4 NHL Studs to Target on 10/22/19
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.
Tuesday has 20 teams in action, which means a lot of different ways to spend our allotted salary. So which players should we spend the most on tonight?
Patrice Bergeron, Center, Boston Bruins
FanDuel Price: $7,500
Remarkably consistent is a way to describe Patrice Bergeron's career in the National Hockey League. He has had a positive impact on his team's possession in every season since the 2009-10 campaign, per Natural Stat Trick. He has scored more than two points per 60 minutes every year besides one in that time span. He is on track to keep up all of these trends this year.
He is also consistent on a game-to-game basis. After a dud on opening night, his lowest FanDuel outing since has been 10.1. Now facing the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are on the second leg of a back-to-back, Bergeron can benefit from facing a team that likes to play high-tempo games. Looking at our NHL DFS Matchup Heat Map, the Boston Bruins have the highest implied goal total on the slate. They also have a power play that's been on fire, scoring at a 37% clip thus far this season.
Mark Stone, Winger, Vegas Golden Knights
FanDuel Price: $7,700
The Vegas Golden Knights laid an egg in Philadelphia on Monday and will look to bounce back on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. makes them a favorite in this game, despite the road back-to-back.
Mark Stone is another player who has been a consistent fantasy performer this year, with only two games of fewer than 14 FanDuel points. He is second on the team in points per 60 minutes at five on five. The matchup is great for a potential bounce back as the Blackhawks have allowed the third most expected goals per 60 minutes in the league this season. The Golden Knights have the third highest implied goal total on the slate.
John Carlson, Defenseman, Washington Capitals
FanDuel Price: $7,100
The league leader in points is no longer Connor McDavid -- it's a defenseman. John Carlson took the lead on Sunday with an assist after having another three-point game on Friday. Per Rotowire, Carlson is only the third defenseman in league history to start with 18 points in the first 10 games. He has six of those points on the power play and could have the opportunity to add to that again Tuesday night, with his opponents, the Calgary Flames, allowing four power plays per game on average.
The Washington Capitals have had a similar power-play setup for years now, and the role that Carlson has is always good for fantasy as he has the option to shoot or pass to Alex Ovechkin. Washington is implied for more than three goals, and some of them could come from the power play. Carlson is also averaging over two shots and two blocked shots per game, adding to his floor. He is a play in all formats.
Kris Letang, Defenseman, Pittsburgh Penguins
FanDuel Price: $6,800
Another defenseman who has been off to a good start is Kris Letang. He is also another consistent fantasy producer, with more than double-digit FanDuel points in every game before a poor overall team performance on Saturday night.
Letang is second on the Pittsburgh Penguins in shot attempt rate and has already found the back of the net four times. The Penguins seem to be relying on him for more offense with Evgeni Malkin and others not being available due to injury. Letang leads all defensemen in shots on goal with 34, something usually reserved for Brent Burns. Letang, with Carlson, are two expensive defensemen who you could consider paying up for in cash games, or they make great stacking options in tournaments with the high-priced forwards that play on the same power-play unit as them.
Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. 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.
