3 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 1/13/20
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 and 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.
A new week starts with five games in the NHL, and some stars worth spending our salary on tonight.
Patrice Bergeron, Center, Boston Bruins
FanDuel Salary: $7,800
The center on one of the best lines in hockey, Patrice Bergeron is still performing at an elite level. He's 12th in goals per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick. His underlying numbers are also strong, as his individual expected goal rate and shot attempt rate are both top 15 in the NHL. With all these metrics going in his favor, it's not too surprising that Bergeron carries our highest projection on tonight's slate.
The Boston Bruins are facing off against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night and are road favorites. Looking at the daily fantasy matchup heat map shows us that the Bruins' 27.7% power play is the best on the slate. Bergeron himself has eight power play goals on the season and five in his last 10 games. If the Bruins get their opportunities with the man advantage, Bergeron and company could really have a big game. He's the top center play in all formats tonight.
Artemi Panarin, Wing, New York Rangers
FanDuel Salary: $8,500
It's safe to say that Artemi Panarin's first season on Broadway has been a smash hit thus far. He's tied for fifth in points and tied for eighth in goals this season. He hasn't slowed down at all from a hot start, as he has 18 points over his last 10 games. The New York Rangers are returning home tonight, where their star Russian forward has recorded three points in three straight games.
The Rangers are taking on their crosstown rivals in the New York Islanders. The Islanders have a stellar defensive reputation but have actually been allowing a lot of shots this season. They rank second to last in shot attempts against per 60 minutes and allow the sixth-most high danger chances per 60 minutes. Panarin has been in such good form that he appears to be matchup proof, but this matchup against the Islanders may encourage daily fantasy players to stay away from any Rangers tonight. For that reason and for his obvious upside, Panarin makes for a good play in tournaments tonight.
Dougie Hamilton, Defense, Carolina Hurricanes
FanDuel Salary: $6,200
The Carolina Hurricanes representative for the All-Star game this season will be Dougie Hamilton, and he definitely deserves it. He's second in goals and fourth in points for defensemen this season. His trademark style for a few years has been his willingness to fire the puck on net, and it's even more true this season as he leads all defensemen in both shots on goal and shot attempt rate. According to numberFire's projections, Hamilton is the top defenseman on the slate by over a point against the highest priced player at the position, John Carlson.
The Hurricanes will face the Washington Capitals on the road, but still have an implied goal total over three. The Capitals have not been locking teams down defensively of late, allowing at least three goals in six of their last seven games.
The Hurricanes' power play was a weakness last year, but this season it's been much improved and has the third-highest success rate on this slate. That could come in handy if Washington gets into penalty trouble, and they have taken the third-most penalties per game of teams playing tonight. Dougie leads the Canes in power-play time on ice, which gives him a ceiling to rack up points and be a great tournament play, and his shooting floor keeps him in play for cash games, as well.
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.
