NHL DFS Picks
The concept of an NHL optimizer is to be able to generate premium DFS lineups quickly but allow the user some control of how the lineup roster is constructed. FanatsyData’s NHL optimizer features icons that you can click to lock a player into your lineup or exclude a player by clicking on the “lock” or “x” icon. This option allows our DFS optimizer to make a unique yet personal lineup very quickly.
- Using the FantasyData Optimizer
- Using FanDuel’s Salaries
Centers
Elias Pettersson $9,700
No team has been hotter than the Vancouver Canucks, so I love their elite playmaking center in this matchup. The Canucks are averaging over 4 goals a game this season and are an astounding 31% on the powerplay. A big reason why the team is succeeding is Pettersson. Pettersson already has 7 goals and 18 assists. Averaging over an assist a game and the Islanders have not been quite the shutdown team they have been in the past.
Sean Couturier $5,100
Couturier has been battling injuries for the past couple of years and has already missed two games this season, but he is back and just had 4 days off. The well-rested Couturier is a vital piece to the Flyers team and is the first-line center. Couturier is a good two-way forward and should be involved heavily on both sides of the ice.
Matty Beniers $4,400
The optimizer, and myself, absolutely love Beniers in this matchup. Beniers has one of the highest ‘values’ (Projected Value based on Fantasy Points per dollar ratio). The Calder Trophy winner has not gotten off to the hottest start this season, just 7 points so far, but the Oilers have been leaking goals all season and this game could be high-scoring. For such a low cost to get in your lineup, Beniers is worth the shot in what could turn out to be a high-scoring game.
Wingers
Brock Boeser $ 7,600
The Canucks have been putting the puck in the net at an elite level to start this season and Boeser is a big reason why. Through 12 games he has 12 goals and 18 points. A pure sniper for the Canucks and he should continue to get looks in this good matchup.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins $6,700
Nugent-Hopkins is coming off the best season of his career where he notched 37 goals and 104 points. The Oilers need their first-line winger to get back to the form they know he can play at. Playing first-line minutes with Connor McDavid surely doesn’t hurt his chances of having a good game. This is a good matchup; the optimizer loves Nugent-Hopkins’ value in a game where the Kraken have struggled to defend left-wingers this season.
Jared McCann $5,900
This Kraken vs. Oilers matchup could be a get-right game for both offenses. Both teams struggle to defend wingers and Jared McCann is one of the main goal scorers on this Kraken offense. His involvement in the powerplay is another good reason to play him. The Kraken powerplay is at a solid 25% and McCann has 2 goals so far on the man advantage. McCann is coming off a 40-goal season and should be looking to regain that form.
Owen Tippett $5,600
Tippett is coming into this game on a nice little goal streak, 3 goals in his last 2 games. The speedy forward is a good playmaker and could be finding his game for the Flyers. Tippett is averaging 12 fantasy points per game with FanDuel’s scoring.
Andrei Svechnikov $3,800
Svechnikov may be getting eased back into the lineup since returning this season, missing the first 8 games of the year. The talent is way too good to only be $3,800 though, and the optimizer agrees. Svechnikov has the highest value of any winger playing today according to the optimizer.
Defensemen
Devon Toews $5,500
Devon Toews may be one of the quietest superstars in the NHL. His blue line partner, Cale Maker gets much of the praise but Toews is no slouch. Toews plays a ton of minutes, is sound defensively, and can still contribute on the offensive side. The Ducks rank 22nd against defensemen and with the Avalanche at home in this contest, Toews should be in for a solid game.
Vince Dunn $5,400
Edmonton can’t keep the puck out of the net and Dunn has been a playmaking machine from the blueline this season. Dunn has 14 points through 16 games and is the leading assist man on the Kraken with 12. A perfect matchup for a defenseman with his offensive abilities.
Pavel Mintyukov $4,900
Mintyukov has gotten off to a great start in his rookie season, already notching 10 points in his first 15 games. Colorado is a good team but they have been susceptible to goals, giving up more than 3 goals per game on average. Mintyukov also controls the blueline on the Ducks top powerplay line, giving him an added opportunity to record points.
Goalie
Antti Raanta/ Pyotr Kochetkov $7,900
A tough slate of games today where each matchup has an over/under of 6.5. The sportsbooks think goals will be scored so that’s never good for goalies. The Carolina goalie tandem is a solid option though. With the Hurricanes losing Freddie Anderson to injury, Raanta and Kochetkov have to step up to keep the Hurricanes afloat in a tough Eastern Conference. Antti Raanta seems to be the starter tonight but remember to check closer to game time to see which one is in the net, nothing worse than playing a goalie who doesn’t start.
