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.
Friday night's slate has seven games in all on the schedule starting at 7:00 pm EDT. Let's look at some value picks.
Pavel Zacha, Center, New Jersey Devils
FanDuel Salary: $3,900
No one knows when the Pavel Zacha hot streak will end but it was a good idea to get in on the ground floor based on matchups this week. Playing the Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals does help. Pittsburgh had a better defensive effort against the New York Rangers on Thursday night but did leave open several gaping opportunities that just were not finished. Also, they still have yielded 17 goals in their last three games.
The New Jersey Devils are the worst team in the NHL at home with just four wins in 20 games. They are 2-8-1 since fans were allowed in the building. Despite this, Zacha is one of the few Devils players who have 10 or more real-world points at home (11 in 19 games). He has five shots on goal and five scoring chances along with an assist in two games versus the Penguins.
Casey Mittelstadt ($3,400) is starting to show the form that made him a top-10 overall draft pick. He has five real-world points and three goals in his previous five games. He has played an average of 17 minutes a game in the past three contests.
Colin Blackwell, Wing, New York Rangers
FanDuel Salary: $3,700
Colin Blackwell qualifies on the wing in FanDuel which means he often goes unnoticed. He generates a low amount of opportunities a game but converts at a higher rate than most players. He has 11 goals in 30 games this year despite seeing bottom-six level ice time. This is because Blackwell often finds himself getting a shift or two on the man advantage. He has been particularly performing well of late with five of his goals coming in the previous 6 games on just 11 shots. He averages less than two shots a night and barely over one scoring chance yet makes it count.
The forward has the potential to see around 15 minutes of ice time against the New York Islanders on Friday night because he is an "energy guy" that thrives well against the kind of team the Islanders are. Again, that low floor is a concern and will steer many away from Blackwell.
Another off-the-board choice may just be Tage Thompson from Buffalo who is just $3,300 but has three double-digit FanDuel point games in his last four contests. Also, Samuel Blais could be an all-or-nothing risk from St. Louis ($3,200) if he sees any top-line ice time.
Sean Walker, Defenseman, Los Angeles Kings
FanDuel Salary: $3,700
Hey, Sean Walker crept up $200 in salary for Friday's slate.
The last several games have seen Walker rack up shots on goal again. He now has three or more shots on goal and five or more shot attempts in four straight games. Walker is a defenseman who can hit the net with some regularity. His minutes are up to 22 a night in this latest run. That is a good several minutes higher than his previous 10 games.
Games against the San Jose Sharks are always an adventure, which is why one should start looking at Mario Ferraro and even Erik Karlsson. The expectation of DFS points from defensemen is high because both teams give up a lot of unblocked shot attempts from the point (San Jose is third-worst, Los Angeles is fifth-worst).
Quietly, Brian Dumoulin ($3,600) has very good value potential tonight versus New Jersey. The Penguins' defenseman has chipped in three-world points in his previous three games and has a moderate floor (average of three shots and blocked shots combined).
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.