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 gives us three more playoff games. So, what values lurk can we find?
Paul Byron, Center, Montreal Canadiens
FanDuel Salary: $3,400
Options are rather limited from the center position on Thursday night, but the speed of Paul Byron has occasionally created some problems for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The risk with the pivot is he is seeing just 12 to 13 minutes a game in this series. However, he is one of the few centers who can block some shots as well as get the puck to the net. He had two shots and three blocked shots in Game 4. He has had six scoring chances since his dramatic Game 1 short-handed goal.
Erik Haula ($4,400) is an intriguing alternative from the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.
Jason Spezza, Wing, Toronto Maple Leafs
FanDuel Salary: $3,500
The Montreal Canadiens do not have an answer for players like Alex Galchenyuk and Jason Spezza. This is turning out to be quite true.
There is a good deal of danger with Spezza because he sees limited minutes (around 12 minutes a night), but his impact in this series has been tangible. He has two goals and an assist with eight shots on goal and six scoring chances across his last three games.
This battle has been fairly one-sided, and a lot of it has to do with Toronto's balance. Meanwhile, Montreal is shooting 2.94% at even-strength in this series. Spezza is shooting 22.2%.
Calle Jarnkrok ($3,400) is getting just enough minutes for Nashville that he could be a sneaky secondary option.
Jaccob Slavin, Defenseman, Carolina Hurricanes
FanDuel Salary: $3,800
Jaccob Slavin looked pretty healthy in Game 5 and managed an assist. The big worry with him is the lack of shots on goal. Slavin has no shots in the two-plus games he has played in the series.
This play is purely based on what Slavin normally does. Normally, his shots and blocked shots are higher, and maybe that will be the case in Game 6. Slavin could see more power-play time.
Elsewhere, Jake Muzzin ($4,000) and Brett Pesce ($4,200) come to mind. Both have had a decent floor so far in this series.
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.