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 keeps things rolling with four more playoff games. So, what values are out there for the taking?
Robert Thomas, Center, St. Louis Blues
FanDuel Salary: $3,400
Robert Thomas may be the most consistent player right now for the St. Louis Blues. He has assists in each game of this series against Colorado. The amusing part is he has exactly one shot on goal and one blocked shot in each game. He has generated two scoring chances in both contests as well.
Thomas even played a little more than 14 minutes. One gets the idea of why he's a worthwhile play, as Craig Berube is utilizing him pretty consistently. Expect Thomas to have a few more opportunities tonight since Berube now has the last line change. The Blues' forward may even see a little more top-six ice time.
Another low-salary play may just be Nic Dowd ($3,400). The Washington Capitals forward is seeing increased ice time because of all the overtime play in their series.
Erik Haula, Wing, Nashville Predators
FanDuel Salary: $3,700
Erik Haula produced a dreaded bagel on Wednesday night against Carolina. It was a tough night for him and his line -- it was just one of those nights. He missed several shots and one golden scoring chance.
There is this idea of just avoiding the player altogether. However, this is the playoffs and he did have goals in consecutive games before that. Bad games are going to happen.
The Nashville Predators are home tonight where their middle-six have fared a little better in this compressed regular season. Haula has six goals and four assists in his last 18 games as his production has finally started to heat up.
There is a lot of risk among wingers tonight but Jordan Kyrou ($3,900) at home for the Blues is worth taking a long look at.
Ryan Graves, Defenseman, Colorado Avalanche
FanDuel Salary: $3,600
Ryan Graves finally went up $100 in salary. He is not at the minimum anymore.
It has not been the best of seasons for the Colorado defenseman but the last two playoff games have shown what the Avalanche blueliner can do. The assist is nice but the five shots on goal and nine blocked shots are even nicer. Those blocks likely do not go down too much with Colorado playing on the road tonight. Graves might even play close to 21 minutes again like he did in Game 2.
The one thing about DFS this time of year is that value defensemen are often plentiful on certain nights. Friday night is no exception. Dylan DeMelo ($3,500) is a risky add from Winnipeg Jets but has a decent floor as far as shots and blocked shots are concerned.
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.