Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 1/3/17

Welcome back for another night of daily fantasy hockey with the DFSR. We are now three days into 2017 and some things never change. The biggest story going into the break was the 12 and 14 game winning streaks of the Wild and Blue Jackets and their epic meeting on New Years Eve. Well, Columbus came away the victor and now enter tonight with an incredible 15 game streak. There are also six other games tonight with just the New Jersey Devils playing on a back to back. Let's dig in and take a look at some of the top value plays from the projection system.

Hockey is back and with it come our NHL projections which help inform these picks every night. When you purchase a DFSR NHL subscription to our base hockey projections you also get access to our brand new NFL DFS suite of tools including full projections, optimal NFL lineups and our Player Lab, which includes filters to help you create NFL lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings for any format. It’s a set of tools well beyond anything we’ve ever had, and something we feel will help our users *ahem* tackle the NFL season.

If you want to see the numbers behind our projections, create linueps with a single click, or research as deeply as your heart desires, click the button below to test out yourself.

GOALIES

Sergei Bobrovsky FD - $9600 DK - $8100
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 17.38 DK - 4.34

I am not going to get sneaky here with the goalie today. Bobrovsky has been a huge part of the Blue Jackets success this season. During their current 15 game winning streak, Bob has picked up 13 of the wins while working with a very impressive .936 save % and only allowing more than two goals in three games. The Blue Jackets will look to extend their streak at home tonight as they are -165 favorites to the visiting Edmonton Oilers. Bob beat them already during this streak back o December 13 allowing just one goal in a 3-1 win in Edmonton. The Oilers are a Top 10 offense and have ben good on the road this year(10-5-5) as well so this definitely won't be a cakewalk but the upside and consistency is too much to pass up tonight.

 

Henrik Lundqvist FD - $9300 DK - $8200
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 17.19 DK - 4.3

King Henrik isn't confirmed starting for the Rangers yet but I will speculate early in the day. He is coming off a win in Colorado where he stopped 25 of 27 shots he faced. He has been splitting time with Anti Raanta but has been te better of the two lately winning four of his last five starts and has only allowed more than three goals in the one loss. He gets another plus matchup tonight as the Rangers are huge home favorites(-220) to the Sabres who sit in the basement of the Eastern Conference with the 28th ranked offense. With his current form and historic track record, I would trust Lundy in all formats and wouldn't hesitate to start Raanta if he is the one who gets the nod Tuesday night.

 

 

 

Also Consider: Martin Jones(SJ)

 

CENTERS

Auston Matthews FD - $7400 DK - $7600
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 17.73 DK - 5.19

You have seen his name here before so don't be surprised he tops the center position once again with his elite play recently. Matthews has been on fire with eight goals and 12 points over his last 1o games and now has 20 goals on the season as a 19-year-old rookie. Looking at history, he is one of only 57 players to score 20 or more goals before turning 20 and he still has 35 games to play this season. It is only a matter of time before he passes McDavid as the youngest Captain of an NHL team. On top of the elite upside, he also provides a consistent floor averaging around 3.5 shots per game.

Stack With: Zach Hyman, Connor Brown

 

 
Derek Stepan FD - $6700 DK - $6800
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 13.21 DK - 3.98

Stepan's salary is reaching its ceiling but the value is still there, at least for tournaments. He has been red hot for the Rangers #2 offense with points in five of his last six games including three multi-point efforts against the Avs, Wild and Senators. He doesn't offer much of a floor as he only averages just over two shots on goal per game but plays on the top line and powerplay unit and gets  a matchup vs. the Sabres who sit in the basement of the Eastern conference.

Stack with: Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider

 

 
Joe Thornton FD - $5600 DK - $5300
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 9.34 DK - 3.17

From a PTS/$ perspective, big Joe isn't going to wow anybody with his very low shot volume. That just isn't his game though as he is an elite play maker and sits among the all-time leaders in assists(13th with 987). He has been contributing very consistent production lately with points in four of his last five games and nine points over his last 10 games. He is a key play maker on the Sharks powerplay and goes up against a Kings team tonight that has allowed a powerplay goal to the opponent in three straight games. Thornton is not safe for cash games but a high upside stacking play in tournaments. 

Stack with: Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau

 

 

 

WINGERS

Cam Atkinson FD - $7000 DK - $7200
Opponent - EDM
Proj Pts FD - 14.13 DK - 4.51

He has been red hot lately during the Blue Jackets winning streak with 18 points over the last 15 games. Believe it or not, during this stretch he is only averaging slightly higher fantasy points per game than his season averages. That is a testament to how consistent and valuable he has been to the team this season. He leads the way 37 points in 35 games and gets top line minutes and plays on the top powerplay unit which is great to target in cash games as it gives you exposure to the top three lines for the league's #1 offense.

PP Stack with: Alexander Wennberg, Sam Gagner, Nick Foligno

 

 
Viktor Arvidsson FD - $5700 DK - $5900
Opponent - MON
Proj Pts FD - 12.44 DK - 3.64

In his second full season in the NHL Victor Arvidsson has taken the next step and looks to be a staple on the top line for years to come. For fantasy, the offense has been starting to heat up as he has eight points over his last 10 games while averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time. The best part about his game is the high floor he offers averaging over three shots on goal per game this season. He is safe in all formats.

Stack with: Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen

 

DEFENSEMEN
Victor Hedman FD - $7000 DK - $5600
Opponent - WPG
Proj Pts FD - 13.99 DK - 4.6

It appears FanDuel has caught on to just how good Hedman has been this season leaving him a GPP play only tonight. On DraftKings, however, he is an elite play in formats with a mid $5K price tag. With 14 points over his last 10 games, he has climbed up the ranks and sits just two points behind Brent Burns for the league lead among D men.  He also leads all D men and sits tied for fifth overall in powerplay points. The upside is real! He also proves a consistent floor averaging right around two blocks and shots on goal per game.

 

 
Ryan McDonagh FD - $5600 DK - $5400
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 11.98 DK - 3.6

Mcdonagh is a player who is safe in all formats on both sites tonight.  He, like Hedman, provides a consistent floor for cash games averaging right around two blocks and two shots on goal per game. He has also been showing us his ceiling and upside lately with 10 points over his last 10 games including four powerplay assists.

 

 

Also Consider: Alec Martinez(LAK)

 

 

 

 

Hockey is back and with it comes our NHL projections which help inform these picks every night. When you purchase a DFSR NHL subscription to our base hockey projections you also get access to our brand new NFL DFS suite of tools including full projections, optimal NFL lineups and our Player Lab, which includes filters to help you create NFL lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings for any format. It’s a set of tools well beyond anything we’ve ever had, and something we feel will help our users *ahem* tackle the NFL season.

If you want to see the numbers behind our projections, create linueps with a single click, or research as deeply as your heart desires, click the button below to test out yourself.