Oilers yield nearly 35 shots a game away from home. Lowry should get his fair share of chances, and his roster percentage should be quite low.
Miles Wood, Wing, New Jersey Devils
FanDuel Salary: $3,900
Miles Wood is a moderate risk option on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, but without Sean Couturier, the Flyers are not quite the same team. They allow about a goal more per game and at least a half dozen shots more per contest. Wood traditionally has fared well from a DFS perspective against the Flyers.
The danger with Wood involves the penalty box, especially against division and longtime rivals. He has tendencies to take offensive zone penalties, which can be problematic. However, his ability to create scoring chances with his speed is good against a slower moving team defense. Wood is seeing nearly 17 minutes of ice time a night the past three games at least, and that is projected to be the same tonight.
Some alternatives could include Carter Verhaeghe ($3,900) from the Florida Panthers, who plays top-line minutes, and Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues.
Connor Murphy, Defenseman, Chicago Blackhawks
FanDuel Salary: $3,900
With the Chicago Blackhawks playing more like "Team Fun" again, Murphy's defensive floor becomes more of an asset. His playing time has been around 20-22 minutes a night, and his last four starts have seen a boost in his offense, too (five real-world points).
Most forget he can fire several shots a game on net and block as many shots. That may be important tonight against Nashville. Matchups tend to favor a higher-scoring outcome here. Forget about normal implied totals, as the over has hit in 10 of the last 14 games in Chicago. Again, the chances of Murphy extending his real-world point streak are likely less than him hitting value.
For even higher danger value plays, look to Ty Smith ($3,900) from New Jersey or even Filip Hronek ($3,600) from the Detroit Red Wings.
Joonas Korpisalo, Goalie, Columbus Blue Jackets
FanDuel Salary: $7,300
The constant for Joonas Korpisalo in the early going is him seeing around 35 shots for Columbus. Shots faced have been 34, 37, and 37 so far. This is expected to continue against the Florida Panthers. It is partially because Columbus is stretched at the forward position but also because of the pace that Florida plays at with their top nine forwards.
This bodes well for the goalie who has yielded a respectable seven goals in three starts. Korpisalo gave up three in his last start via overtime versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. He made several highlight reel saves, as well, giving Columbus a chance to win. Korpisalo has been in good form and has given the Blue Jackets a chance to win in each start. Expect no different tonight.
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/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.