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.
With a mind-blowing 13 games on Tuesday night, there are plenty of places to poke around for surprises and hidden gems.
Filip Chytil, Center, New York Rangers
FanDuel Salary: $3,700
The New York Rangers center torched the Colorado Avalanche for 23.1 FanDuel points in their last matchup. Filip Chytil is at least worth a look on Tuesday night among value centers.
Chytil plays bottom-six minutes typically around 12-13 minutes a night. He will be deployed against Colorado's slower and less mobile defensemen.
This could be an ideal matchup for the center because Colorado's defense can give up plenty of scoring chances in transition. Also, one never knows when Darcy Kuemper may blow up.
Andreas Johnsson, Wing, New Jersey Devils
FanDuel Salary: $4,100
Thanks to a nice offensive streak, Andreas Johnsson is quite the value on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
This may not be the most optimal play, as the New Jersey Devils power play is converting at a league-worst 5.6% on the road in the last month. However, Johnsson's floor has been climbing in that time. He has 17 shots on goal and 18 scoring chances in his four previous games. Though he has just one assist in this span, Johnsson is seeing more and more second-line ice time.
Johnsson is a winger who could pay off unexpectedly if New Jersey finds any offense tonight.
Cole Caufield, Wing, Montreal Canadiens
FanDuel Salary: $3,900
The Montreal Canadiens are not a very good hockey team, but they do tend to match up somewhat well against the Pittsburgh Penguins. They even scored six goals against the Penguins in their last meeting.
Although the diminutive winger has had a difficult time accumulating goals and assists lately, Cole Caufield does have seven shots on goal in his last two games. He also played 16-plus minutes in each of those contests. At this point, the Montreal coaching staff may as well let the kids play -- all of them.
Caufield is a risky play, but at least he is showing a floor lately, which is something to fall back on.
Ivan Provorov, Defenseman, Philadelphia Flyers
FanDuel Salary: $4,000
There are extreme risk plays, and Ivan Provorov has become one himself.
As a solid defensive player with offensive upside, Provorov has shown little of either this 2021-22 season. He has just two goals and six assists in 26 games. Now, the Philadelphia defenseman can average two shots a game and more than two blocked shots a contest, but that floor is off from last year.
The Flyers' defenseman has a chance to hit double-digit FanDuel points against one of the worst defenses in hockey that has given up 33 goals in their last 10 games.
Expect Provorov to log at least 22-plus minutes as he has in the past seven contests. At the very least, opportunities will be there.
Thatcher Demko, Goalie, Vancouver Canucks
FanDuel Salary: $7,400
Hey, Thatcher Demko and the Vancouver Canucks are on a winning streak. Since Bruce Boudreau took over, the Canucks have won four straight games, and Demko looks like a very good DFS option again.
The Vancouver goaltender has won four straight games while yielding just five goals on 133 shots. He faces a Columbus Blue Jackets team that has some issues putting pucks in the back of the net.
Yes, Vancouver is still light years away from making the playoffs, but Demko has the force to at least get some good value for your dollar on Tuesday. He is the fifth-highest projected goaltender on the slate with 20.5 expected points.
Most DFS targets will not include Demko on Tuesday night, so he may have a low roster percentage.
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.