3 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 3/31/21

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 features six games on the schedule. Let's find some studs!

Nathan MacKinnon, Center, Colorado Avalanche

FanDuel Salary: $9,000

The Colorado Avalanche is the hottest team in the NHL right now and they get to play the Arizona Coyotes which is great news for Nathan MacKinnon.

This is a Coyotes team that has been outshot by a two to one margin at least in several meetings this season versus Colorado. The Avalanche top line has enjoyed much success against them while being able to outshoot their opposite lines at more than a three to one rate. MacKinnon is averaging over four scoring chances per game against Arizona and six shots per contest.

Expecting five-plus shots and three-plus scoring chances for the center is almost certain and he has six real-world points in five meetings this season. His salary has steadied and his expected goals have been almost two goals higher based on the matchup.

Also, MacKinnon is going up against Arizona at home where the center has 8 power-play points and 20 real-world points in 16 games. With Colorado scoring five goals with regularity it seems of late, the matchup seems to just sell itself. Auston Matthews ($8,400) seems to be back to his goal-scoring tricks and going up against the Winnipeg Jets is a decent matchup. Also, there is Mark Scheifele and Winnipeg's new top-line which could cause the Toronto Maple Leafs fits.

Max Pacioretty, Wing, Vegas Golden Knights

FanDuel Salary: $8,200

The Vegas Golden Knights winger was a bit underwhelming on Monday night against the Los Angeles Kings with just two scoring chances and two shots on goal. So, we took a second look, and Pacioretty was used less as the game went on.

The one encouraging trend with Pacioretty is he does have six goals in his last seven games with four or more shots on goal per game. Like we mention often, Pacioretty carries the shooting volume of an Alex Ovechkin or even Brady Tkachuk. He finds his shot often and will just keep shooting. That is his nature, err DNA. Expect a few more opportunities on Wednesday and do not be shocked by an early goal. The Vegas top line likes to strike fast.

Mikko Rantanen ($8,500) is in play again on Wednesday against the Coyotes. Nikolaj Ehlers is one to watch from Winnipeg with that newly formed top-line that has Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor flanking him.

Ivan Provorov, Defenseman, Philadelphia Flyers

FanDuel Salary: $5,000

The Philadelphia Flyers defenseman plays the Buffalo Sabres again on Wednesday night. Monday night saw him pile up a number of scoring chances, a goal, and an assist, along with a couple of missed opportunities even. Provorov could have had a blockbuster night but as it was, his night was quite good.

When looking to go up against Buffalo and even Philadelphia, this game could get a little wilder than expected like Monday. Neither team plays particularly well on defense at even strength. There may be a value defenseman play from Buffalo that could take advantage of this (Brandon Montour). Shying away from the highest of tiers tonight is not a bad strategy.

Again, Alec Martinez ($4,600) is the Alexander Edler from a couple of seasons ago gift that keeps on giving. Devon Toews ($4,500) is also undervalued heavily from Colorado.

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.