4 NHL FanDuel Values to Target on Thursday 10/21/21
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.
Where are the value plays on this 10-game slate? Here are several for Thursday night.
Derek Stepan, Center, Carolina Hurricanes
FanDuel Salary: $3,000
Lost in the Jesperi Kotkaniemi Bowl on Thursday night will be the values on the Carolina Hurricanes. One of them could be Derek Stepan.
Stepan is playing bottom-six, mostly fourth-line minutes for Carolina. However, he does block shots well and gets shots on goal better than most centers. In his limited time, Stepan is averaging a floor of five shots and blocked shots combined a game.
The center enjoys a good matchup versus the Montreal Canadiens tonight. He did play 14 minutes on Tuesday and could do so again.
Matt Duchene, Wing, Nashville Predators
FanDuel Salary: $3,600
The Nashville Predators' winger has probably never been this low salary-wise in DFS, but here we are. Matt Duchene is still getting top-line and power-play time. Those who rostered him were rewarded when he scored a power-play goal versus Los Angeles. Duchene has had three or more shots in all three Nashville games this season.
It is no secret that John Hynes and Duchene have not always seen eye to eye. That being said, the forward does have nine scoring chances so far this season. Duchene will have more opportunities against the New York Rangers.
This dip in salary makes Duchene a good value on Thursday -- which is surprising, to say the least.
Shayne Gostisbehere, Defenseman, Arizona Coyotes
FanDuel Salary: $4,200
Okay, Shayne Gostisbehere keeps piling up the assists. He has four on the season and has been dangerous especially on the Arizona Coyotes' power play, He had three assists in that wild 6-4 loss to the St. Louis Blues earlier in the week. The good thing is that the Edmonton Oilers come into town without Mike Smith due to injury.
Whether Gostisbehere will keep seeing power-play time is a question, but he has the ability to kick in a few more helpers and shots against Mikko Koskinen, who has a weak glove hand.
Staying with Arizona, there are value stacking options, including Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse to form an inexpensive trio to save dollars.
Alex Nedeljkovic, Goalie, Detroit Red Wings
FanDuel Salary: $7,200
Alex Nedeljkovic is expected to start on Thursday night, and the salary is low enough. A home meeting with the Calgary Flames could be risky but could also be profitable.
The Detroit Red Wings' goalie is projected to score 19.2 fantasy points on Thursday night, according to our model, which is among the top-five goaltenders. Nedeljkovic has a 50-50 chance of winning. He stopped 41 of 48 shots in the 7-6 loss to Tampa Bay. He is likely to rebound and again offers much in the way of savings.
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.
