NHL

3 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 10/4/19

Taylor Hall and the new-look Devils are set up nicely on Friday. What other studs should you target on Day 3 of the NHL season?

Friday night gives us a four-game slate with three teams that hit the ice for the first time this season.

Spending up in any Daily Fantasy lineup is how to get the superstars and the highest upside players in your lineup. In NHL DFS, it’s different than paying up in sports like NBA or NFL. Someone can be one of the highest-priced players at his position a put up a total dud of a performance and paying that much for him would be a huge mistake. Let’s make sure we are paying up in the right spots when building our lineups tonight.

Auston Matthews, Center, Toronto Maple Leafs

FanDuel Price: $8,600

Auston Matthews lit it up on opening night, scoring two goals in the Toronto Maple Leafs win over the Ottawa Senators. What also was encouraging was the 14 shot attempts he had in the game, which led the team. He was also second among Maple Leafs forwards in ice time, with only Mitchell Marner playing more than him. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Leafs as a -150 favorite on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who will either be starting Joonas Korpisalo or Elvis Merzlikins. Korpisalo has not been good as a backup the last two seasons, as his goals saved above average has been -8 in both years. This game has a total of 6.5, and the over is slightly favored at -120, meaning we should get some goals. Matthews would be the center to spend up for on tonight's slate.

Taylor Hall, Wing, New Jersey Devils

FanDuel Price: $7,800

2017-18 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall was able to play only 33 games last season. Now he's back with a totally revamped New Jersey Devils lineup. He will return to his top-line left wing role, playing with Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri -- the same line that saw him score a career-high 39 goals in that MVP season. The Devils are -145 favorites at home against the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets are playing on a back to back, after allowing a whopping six goals to the New York Rangers on Thursday. As we discussed yesterday, the Jets are weakened on the blue line with so many of last year's defensemen no longer on the team and were already allowing lots of shots towards the end of last season. Hall has the advantage of being in a more open game than the only winger more expensive than him on tonight's slate, Alex Ovechkin. This is reflected in the betting lines, as this game has a 6.5 total compared to 5.5 in the Washington Capitals vs. New York Islanders game.

Brent Burns, Defenseman, San Jose Sharks

FanDuel Price: $7,400

Brent Burns and the San Jose Sharks take on the Vegas Golden Knights again on Friday night. Burns didn't have a total ceiling game on Wednesday in the same matchup, but an assist, four shots, and two blocked shots still gave you some decent value if you decided to pay up for him. That's the appeal of playing Burns -- the floor that is almost unmatched by any player in fantasy hockey. If Erik Karlsson is out again due to a personal matter, Burns will see more power play time than normal. He got 5:46 with the man advantage on Wednesday, the most on the team. He also led the team in shot attempts with six. Now at home, the Sharks have the advantage of getting the last change, giving Burns the chance to get a better matchup that he can exploit. This is another game with a 6.5 total, which is basically the highest that oddsmakers will use in normal circumstances. The Sharks will look to bounce back as slight home underdogs, but even if they don't get the win, Burns should still provide value.