Spending up in any daily fantasy lineup is how to get the superstars and the highest upside players in your lineup. In NHL DFS, it’s different from paying up in sports like NBA or NFL. Someone can be one of the highest-priced players at his position and put up a total dud of a performance, and paying that much for him would be a huge mistake. Let’s make sure we are paying up in the right spots when building our lineups tonight.
Wednesday night features a couple of contests. Let's take a look at what studs we may find.
Bo Horvat, Center, Vancouver Canucks
FanDuel Salary: $6,800
While the value may lie with Ottawa Senators' players, Bo Horvat is an easy choice at the top tier on Wednesday night because of his point streak which stands at four games (four goals, four assists). Now, the floor will be concerning to some as far as shots. However, he only played 14 minutes on Monday because the Vancouver Canucks' game was that much of a laugher (seven Canucks goals in all).
The Ottawa youth and defensive core had few answers for Horvat or Brandon Sutter for that matter on Monday. Goaltending has also been an issue for Ottawa no matter who has been in net and that is why one has to exploit this matchup at least a little bit.
Patrick Kane, Wing, Chicago Blackhawks
FanDuel Salary: $8,200
This is a higher-risk play for studs, in a way, for the following reason. Patrick Kane was held off the scoreboard err box score on Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators (zero FanDuel points). That is no misprint. He had no shots and maybe one decent scoring chance. That chance was deemed low danger to boot as well.
The idea that this is the back end of a back-to-back and how ticked off Kane must add fuel to the fire here to take a shot as a one-off play perhaps. The Chicago Blackhawks' power play is a lot better than most think (2nd in the NHL at 42.9%). Kane is a significant part of that unit -- indirectly and directly.
Roman Josi, Defenseman, Nashville Predators
FanDuel Salary: $6,300
What we saw last night was the Roman Josi most are accustomed to. He scored the game-winner in overtime, piled up six shots on goal. and created several scoring chances against a beleaguered Blackhawks' defense. It was Josi's first 20 point FanDuel night since the opening game versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. Needless to say, it was a welcome sight to see for Josi owners.
Trying to trust defensemen tonight should be simpler with the smaller slate. The key is not to overthink this and Josi's ceiling is just too high against a defensively deficient Blackhawks' squad. Nashville nearly topped 40 shots on net on Tuesday night. They may come close again and those unblocked shot attempts came fast and furious. Quinn Hughes ($5,700) from the Vancouver Canucks would be a decent secondary option if one does not want to spend up for Josi on this night.
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.