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.
Monday night's slate has six games on the schedule. It is time to dig in for some values!
Gabriel Vilardi, Center, Los Angeles Kings
FanDuel Salary: $3,600
The Los Angeles Kings' center has significant danger because his production varies heavily often. Value plays are always fickle risks. However, the Anaheim Ducks present opportunities at every turn, in theory. Gabriel Vilardi has real-world points in three of his last five contests and is playing 17 minutes a night in this span. He has two-plus shots and four-plus shot attempts four times in this timeframe as well.
He set up the game-winning goal against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night as the center is now starting to string his offensive game together. Some may think of him only in deeper formats but Vilardi at this salary and production (three goals, four assists in the last 10) is hard not to notice.
Now, can shine against his freeway rivals? That may be the biggest question.
Cody Glass ($3,800) could be a good value option for the Vegas Golden Knights against the Minnesota Wild.
Jordan Greenway, Wing, Minnesota Wild
FanDuel Salary: $4,100
The Minnesota Wild forward is a promising power-winger who is developing nicely on Minnesota's top-line with Joel Eriksson Ek. They have enjoyed nice chemistry all season. Greenway has real-world points in consecutive games and has enough speed with his power to cause Vegas fits on Monday night.
Now, since his zero-DFS-point performance against the Colorado Avalanche, Jordan Greenway has double-digit FanDuel points in five of six contests. He is playing mostly on the top power-play unit while avoiding a majority of penalty-killing situations. That means he is fresher for more offensive opportunities. Vegas has a penchant for giving up wide-open scoring chances out of nowhere and Greenway could easily take advantage.
Most may take a peek at Marcus Foligno ($3,700) but do not forget about Nils Hoglander ($3,600) against the Montreal Canadiens in a game where goals are expected to be plentiful in Vancouver.
Nikita Zaitsev, Defenseman, Ottawa Senators
FanDuel Salary: $3,600
Defensively, Nikita Zaitsev may not be the most gifted, but for DFS purposes, the defenseman racks up enough minutes to build up a floor of blocked shots and shots on goal. He blocked five shots on Sunday night in Calgary and could easily see a total close to that on Monday in Edmonton.
Value options are quite a bit riskier on Monday night and there is injury news to watch out for with Shea Theodore in Vegas. That will have a ripple effect as Alec Martinez and Nicolas Hague could see increased roles for the Golden Knights.
Also from the value tier, Alexander Edler ($3,900) from Vancouver may be the healthiest he has been all season. Expect the unexpected from this late game.
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.