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 value plays are on this nine-game slate? Here are several for Thursday night.
Jonathan Dahlen, Center, San Jose Sharks
FanDuel Salary: $3,900
The Sharks lost Tuesday, but Jonathan Dahlen played a season-high 16 minutes. He had an assist with five shots on goal and three scoring chances. Playing at even strength on the top line has been highly beneficial for him.
Dahlen again draws a pretty reasonable matchup against the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal is yet again without several players -- including Carey Price.
The center did not look out of place against the Nashville Predators even with the increased workload. As a matter of fact, Dahlen could prove to be one of the best options among players salaried at $4,000 or less.
Paul Stastny, Wing, Winnipeg Jets
FanDuel Salary: $3,800
The Winnipeg Jets' winger has probably never been this low salary-wise in DFS, but that is where we find old man Paul Stastny this Thursday night.
It is abundantly true that the winger has five real-world points in his previous four contests. That includes one game against the Minnesota Wild where Stastny had four blocked shots and could have had more.
This depressed salary makes Stastny a good value play from the Jets' second line on Thursday -- which is surprising, to say the least.
Ryan McDonagh, Defenseman, Tampa Bay Lightning
FanDuel Salary: $3,600
So, Ryan McDonagh is similar to getting the free square at bingo at this point. He is just above the minimum salary for defensemen but he is producing more like a stud than a value. The blueliner has three straight games of double-digit FanDuel points
Furthermore, McDonagh will see the Arizona Coyotes defense on Thursday night which may be one of the worst in the NHL; their Corsi For percentage (47.78%) is the eighth-worst mark in the league. That is mostly why Tampa Bay is projected to score a slate-high 3.55 goals on the night.
On a Tampa Bay squad sure to be popular, options to stack increase dramatically if utilizing McDonagh. That opens the door for high-salary players like Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos.
Thatcher Demko, Goalie, Vancouver Canucks
FanDuel Salary: $7,400
Thatcher Demko is likely to start on Thursday night at home against the Flyers. His home start could prove very profitable to the DFS bottom line for owners.
The Vancouver Canucks goaltender has faced 30 or more shots against in all six of his starts this season. Vancouver is eight-worst in the NHL is Corsi Allowed (294), which may even bump up the lowly Flyers that are worst in the league in Corsi For (199).
The Flyers' inept offense likely won't be efficient on the heightened volume, and therefore, for a low salary, Demko is in a fairly comfortable matchup when choosing to spend down at goalie.
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.