NHL

3 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 3/3/21

Wednesday night has a six-game slate. Let's see who we can trust in NHL DFS.

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 from paying up in sports like NBA or NFL. Someone can be one of the highest salaried 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.

Wednesday night has six games on the slate. Let's get it on!

Connor McDavid, Center, Edmonton Oilers

FanDuel Salary: $8,900

Connor McDavid did everything but score on Monday night versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had six shots in all with four scoring chances and two that probably should have gone in the net. However, the thought process is that Toronto cannot play like a top-10 defense at even-strength forever (seventh overall in DFS points allowed to centers).

There are some nice ways to stack the Edmonton Oilers, and one can get crazy and look for double-shifting opportunities with McDavid and the Edmonton second or even third lines.

Also, look at Nathan MacKinnon ($8,600), whose salary has dipped after some below-standard outcomes. Finally, watch the status of Auston Matthews ($8,800), as he is "hopeful" to play on Wednesday night.

David Pastrnak, Wing, Boston Bruins

FanDuel Salary: $8,500

So, the Boston Bruins' top line has seen an amusing reversal of fortune? David Pastrnak is a facilitator now? That's right. The last two games have seen the winger dish out four assists. Also, he does have eight shots on goal and six scoring chances. On the other hand, he has not scored a goal in three games now.

Boston faces a Washington Capitals defense that can be downright ugly. They yield 3.19 goals per game, but that number approaches 3.50 on the road. The Bruins are one of the best home teams in hockey and are capable of scoring three-to-four goals with ease. In an earlier miniseries with Washington, Pastrnak had two goals and an assist in two contests but also fired 12 shots on 18 shooting attempts.

One may want to look at Mikko Rantanen ($8,000) for some more Nathan MacKinnon exposure. Then, there is the duo of Mark Stone ($7,300) and Max Pacioretty ($7,700) versus the Minnesota Wild tonight.

Devon Toews, Defenseman, Colorado Avalanche

FanDuel Salary: $4,700

This choice is not risky anymore, as Toews will take over the top defensive position in place of Cale Makar, who likely will remain out tonight due to injury. Salary movement has remained mostly steady with Toews, and if anything, it has dipped slightly.

The floor (shots plus blocked shots) remains excellent for Toews. Maybe the increased minutes (25 and 27, respectively) hampered his performance some in the last two games, but Toews is a solid defenseman who should have better opportunities versus the San Jose Sharks tonight. The likelihood that Colorado gets held to two or fewer goals is low. Toews should be closer to his 2.5 shots and 2.5 blocks per game form that he had been showing before Makar's exit from the lineup.

Some alternatives could include Charlie McAvoy ($5,600) from Boston, Drew Doughty ($6,000) from Los Angeles, and Shea Theodore ($6,200) from Vegas.


Chris Wassel is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Chris Wassel also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username chriswassel. 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.