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 has 10 games on the schedule. Let's go searching for value!
Vladislav Namestnikov, Center, Detroit Red Wings
FanDuel Salary: $3,900
The Detroit Red Wings forward has fared well against his former team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has a couple of real-world points in three meetings. One of his best games of the 2021 season was in an early-season matchup where he scored and had four shots on goal.
He had assists in three of his last four games played but the risk is always his intensity level. Namestnikov disappears often and it can be maddening given how good he can be at times. He knows his former team well and has shown an ability to easily generate 2-3 scoring chances against Tampa Bay.
If you want to try to get risky on Thursday night, there is always Jason Spezza or perhaps Dylan Cozens.
Jason Robertson, Wing, Dallas Stars
FanDuel Salary: $3,700
Some forget from last year's bubble that Jason Robertson has some talent. While his performance surprises most, it has not gone unnoticed. He has seven real-world points in his last four games, including a four-assist outburst versus Chicago on Tuesday night. He now has four goals and nine assists in 16 games played this season.
The second-line seems to be the best one for Robertson as his speed on the wing becomes a major asset and he can be line-matched against bottom-pairing defenders more often. The results for the Dallas Stars forward have been profound and led to him being rostered more often even in DFS.
If Robertson's sustainability still is troublesome, Filip Zadina ($3,600) could be a decent alternative on Thursday night versus Tampa Bay.
Joel Edmundson, Defenseman, Montreal Canadiens
FanDuel Salary: $3,600
Value is risky and fleeting on this larger slate Thursday night. With Ben Chiarot out, Joel Edmundson was able to step into his minutes and deliver a quality performance versus the Vancouver Canucks. He fired four shots on goal, nabbed an assist, and created some opportunities. There is no reason he couldn't do something close to that on Thursday against Calgary.
Defensive usage improves now for Edmundson. The only risk may be how long. However, for tonight, that matters little. The bigger key will be how often Edmundson can hit the net with his shot.
Filip Hronek ($3,600) is again out there for the taking on Thursday along with Esa Lindell ($3,700) from Dallas.
Jacob Markstrom, Goalie, Calgary Flames
FanDuel Salary: $7,400
With Montreal playing on the back end of a back-to-back on Thursday night, Jacob Markstrom has a little bit of value even though he struggled in his first two starts back from injury. Markstrom yielded three goals in each game.
This features risk but Markstrom did shut out the Canadiens in their only meeting with a 37-save gem that left most of Montreal speechless. It was one of Markstrom's finer moments of the 2021 season.
The goaltending position does not have the same value it usually does in larger slate nights. Tread carefully and see who starts for some of the lower-ranked home clubs. Mackenzie Blackwood ($6,700) is a high-danger option but maybe almost a week's worth of rest was helpful for the New Jersey Devils goaltender.
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.