3 NHL FanDuel Values to Target on 4/5/21
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.
Monday night has seven more contests on the docket. Let's look at some value picks.
Joel Eriksson Ek, Center, Minnesota Wild
FanDuel Salary: $3,800
It is nice to see a player on the top line of a team at a depressed salary. Say hello to Joel Eriksson Ek, who has a favorable matchup at home against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night. He will not be stuck with battling players like Cale Makar, which should help. The last two games have seen Eriksson Ek find his game again. He had four shots and three blocked shots two contests ago then had a goal and assist over the weekend with three more shots on goal.
Eriksson Ek has ridden the wave up and down this season -- his first as a bonafide top-six center. Since his little "demotion" against San Jose last week (13 minutes of ice time), Eriksson Ek has picked things up again. Six scoring chances since are very encouraging and the one thing Colorado will allow is scoring opportunities -- especially on the road.
Jason Spezza ($3,200) is the forever alternative option for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Cody Glass could be in play for the Vegas Golden Knights but see which line he actually plays on first.
Andrew Copp, Wing, Winnipeg Jets
FanDuel Salary: $3,800
Andrew Copp is a dynamic middle-six player on the Winnipeg Jets. It is that simple. He can play anywhere in the top-nine, and when pressed into duty, he can play 20+ minutes a night as he has in the previous two games.
The forward creates his own space to generate offense and Ottawa provides this in abundance. The Senators allow 3.71 goals per game (most in the NHL) and nearly 33 shots per 60 on the road (third-most in the NHL). If Copp gets the minutes again, expect the scoring chances to keep on coming. He also has two goals and an assist over the last four contests.
When checking around elsewhere in the value bin, Nick Paul ($3,400) was playing some top-line minutes for Ottawa on Saturday and assisted on a short-handed goal.
Alex Goligoski, Defenseman, Arizona Coyotes
FanDuel Salary: $3,600
Have the trade rumors sparked the return of the production for Alex Goligoski?
More robust efforts have come from Goligoski recently. That includes several double-digit FanDuel outputs that leave us wondering where was this all season. He has five such efforts in his last six games. The sixth saw him still tally eight FanDuel points. The Arizona Coyotes defenseman will not be highly utilized in lineups on Monday night because of Jakob Chychrun.
Goligoski thrives more when he is not the main option or has to be. The reality is he is probably the third option in Arizona but producing like a consistent second. In his last two matchups versus the Los Angeles Kings, Goligoski blocked three shots in each, which will again increase his floor value.
Sean Walker ($3,500) is great for Los Angeles because his salary is stagnant. He has eight shots on goal in his previous two games while playing over 22 minutes a night in each game. Minimum-salary plugs are more in abundance on Monday night than usual.
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.
