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-boggling 14 games on Tuesday night, there are plenty of places to poke around for value options.
Lars Eller, Center, Washington Capitals
FanDuel Salary: $3,700
The Washington Capitals will be one of the more utilized plays on Tuesday night because the Philadelphia Flyers allow more than 35 shots per game on the road and can easily allow three or more goals.
Furthermore, Lars Eller represents a simple value who thrives in games where things get chippy and tight. Philadelphia can still bring an intensity to a rivalry. Eller comes off his best game of the season with goal, assist, three shots, five scoring chances, and a blocked shot. That came all in just over 13 minutes of ice time.
This could be an ideal matchup for the center because of Philadelphia's bottom-third penalty kill and substandard defense. His salary is likely a good deal lower because of the after-effects of COVID. That benefits DFS owners everywhere.
Nick Paul, Wing, Tampa Bay Lightning
FanDuel Salary: $3,800
Thanks to playing in Tampa Bay, Nick Paul is seeing some more opportunities.
He may not be the greatest value play on the slate, but Paul has some considerable potential. Paul may only see middle-six ice time but that is misleading. The forward sees zero penalty killing time and still gets a little bit of man advantage time on the Lightning. No matter Tampa Bay's struggles, their power-play still ranks as dangerous.
Paul is a forward who can get to the net and bury his chances or set up other players. He has two goals and four assists in his last six contests with four or more shots in three of those games.
Paul is likely to be massively overlooked on Tuesday night with the sensory overload of player choices.
Vasily Podkolzin, Wing, Vancouver Canucks
FanDuel Salary: $3,600
The value bin is all about taking some dangerous risks on Tuesday night. Vasily Podkolzin fits right into that philosophy.
Vancouver's winger has just three assists in his last six games but is now seeing 16+ minutes of ice time recently in consecutive contests. Given how Vegas can be a little hit-or-miss defensively, looking at a player with Podkolzin's speed may just be worth a shot.
Podkolzin is a dicey choice, but again, he does have six blocked shots in his past six games. That adds a little bit of value potential to his DFS bottom line.
Ty Smith, Defenseman, New Jersey Devils
FanDuel Salary: $3,900
One of the crazier games of the night might just be the New Jersey Devils on the road against the Arizona Coyotes.
As Ty Smith keeps slowly maturing, it is clear there is some offensive talent in those defender's veins. He has three real-world points in his last five games including goals in two straight appearances.
The Devils' defenseman has a chance to hit double-digit FanDuel points against one of the worst defenses in hockey that still gives up goals and shots in bunches even at home.
Expect Smith only to log potentially 15+ minutes as he is matched up against Arizona's bottom-six forwards. Smith excels when the decisions to be made are a little easier and Arizona is as mistake-prone as New Jersey.
Anton Forsberg, Goalie, Ottawa Senators
FanDuel Salary: $7,100
So, it would not be surprising if Anton Forsberg rises in many circles on Tuesday night's slate. After all, one of the things the Ottawa Senators do well is win against the Detroit Red Wings.
The Ottawa goaltender has won just three of his last seven starts (3-3-1) but has seen 233 shots in that span. That is more than 33 a game! The Senators tend to give up shots in waves, and that leads to piling up some DFS points.
Yes, Ottawa and Detroit will not see the playoffs but one of these value goaltenders has to win. The former has a slightly better chance, as the Senators have a 57.0% chance of netting a victory.
Most still will not have Forsberg on their radar and some will look to that New Jersey-Arizona matchup. Hint, that game may be a trap!
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.