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.
Monday night gives us a rare opportunity to go in some different directions value-wise. Let's explore.
Robert Thomas, Center, St. Louis Blues
FanDuel Salary: $3,600
Robert Thomas carries more value being at the center position on FanDuel. He has four assists in four games for the St. Louis Blues in the early going.
It also helps that the Los Angeles Kings have not looked the same since a season-opening 6-2 demolition of the Vegas Golden Knights. Goals have been more difficult to come by, and St. Louis keeps on scoring. They rank third in goals scored with 22 and just scored 7 over the weekend against the Kings. Los Angeles still does not have Drew Doughty in the lineup, either.
The chances to distribute the puck should be there for Thomas, who has a three-game assist streak for St. Louis.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Wing, Carolina Hurricanes
FanDuel Salary: $4,000
The numbers are slowly rising for Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and that is good news for the Carolina Hurricanes, as well.
While some players have priced out of the value range, the Finnish forward has not just yet. Even with real-world points in his last two games, Kotkaniemi hangs in the value range while playing solid power-play time (3:19) and not too much overall time (13:32). His time should inch upward when it comes to average time on ice. That will mean more scoring chances for the forward.
Carolina is projected to score 3.11 goals on Monay night -- per our numbers -- which is respectful for this slate. Do not be surprised if they find a way to perhaps score four tonight.
Sean Walker, Defensemen, Los Angeles Kings
FanDuel Salary: $3,800
The Los Angeles Kings' defenseman catches our eye because he will be playing top-four minutes with Drew Doughty out of the lineup. For better or for worse, his floor gets considerably elevated. He has double-digit FanDuel points in consecutive contests now.
Now, the great news for the Kings is that they did score three goals against St. Louis in their previous meeting and could be in line for as many or more goals on Monday. Consider that Sean Walker has 18 shots in five games with 9 blocked shots. That is a great floor to lean on for a defenseman.
Walker may even see some more power-play time at some juncture. This is because he hits the net more with his shot. Also, it is a pretty hard one for goalies to read.
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.