5 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 3/18/21

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-salaried 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.

Thursday night features a big 10-game NHL DFS slate. Let's take a look at which studs you should build around.

Connor McDavid, Center, Edmonton Oilers

FanDuel Salary: $9,100

It is tough to look at Patrice Bergeron because the Boston Bruins are playing the Buffalo Sabres. After that, there are several studs worth considering. However, Connor McDavid is facing a tired Winnipeg Jets team. Winnipeg is not the same team on the road and will likely not start Connor Hellebuyck in goal, since he started last night. McDavid's latest point-streak stands at 16 real-world points over his last eight contests. That includes five instances where the Edmonton Oilers center had four or more shots on goal and four or more scoring chances.

With McDavid only playing a little over 17 minutes on Wednesday night, that means more opportunities on Thursday. The center scored on the power-play and felt like he was dangerous on the ice every shift. The best part was he could be rested during parts of the third period. That is a scary thought for a Winnipeg team that allows over three goals a game on the road and 33 shots per 60 (fifth-highest) in the NHL.

Now, what if one wants to save a little salary? Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, and Sean Couturier are all in plus matchups tonight with even Mathew Barzal as a possibility from the New York Islanders.

Patrick Kane, Wing, Chicago Blackhawks

FanDuel Salary: $8,200

The Chicago Blackhawks' line with Patrick Kane is a treasure for DFS. Also, see which line matches up against the Kane trio for chances on the other side. That said, Kane has four assists in three games versus the Tampa Bay Lightning on 12 shots and 9 scoring chances. Yes, the game is in Tampa Bay but that matters little. This is one of the more fun matchups because as we mentioned. Kane brings in the fourth-ranked power play in the league (30% on the road) going against the fifth-ranked penalty kill (85.3%).

The expectations are that of a high-scoring game which many scoring chances. Chicago yields nearly 35 shots per 60 on the road which is among the league-worst (34.4 overall -- 31st). There is a reason why the winger is one of the top-three scorers in the league. It does not matter who Kane faces. With Alex DeBrincat on his other wing, Chicago has an advantage offensively in this matchup which is rare.

Steven Stamkos has three goals in his last four games from Tampa Bay and will be one to watch on the man advantage against Chicago's penalty kill which ranks at 27th (73.1%).

David Pastrnak, Wing, Boston Bruins

FanDuel Salary: $8,400

The Boston Bruins play the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night. Yes, those Sabres who have now lost 12 straight games while being outscored 50-9. That is no misprint. Buffalo has allowed over four goals a game in this span and their play at even-strength ranks dead last in that span along with blocked shots, high-danger scoring chances allowed, etc.

David Pastrnak has 31 shots on goal in his last six games. He has real-world points in consecutive contests but he has not faced the Buffalo Sabres this year. Buffalo is also 2-10-2 at home while allowing nearly 4 goals a game and over 32 shots per 60 minutes.

Kyle Connor ($6.900) is a fun goal-scoring play on Thursday night with four goals in his last two contests while going up against an equally unrested Edmonton team.

Victor Hedman, Defenseman, Tampa Bay Lightning

FanDuel Salary: $6,900

There is a nice way of expressing this. Victor Hedman likes to play against teams like the Chicago Blackhawks. In two of the three meetings this season, Hedman had 20+ FanDuel Points and topped double-digits in all three contests. Again, there are many angles to attack this large DFS slate.

This season has been a mixed bag for Hedman, but overall he is still right around a point-a-game pace. He averages among the highest DFS points-per-game among defensemen and usually produces several scoring chances a night.

Kris Letang and Aaron Ekblad both have to be considered on Thursday for above-average matchups against below-average penalty kills. Both are salaried at around $6,000 to boot.

Philipp Grubauer, Goalie, Colorado Avalanche

FanDuel Salary: $8,400

Philipp Grubauer is a dicey option on Thursday night because it feels like he just cannot get a night off for the Colorado Avalanche. He had to come in relief of Hunter Miska who allowed four goals in the first period to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. All Grubauer did was stop every shot faced in the 8-4 comeback win for the Avalanche.

The Minnesota Wild have played incredibly well of late behind their own stud goalie in Kaapo Kahkonen. However, the Wild are stepping up in class here and Colorado may be fully operational if Cale Makar and Bowen Byram return.

Wait for other confirmations first for possible alternatives, but the Isles' starter could be a reasonable choice on this night against the Philadelphia Flyers.

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.