4 NHL FanDuel Values to Target on 2/18/21
Spending lower in any daily fantasy lineup is a way to incorporate some diversity into your roster. 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 slate, where there are lots of lower-salaried plays. Plugging in these options will afford you more chances to play some studs, as well.
Thursday night expects to feature ten games on the main slate. Let's take a look at what values we can find.
Pavel Zacha, Center, New Jersey Devils
FanDuel Salary: $3,600
The Pavel Zacha we've seen in the last three games is the reason why New Jersey drafted him sixth overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. What becomes frustrating is that Zacha all too often vanishes for long stretches. Overall, Zacha has real-world points in consecutive games for the first time in over a calendar year. He draws a good matchup tonight versus Boston while playing middle-six minutes. He should avoid Boston's top line most of the time.
He had three shots on goal and three scoring chances on Tuesday. If Zacha can keep doing that, he will continue to be an option who carries value. Zacha must use his speed and ability to shield the puck. The second he drops off intensity-wise bodes poorly for his fantasy fortunes.
If you want to look into other center value plays, Colton Sissons is an extremely dicey option for Nashville but could at least get decent minutes.
Nick Ritchie, Wing, Winnipeg Jets
FanDuel Salary: $4,000
Nick Ritchie, against all odds, is still getting top-six minutes and has 10 shots on goal in his last two games. That bodes well against a New Jersey team that he had some success against in the early going of the season.
That being said, one also has to roster him because of his ability to get in front of the net against a New Jersey team that allows the second most unblocked shot attempts in the league. It does not take much for a puck to go off a body part and into the net. Guess who gets credit for a goal in that case? Exactly.
If for some reason one feels a little queasy rostering Ritchie, there are a couple of other low-salary choices out there. Max Comtois ($3,600) has seven goals from the Anaheim Ducks, and Colin Blackwell ($3,300) is a high-danger option from the New York Rangers.
Nick Leddy, Defenseman, New York Islanders
FanDuel Salary: $3,700
Value options are considerable on Thursday night, and Nick Leddy is a decent choice who carries some upside. He has been right around double-digit FanDuel points in three of his last four appearances. Not surprisingly, he has real-world points in three of those four games.
Leddy sees a little bit of power-play time and gets mixed in with the New York Islanders' top-six, which should mean a few extra opportunities against a Pittsburgh Penguins team that yields 3.57 goals per game. Furthermore, the Pens' penalty kill ranks seventh-worst in the NHL at just 73.9%. This is a matchup worth exploiting and will cost little in the way of salary.
Elsewhere, Ty Smith ($3,800) is available for New Jersey along with Mathew Dumba ($4,000) from the Minnesota Wild.
Jordan Binnington, Goalie, St. Louis Blues
FanDuel Salary: $7,500
This is not the most ideal play, but the salary and the chances of a win ease the pain some. Jordan Binnington probably should not be priced this low. Part of the reason is shot-volume issues. The St. Louis Blues' goalie has seen fewer than 30 shots in six of his previous eight starts. Also, he has yielded just 12 goals in his last six outings.
The ability to stop high-danger chances is not as much of a concern as the San Jose Sharks average around 31 shots per 60 also while scoring just 2.43 goals per game (25th in the NHL). The even better news is that San Jose gives up 3.57 goals per game, so St. Louis' offense should be able to boost Binnington's chances of getting a win.
Mackenzie Blackwood ($7,200) of New Jersey is worth a look for the probability of seeing 35-plus shots against. Also, check to see if Cal Petersen ($6,700) starts for the Los Angeles Kings or even John Gibson ($6,900) for Anaheim. They both have plus matchups against lower-scoring teams in Arizona and Minnesota, respectively.
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.
