In any daily fantasy lineup, spending up in any daily fantasy lineup is how to get the superstars and the highest upside players in your lineup.
In NHL DFS, it’s different from paying up in sports like NBA or NFL. Someone can be one of the highest salaried players at his position and put up a total dud of a performance, and paying that much for him would be a huge mistake. Let’s make sure we are paying up in the right spots when building our lineups tonight.
Monday night gives us two games on the NHL slate. Let's find a few studs.
Brayden Point, Center, Tampa Bay Lightning
FanDuel Salary: $7,600
Brayden Point and goals seemed to come in bunches against the New York Islanders in the playoffs last season. On Monday, the Tampa Bay Lightning forward is in a good spot once again. Tampa Bay is projected to score 2.90 goals on Monday, which is the highest on this NHL DFS slate.
Though Detroit and Columbus could surprise, Point is in the best spot on Monday to perform. He only has two power-play points on the season despite the same amount of scoring chances created. Something may give. May.
The Lightning forward has 37 scoring chances on the season despite 30 shots on goal. Point scored six goals in seven games last season against the Islanders in the playoffs.
Stacking Tampa Bay is plausible on Monday with cheaper defense options like Ryan McDonagh and Mikhail Sergachev perhaps as possibilities.
Oliver Bjorkstrand, Wing, Columbus Blue Jackets
FanDuel Salary: $6,700
The Columbus Blue Jackets' forward has made that next step. For those that have not been paying attention, Oliver Bjorkstrand has 15 real-world points In 12 games and might be at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to goal production. He has five goals on 35 shots with a bevy of scoring chances.
Bjorkstrand is a winger who can create on the rush or in set pieces. His consistency while averaging nearly three shots per game and three scoring chances is uncanny. That is also a good floor for DFS purposes.
Take a peek at players like Boone Jenner and even Jakub Voracek due to their lower salary as well.
Victor Hedman, Defenseman, Tampa Bay Lightning
FanDuel Salary: $6,600
With this feeling like a playoff NHL DFS slate on Monday, it is appropriate that Tampa Bay is playing New York. That being said, Victor Hedman is still a good option on Monday night. Hedman has 14 shots on goal and 2 goals in his last three games.
Hedman easily has the highest projection with 12.7 points, and keep in mind that only two other options are even in double-digits on Monday. It may be more about differentiation with some value in the offing. The Tampa defenseman is being employed 68.3% of the time in the offensive zone which sets him up for success. Not surprisingly, he has 11 real-world points in 13 games. That offensive consistency makes him a top defensive play Monday.
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.