NHL

NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 1/29/20

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 Jan 29th, 2020
Alex Ovechkin is back from his one-game suspension and ready to get the goals going again. Who else should you build around on tonight's six-game slate?

A good chunk of you played daily fantasy football this year, and I'd be willing to bet a significant portion of you have also tried out daily fantasy basketball and baseball. But hockey? Hockey?

It's time to give it a try over on FanDuel because it's a ton of fun.

Our analysis and projections can help you win. To help, let's take a look at some goalies, high-priced skaters, and lower-priced players to target for today's slate.

Goalie to Target

Braden Holtby ($8,100): The Washington Capitals come in as -160 home favorites tonight, as they are hosting the Nashville Predators. We should be looking towards the Capitals for a few options tonight since they are the largest home favorite on the slate and have a high 3.55 implied goal total.

This is what I want to call a classic spot for Holtby over the past few seasons, so let me explain. I fully expect the Capitals to win this game -- giving Holtby the fantasy points via the win -- but I also expect Holtby to give up a few goals. To this point in the season, Holtby comes in as the 48th-rated goalie in league. There are 31 teams in the NHL, and Holtby is playing at a backup level right now. Over his last five games, Holtby has picked up the win two times, allowed three goals or more four times, and racked up 24 saves or more three times. He will give up some goals, but the Capitals will come away with the win.

High-Priced Skaters

Connor McDavid ($9,300): The Battle of Alberta has another chapter tonight, and it's going to be a war on the ice -- at least if their last meeting from January 11th is any indication. On top of that, we have an over/under sitting at 6.0, and the two teams only separated by one point in the standings. It has all the makings of a great game, and we want to go to the best player on the ice for this game -- Connor McDavid. In his last five games prior to the All-Star break, McDavid had 11 points and 20 shots, as you would expect from the best player in the league.

He is on the top forward line and top power-play unit, and he brings one of the highest ceilings you can find on tonight's slate. Look to him in all formats as one of your high-dollar spends and buckle up for a great game.

Alex Ovechkin ($9,200): The Capitals played a game on Monday, but they were without Ovechkin due to a one-game suspension. It happened last year, as well, with Ovechkin suspended one-game for skipping the All-Star game, but hey, he can do what he wants. A fully rested goal-scoring machine like Ovechkin is always good -- especially when they are at home with a 3.55 implied goal total.

They are taking on the Predators, who are around the middle of the league in most defensive categories. Nashville is sitting at 12th in Corsi Against and 18th in High-Danger-Chances-For percentage per 60 minutes. They have the fourth-fewest points in the Western Conference this season, so you don't need to be worried about them.

Value Skaters

Conor Garland ($4,500): If you are looking for some savings tonight, the Arizona Coyotes have a few options, and Garland should be at the top of the list. Right now, Garland is on the first forward line and the first power-play unit for the Yotes and is still under $5K. He also finished the last five games prior to the All-Star break in a very strong fashion, posting 6 points and 11 shots in that span.

The matchup he has tonight against the Anaheim Ducks should allow him to continue that success, since Anaheim sit as the eighth-worst team in the league in Corsi Against and the sixth-worst in the number of High-Danger-Scoring-Chances allowed per 60 minutes. Arizona is carrying a modest 2.81 implied team total tonight, but you should still look to Garland for the savings and production.

Ondrej Palat ($4,400): Palat and the Tampa Bay Lightning are on the road, have the second-highest implied team total (3.46) and are the largest moneyline favorites on the slate. They are on the road to take on the Los Angeles Kings, who are one of the worst teams in the league and set up for a very fantasy-friendly game. The Kings have the fourth-highest Corsi For, while the Lightning have the 10th-highest Corsi For in the league.

Two teams who both generate plenty of offensive opportunities should enable plenty of free-flowing action back and forth. That will be good for a player like Palat, who is on the second forward line and the second power-play unit, along with having four points in his last five games.