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 of risk, too. The right low-salary plays can give you good production while affording you more chances to roster high-salary studs.
Wednesday night has five games on the docket. Let's dig into some values!
Casey Mittelstadt, Center, Buffalo Sabres
FanDuel Salary: $3,800
Casey Mittelstadt has looked pretty good when healthy.
However, he has just played in nine games this season. His deployment in the Buffalo top-six creates value on Wednesday night.
Their matchup against the Montreal Canadiens expects to be an entertaining one full of goals. Both squads are top-five ones this season in goals allowed.
Mittelstadt has two assists in his last four games. He played 18 minutes against Columbus and had an assist, three shots, and four scoring chances.
At just $3,800, the Buffalo center is his weight in gold in a quality role.
Brendan Gallagher, Wing, Montreal Canadiens
FanDuel Salary: $4,000
Brendan Gallagher carries some risk, but he is a better player than he (or most anyone) has shown for the Montreal Canadiens this season.
While new coach Martin St. Louis has allowed Montreal to play with more creativity, that has helped both ends of the spectrum. More importantly, for Gallagher, this represents a chance to boost his awful offensive totals.
This finally paid off against Toronto. Gallagher had two assists, four shots on goal, and five scoring chances in over 17 minutes on the ice.
If St. Louis and Montreal keep using Gallagher this way, success will come more often than not. Take advantage before his salary catches up.
Erik Cernak, Defenseman, Tampa Bay Lightning
FanDuel Salary: $3,900
The Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman could be a risky choice on Wednesday night, but this seems to be an intriguing spot in a key game to stack.
Erik Cernak has one of the better shots on his team. He just has to hit the net more often. He did that in his first game back with a goal, and Cernak fired three shots on five attempts.
There is a decent floor to be had as well. Cernak is averaging 2.25 blocked shots per game over his past four contests. He's also posted two helpers in that span.
Cernak is a nice, budget stacking option against Edmonton on Wednesday night in a game littered with stars.
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.