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.
Monday night kicks off with four games on the schedule. Let's see what value can be found.
Ross Colton, Center, Tampa Bay Lightning
FanDuel Salary: $4,100
The salary scale gets adjusted a touch during the playoffs. Ross Colton fits in at a tidy $4,100 and comes in with 22 goals in 79 games.
The floor is solid as Colton averages right around two shots a game and blocks a shot every other contest.
Given how intense this playoff-opening game will be for two high-power teams, having a player like Colton comes in handy. Unexpected opportunities arise as space becomes a premium.
Erik Haula ($4,400) from the Boston Bruins slots in as a possible alternative along with Seth Jarvis ($4,700) from the Carolina Hurricanes.
Ivan Barbashev, Wing, St. Louis Blues
FanDuel Salary: $4,000
Ivan Barbashev is a hit-or-miss option for every game St. Louis plays against the Minnesota Wild. This helps latch on to players like Vladimir Tarasenko and Pavel Buchnevich.
The winger enjoyed a breakout season with 26 goals and 34 assists. However, his floor is not what one would call good from a DFS standpoint. He averages less than 1.4 shots per game and just over 0.35 blocked shots per outing.
The Minnesota Wild can be drawn into a bit of an up-tempo game especially when it comes to playing the Blues. That is the type of pace Barbashev will need to thrive.
Barbashev and the Russians could be a major thorn in Minnesota's side throughout this series.
Alexander Edler, Defenseman, Los Angeles Kings
FanDuel Salary: $3,900
The hope that "Father Time" has not come for Alexander Edler is why we are here. Also, it is because defensive values get scarce quickly below a certain salary.
Now, the Los Angeles Kings without Drew Doughty are not quite the same but Edler can still block tons of shots while providing occasional offensive upside. The Edmonton Oilers are a bit of an enigma and were vulnerable in last year's playoffs when a tighter system was played against them. That means Edler will get chances to pad his floor and even offer room for a bit of offense.
The defender should see top-four ice time for the postseason. Edler is dirt cheap considering playoff salaries.
Colton Parayko ($4,200) is another such player from St. Louis who has a more booming shot. The risk is that Parayko's assists have come up but he has no goals in more than two months.
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.