Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 10/23/18

After a couple slow(ish) nights in the NHL with three and four games the last two nights we are back with a big eight-game slate on Tuesday. Let's dig in and take a look at some of the top plays at each position.

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GOALIE

Juuse Saros FD - $8100 DK - $8000
Opponent - SJ
Proj Pts FD - 18.85 DK - 4.71

There are twice as many games as last night but the goaltender position is not any easier to navigate. The top goalies(Bobrovsky, Bishop) are struggling and the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, Pekka Rinne, was pulled in his last start with an undisclosed injury and placed on injured reserve. Filling in for him will be Juuse Saros who has been terrific so far this season going 4-0 with a .945 save % and is coming off a 31 save shutout in Edmonton. The matchup isn't great but it isn't terrible either as the Sharks have been just average to start the season with a 4-3-1 record scoring 3.3 goals per game(16th). The Predators have also been one of the best home teams over the last 2-3 seasons as well making me more confident in firing up Saros in all formats.

Sergei Bobrovsky FD - $8900 DK - $8400
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 19.13 DK - 4.78

Bobrovsky is coming off back to back seasons with 37 or more wins including a Vezina Trophy in 2016-17 but thing have not gone so well for him early this season. He sits with an ugly .876 save % but fortunately due to the offense in front of him he sits with a 2-3 record scoring 6+ DK/24+ FD points in two of his five starts. What stands out tonight and why it makes sense to ride with him, at least in GPP formats, is that he is at home as a big favorite(-167) against a Coyotes team that ranks dead last in offense scoring just 1.4 goals per game. With his struggles and high price, he may also be lower owned than he should be in this matchup.

Also Consider: Corey Crawford(CHI)

CENTERS

Tyler Seguin FD - $7900 DK - $7600
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 14.67 DK - 5.98

Despite not recording a point in his last three games, Seguin is off to a good start with 10 points in his first seven games. Not only does he provide big upside on an elite top line with Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov but he also has one of the highest floors in the NHL as he is tied for the league-lead in shots with 43(6.1 per game) while skating just over 21 minutes per game. The matchup may not look ideal but the Kings have struggled early in the season giving up 3.5 goals and 32 shots against per game. All things considered, Seguin is my top center play in all formats tonight.

Stack with: Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov

Mika Zibanejad FD - $6400 DK - $6200
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 10.28 DK - 3.98

While the Rangers offense has struggled overall early in the season, Zibanejad checks off every box tonight. First of all, he fits the cash game model in a big way as he has 35 shots on goal for the season(4.4 per game) while skating on the top line and powerplay unit averaging 21 minutes of ice-time. Despite the team struggles, he has also provided upside with points in three of his last four games(two powerplay points) and now faces a Panthers team that ranks 27th in defense allowing 3.8 goals against per game. Fire up Zibanejad in all formats in the mid-range of pricing on both sites.

Stack with: Chris Kreider, Jesper Fast

Also Consider: Adam Henrique(ANH) or Kyle Turris(NSH) as value plays at the position

WINGERS

Cam Atkinson FD - $7100 DK - $6600
Opponent - ARI
Proj Pts FD - 11.24 DK - 4.5

Atkinson has probably been my most mentioned player in the early going this season and as long as he continues to sit in the mid-range of pricing and provide a high floor I will continue to have a ton of exposure. The floor comes from shot volume as he has tallied three or more shots in every game and four or more shots in five of his seven games which is nothing new as he is coming off a season where he averaged 3.6 per game. The Blue Jackets offense has been just average so far(3.3 goals per game) but Atkinson has provided some upside with six points in seven games with two multi-point efforts.

Stack with: Artemi Panarin, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Boone Jenner(PP)

Brendan Gallagher FD - $6400 DK - $5600
Opponent - CGY
Proj Pts FD - 10.6 DK - 4.23

From a PTS/$ value perspective, Gallagher is definitely in play tonight. After trading away two of their best players(Galchenyuk, Pacioretty) in the offseason the Habs have been a surprise team going 4-1-2 in the first couple weeks. Gallagher checks all the boxes skating on the top line and powerplay unit and is providing a high floor with 3.1 shots on goal per game and has also scored in three of his last four games(four total). He only costs about 11% of your salary cap on both sites making him a terrific choice in all formats.

Stack with: Tomas Tatar, Phillip Danault

Also Consider: Jonathan Huberdeau(FLA) or Craig Smith(NSH) in all formats

DEFENSEMEN

Cam Fowler FD - $4900 DK - $4700
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 8.64 DK - 3.51

From a cash game perspective, I love hanging out in the mid-range and my top PTS/$ value tonight is Cam Fowler. He hasn't quite shown us his upside yet this season with just four points but the floor has been high as he has provided an excellent balance of shots(13) and especially blocks(28) through nine games of the season as he averages 3.2 DraftKings/10.8 FanDuel points per game. The Ducks go on the road tonight and are slight dogs but keep in mind the Blackhawks rank 29th in defense allowing four goals and 37 shots per game.

Kevin Connauton FD - $3600 DK - $3600
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 4.39 DK - 2.21

My punt of the night is Kevin Connauton of the Coyotes. To be clear, he is a cash game play only as he has little to no offensive upside and doesn't play on the powerplay. He does, however, get a ton of penalty killing time which leads to blocks(10 for the season) and he also has decent shot volume(19 on the season). Through seven games, he is averaging 2.4 DraftKings/7.8 FanDuel points per game which says alot about his floor as he has tallied just one point. Most of all, he allows us to pay up for multiple superstars on this big eight-game slate.

Also Consider: Henri Jokiharju(CHI) as a GPP upside play and David Savard(CBJ) as a PTS/$ value in all formats

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