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 is a back with seven games. Let's look at some value picks.
Jared McCann, Center, Pittsburgh Penguins
FanDuel Salary: $3,700
On Monday night, Jared McCann may go completely under the radar. He will not here because his salary is still so low and for that alone, the Pittsburgh Penguins forward is worth looking more deeply. He has enjoyed time on the second line and thrived with double-digit FanDuel points in three straight contests. Pittsburgh is utilizing him a bit differently than typical top-six forwards. McCann has played fewer than 15 minutes in each of those three games. He sees some power-play time but way less penalty killing time.
McCann will more than likely not have to worry about going up against the Mathew Barzal or Jean-Gabriel Pageau lines. He was able to create some offense versus the Brock Nelson line, which is an accomplishment. He had several scoring chances and a couple of assists. Neither feat is easy to do. The one concern that is out there is durability, and it always will be. New York has shown an ability to knock the forward around pretty well. They even knocked him out of a February 6th meeting.
If one goes in a different direction, Jason Spezza ($3,400) is the likely low-salary target from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Oliver Wahlstrom, Wing, New York Islanders
FanDuel Salary: $3,800
Oliver Wahlstrom has double-digit FanDuel points in five of his last six games. Was the contest versus the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday merely a blip? He had just one shot and one scoring chance despite playing over 17 minutes.
The Islanders thrive on getting these secondary and even tertiary contributions from forwards. If one player goes down, the next one seems to step up like clockwork. Wahlstrom has nine goals in 28 games on the season and most of those have come since his role was increased. He did have three points in two earlier meetings with Pittsburgh where the winger showed his speed well against the middle lines of Pittsburgh's defense. That may be a matchup Barry Trotz looks to exploit.
Also, Joonas Donskoi is still just $3,500 from the Colorado Avalanche and is going up against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night. Teams have had few answers to slow him down of late.
Shayne Gostisbehere, Defenseman, Philadelphia Flyers
FanDuel Salary: $3,700
The idea is to go for offense here, and Shayne Gostisbehere against a Buffalo Sabres team that has lost 17 straight contests is a perfect defensive value target.
Gostisbehere not only has double-digit FanDuel outputs in consecutive games, but he has been utilized better by the Philadelphia Flyers' coaching staff. He played around 17-18 minutes for the most part lately and in more offensively-advantageous situations. Also, Gostisbehere has improved on his slow shot release and focused more on just playing the game. The only risk is shot volume. He has just six shots in his previous four outings.
However, he can break out at any time. Gostisbehere has the ability to produce five-plus shots at any time (see Washington and Pittsburgh recently).
Mario Ferraro ($3,600) is a risky floor alternative from the San Jose Sharks against a Minnesota Wild team that can sometimes look out of sorts.
Carter Hart, Goalie, Philadelphia Flyers
FanDuel Salary: $7,200
Buffalo is losing so many games in a row and is often looking feeble against the Philadelphia Flyers, but projected starter Carter Hart is still an undeniable risk anyway.
The goalie is mentally and physically struggling. Anyone can see it, and the solutions are dwindling. What does one do? One hopes playing the Buffalo Sabres ignites something. The last game that Hart allowed two goals or fewer was a late-Feburary meeting with these same Sabres. He produced a 28-save shutout. Since then, it has been a month of wondering when the Philadelphia goaltender would find his game.
Also, his roster percentage will be extremely low (single digits likely) even in spite of the matchup. That is how low it has become for Carter Hart.
With so many coaches waiting longer and longer, it is a must to wait and see which goaltenders get confirmed on Monday night. Does one turn to Martin Jones ($7,600)? That is a slight possibility.
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.