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.
Let's search for value to spend up at other positions of strength this Friday.
Yanni Gourde, Center, Seattle Kraken
FanDuel Salary: $4,100
The top-line Seattle Kraken center is always a threat to surprise on a short slate. He has a three-game assist streak with four helpers. Overall, the pivot has 15 points in 19 games for the expansion team and does average two shots per game as well.
The Edmonton Oilers are projected to allow 3.07 goals according to our model. Gourde figures to be in on at least part of that action.
The Kraken rely heavily on Gourde, and so far, his five goals and ten assists suggest he can more than handle the pressure. Joonas Donskoi and Vince Dunn could be nice value stacking stuffers for Friday night.
Dryden Hunt, Wing, New York Rangers
FanDuel Salary: $3,600
Can Dryden Hunt hold on to this spot on the top line for the New York Rangers? If the last two games are any indication, he might for a little while longer.
Despite the low amount of minutes, Hunt is being set up to succeed with heavy offensive deployment (closer to 60% in the last five games). Hunt has four real-world points in that span. The less than seven minutes of ice time on Wednesday was because of a game misconduct he received against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Finally, Hunt will not have to play on the penalty kill. He will see the worst defense the San Jose Sharks have to offer. All he has to do is be at the right place at the right time, and so far, he has excelled at that.
Noah Hanifin, Defenseman, Calgary Flames
FanDuel Salary: $3,900
The Calgary Flames' defenseman is starting to turn the offensive corner a bit.
Hanifin now has six real-world points in his last six games and is seeing more and more top-pairing ice time.
He has a goal and assist this season but keeps increasing his power-play time. The result is four points on the man advantage, and that may go up on Friday night against the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks have the eighth-highest Corsi For (1079) in the NHL.
With all the options available for Calgary, Hanifin may go overlooked. The American defenseman is up to nearly two shots per game, one block per game, and has logged 20 or more minutes of ice time in four consecutive contests. The upward tick in offense may be a harbinger of things to come.
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.