The Shot Dude: NHL Value Day
In the spirit of healthy competion, retailers seem to bring out their best sales this time of year.
Your favorite Shot Dude is following suit by bring you Value Day.
I've assembled six solid skaters who will do your lineup some seriuos good but leave plenty of salary to fill the rest of your roster with higher-priced talent.
Keep in mind, these are simply recommendations and not intended to constitute a complete playable lineup. You can view today's 12-game NHL fare with the help of the Bovada data tool on our Home page.
I include each player's current salary on FanDuel, which is a most rewarding place to play all daily fantasy games.
Forwards
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton ($3900) ... is making a cannonball-sized splash in his first NHL season. This 20-year-old has not only worked his way onto the top scoring line for the Oil, but the No 1 power play line as well. Dude's racked up 7 goals, including a game winner, and 10 assists in just 13 games! He averages more than 2 shots and 18 minutes of ice time per game. Today's venue -- Pittsburgh -- is not an easy place to play, but the Pens do give up the fifth-most shots to their opponents. There's no a forward listed on FanDuel with more upside than Draisaitl for only $3900.
Paul Stastny, St Louis ($5300) ... is another skater who's seen great sucess in a handful of games this season. Dude's only appeared in 7 but has averaged a point per game. Stastny has 2 power play and 1 game-winning goal to date. He plays alongside Vladimir Tarasenko on the Blues top scoring line. and Tarasenko is the NHL's second-leading scorer, so a great opportunity for a point exists for Stastny on every shift. St Louis hosts Columbus, who is the NHL's third-worst at allowing goals with 78.
Artemi Panarin, Chicago ($4900) ... is third on the Blackhawks with 57 shots resulting in 7 goals during his 23 games. He's second on the team in total points with 23. Panarin's solid play has earned him a promotion to both Chicago's top scoring and power play lines, where he plays alongside current NHL point leader Patrick Kane. Today's matchup in Los Angeles will be challenging, but Panarin's potential to score in any game is worth more than his present salary of $4900.
Defensemen
Ryan Suter, Minnesota ($4300) ... is the leader of the Wild in assists with 17, total points with 20, power play points with 8, and average ice time of almost 28 minutes per game. Suter has taken 48 shots in 21 games and seems to be everywhere on the ice due to his being both in the top defensive pairing and point man for the No 1 power play unit. Dude's a bit risky with the plus-minus scoring system FanDuel uses. However, Suter currently sits at a +2 for the year, and your favorite Shot Dude really likes him to be involved in the scoring against Dallas today.
François Beauchemin, Colorado, ($3700) ... has an incredible skill for blocking shots. Dude seems fearless, as he is currently second in the NHL with 63 blocked shots in 22 games. Beauchemin chips in on the second power play unit and has registered 1 goal and 6 total power play points so far. He's assisted on 10 goals and plays almost 24 minutes per game. Colorado is home to play Winnipeg, who's piled up the league's most penalties this season and should give the Avs plenty of power play chances.
Goaltender
Martin Jones, San José ($7800) ... just had a 5-game winning streak snapped by Chicago in his last start. Tonight's a great time for Jones to start his next one, as Calgary is in town. Jones currently ranks third in the NHL with 11 wins and fourth with a goals against average of 2.14. Calgary has lost their last 2 and owns a 3-8-2 road record. Your favorite Shot Dude really likes Jones' and the Kings' chances for a win today as Calgary has given up 47 goals and only scored 29 in their 13 road games.
Your favorite Shot Dude hopes you can turn some of these Value plays into a Valuable day of winning fantasy NHL!
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