3 NHL FanDuel Values to Target on 4/14/21
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.
Wednesday night has five games on the slate, starting at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Let's look at some value picks.
Sam Carrick, Center, Anaheim Ducks
FanDuel Salary: $3,400
When does Sam Carrick see a bit of an expanded role for Anaheim Ducks? He has four real-world points in five games and generates almost two scoring chances a night in very limited time (less than 13 minutes a night). The feeling is he will retain a spot as Anaheim gets more healthy, but honestly, the argument is why hasn't he been moved into the top-six. Yes, he is 29-years-old but his skill set is worth taking a shot on.
The Anaheim Ducks are one of the worst teams on the slate when it comes to scoring goals (2.23 goals per game). Actually, that is tied for worst in the NHL. Why not try even more radical line changes at this point since little else has worked? The Ducks are almost 30th in shots at 27 per game and 30th in expected goals for at even strength. One gets the idea here. Anaheim is bad on the offensive side of the equation.
Tyson Jost ($3,300) is part of that third-line assault from Colorado. He is still low enough on the salary scale where the forward can be inserted into a lineup for value.
Alex Tuch, Wing, Vegas Golden Knights
FanDuel Salary: $3,700
This night is all about trying to take some more risks and maybe going to the DFS scoring well one more time -- Alex Tuch fits that strategy against the Los Angeles Kings. Tuch scored on Monday night and was all over the ice. The encouraging thing was he had five shots on goal with eight attempts. Tuch had four scoring chances which is a good bit above normal. However, Los Angeles is the type of team that will allow wingers with acceleration to generate from the perimeter inside to near the net...err "Royal Road" area.
He is playing top-six minutes for the Vegas Golden Knights at times. Some will consider it middle-six but he is on the cusp with some additional power-play time. Tuch can be a threat at any time but it boils down to consistency. Can the winger keep pushing his game to produce more consistent efforts? That has been a weakness during his tenure in Vegas.
Looking at the value bin reveals Paul Byron ($3,200), who is another winger from the Montreal Canadiens that occasionally produces. He has 15-plus FanDuel points in two of his last three games.
Vince Dunn, Defenseman, St. Louis Blues
FanDuel Salary: $3,800
Vince Dunn seems like a logical play against a Colorado Avalanche team that may come in with a bit too much swagger against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night.
Games versus Colorado lately have been a bit of a boon for defensemen and the one weakness Colorado does have is unblocked shot attempts. They are among the bottom-10 in the league late in contests. Also, Dunn has five assists and eight shots on goal in his last three games. He even played 20-plus minutes in consecutive games for what felt like forever -- it has not happened in over three weeks.
Ryan Graves ($3,500) can be a bit of a risk from Colorado but is at minimum salary from the blueline. He may be someone to slot in if one is running short near the FanDuel salary cap.
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.
