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 this "Thanksgiving Week" blesses us with six games. Let's search for value.
Keegan Kolesar, Center, Vegas Golden Knights
FanDuel Salary: $3,400
The Vegas Golden Knights have some nice forwards that provide deceptive depth.
Keegan Kolesar is one of those players that could figure more prominently than expected on Monday night. He has real-world points in consecutive games and has shown flashes where his shot volume can be elevated. His salary is low enough to be considered on some radars.
He has played nearly 16 minutes a night over the past eight games for Vegas -- basically second-line minutes. With Jordan Binnington and the St. Louis Blues struggling a bit defensively of late (four straight games of three-plus goals allowed), Kolesar may just be worth a look. Nicolas Roy works as well.
Valeri Nichushkin, Wing, Colorado Avalanche
FanDuel Salary: $4,000
Many value options do not provide quality access to the offense of the evening, so Valeri Nichushkin may just be an idea to consider.
Nichushkin has turned into quite the defensive winger that can provide some offensive upside as well. He has four real-world points in five games for the Colorado Avalanche. He can kill penalties, play on the power-play, and score in all situations. The Russian has points in all three phases including a shorthanded goal.
Colorado faces an Ottawa squad that would understandably be rusty -- they have been on a three-game break due to COVID-19 protocols.
The middle-six forward always seems to be in the middle of the action, and Monday night, expect to see that again.
Nicolas Hague, Defenseman, Vegas Golden Knights
FanDuel Salary: $4,100
The Vegas Golden Knights have shown some depth because of some of their injury issues this season.
Most would be surprised to see that Nicolas Hague has three goals and six assists in 18 games so far from the blueline. Hague has been blocking several shots a game of late as well, which has boosted his point potential. He has double-digit FanDuel outputs in four of his last five appearances.
Hague is being trusted in more and more advantageous situations; he has seen 20+ minutes of ice time in three of his last five starts.
Hague joins Kolesar and Roy in a plus matchup for Vegas. The Blues have allowed the 13th-most high-danger chances (91) in the NHL over the team's last 10 games.
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.