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 has four games on the docket. Let's take a few risks!
Robert Thomas, Center, St. Louis Blues
FanDuel Salary: $3,600
The St. Louis Blues' forward has six assists in seven games this season, which is good. However, he has just four shots on goal. That is bad.
Thomas is seeing some power-play time, but more importantly, he averages around 17 minutes a night of ice time overall. He is seeing more opportunities. The concern is the missed shots, as the center has missed eight of those in the early going.
There is little doubt that Thomas is a good playmaker but is last year's trend of averaging 0.67 shots per game becoming a long-term one?
For the salary, the center is at least worth a risk on Wednesday night, as he does average 8.3 FanDuel points per game.
Boone Jenner, Wing, Columbus Blue Jackets
FanDuel Salary: $3,900
With Max Domi stuck in New York City (tested positive for COVID), Boone Jenner is still picking up the offensive slack. He has five goals in eight games, with three of those tallies on the man advantage.
The forward has 18 shots on goal and 17 scoring chances while playing over 20 minutes a night. Jenner is being trusted to play in all phases, which makes him very valuable against a short-handed Colorado Avalanche team.
When a player is averaging more than four minutes of ice time per game compared to his career average, he is at least worth a closer look to roster.
Marco Scandella, Defenseman, St. Louis Blues
FanDuel Salary: $4,000
Marco Scandella has an intriguing floor and a reasonable salary against a top-heavy Los Angeles Kings team. Scandella is seeing plenty of ice time and is averaging almost two shots per game and 2.5 blocked shots per contest. That carries value.
The St. Louis Blues' defenseman does have four assists as a bonus. Also, he has double-digit FanDuel points in four consecutive contests. As long as he keeps averaging more than 21 minutes per night, Scandella has unique usefulness.
There is always risk with primarily floor-driven players, but this choice will again only cost $4,000. That allows $51,500 to spend elsewhere on Wednesday among the other eight slots.
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.