NHL

3 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 2/10/20

Nick Vazquez  —  @nickvaz Feb 10th, 2020
Roman Josi is one of fantasy hockey's best defenseman and should continue his strong play on Monday night. Who else is worth spending on tonight?

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.

The week begins with a six-game slate as the playoff races heat up in the NHL. Let's see which stars are the best of the best tonight.

Elias Pettersson, Center, Vancouver Canucks

FanDuel Salary: $7,000

Last season's Calder Trophy winner is having a great second season in the NHL to follow up his stellar rookie campaign. Elias Pettersson's rate stats -- such as goals per 60 minutes, points per 60, and shot attempts per 60 -- are all improved over last season, according to Natural Stat Trick. He leads the Vancouver Canucks in points with 55, which is good for 19th in the league. Pettersson is becoming a star player and has a great chance to shine on Monday night.

The Canucks are facing the Nashville Predators at home. Nashville has had problems keeping the puck out of their net all season, allowing the eighth-most goals per game.

Pettersson is actually tied for numberFire's highest projected skater on the slate tonight. Without the likes of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby playing tonight, Pettersson becomes that much more enticing of a play tonight. If you're going to spend up at center, Vancouver's Swedish phenom is likely your best bet.

Alex Ovechkin, Wing, Washington Capitals

FanDuel Salary: $9,400

The quest for 700 goals for Alex Ovechkin continues in the nation's capital on Monday night. He had the opportunity on Saturday night but finally had an off game.

He hasn't been having many of those of late, with 14 goals in his last 10 games. He's tied for the league lead in goals with 40, and tied for the most shots on goal in the league with 251. This makes him one of the most consistent fantasy performers in the league, putting him in play nearly every time he takes the ice.

The Washington Capitals will play the New York Islanders on Monday night. The Islanders have a reputation of being a solid defensive team, and it has been warranted, as they allow the fifth-fewest goals per game.

However, they also allow the third-most shot attempts per 60 minutes. Giving someone like Ovechkin a chance to shoot a lot is dangerous for any team, and he proved that when he scored a hat trick the last time these two teams met.

The Capitals have the second-highest implied goal total on the slate tonight, which means Ovechkin has a great chance to score and take over the league lead in goals.

Roman Josi, Defense, Nashville Predators

FanDuel Salary: $6,700

Consistency is a rare commodity in fantasy hockey, which is what makes Roman Josi so valuable at defense.

He has at least eight FanDuel points in all of his last 25 games. He does this through his high shot volume, as his 202 shots on goal are the most for any defenseman. That's not to say he doesn't get points, though -- he's second among blueliners with 54 points.

Monday night should not be any different for Josi to continue his great season. The Nashville Predators are road favorites when they take on the Canucks. Nashville's goal total is over three, and is the third-highest tonight. Josi leads the team in scoring and plays the most minutes on the team, so he should contribute if Nashville is to meet their implied total.

Josi is tied with Elias Petterson for the highest projected skater on tonight's slate. If you're spending up on a defenseman and looking for a solid floor/ceiling combination, Josi checks those boxes for your lineups tonight.

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.