Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 12/12/19

Welcome back hockey fans. After a somewhat quiet hump day, we are back with a monster 12 game slate so let's jump in and take a look at some core plays at each position. Want more? Be sure to jump into the chatroom closer to lock to discuss line combinations, starting goalies, GPP stacks, and much more.

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GOALIE

Connor Hellebuyck FD - $8600 DK - $8400
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 22.26 DK - 16.55

Targeting goalies against the Red Wings has most definitely become a thing and is the main reason I start the article with a road goalie on Thursday. Detroit comes into tonight having dropped 12 straight and 24 of their last 28 games and rank dead last offensively scoring just 2.1 goals per game on the season. Then there is Hellebuyck who has been one of the best goalies in the league since the start of November going 9-2-2 with an elite .943 save % while facing an average of 33.5 shots per game. Put it all together and you have our top projected goalie and my favorite option in all formats.

John Gibson FD - $7800 DK - $7900
Opponent - LA
Proj Pts FD - 20.25 DK - 15.04

Gibson has been up and down to start the season which has kept his price down making him in play in these plus matchups. The Ducks open as -150 home favorites against the Kings who rank 29th overall on offense(2.5 goals per game) and have scored under two goals per game over their last seven. More good news as Gibson has also been much better on home ice with a .920 save %(.900 on the road) while facing over 31 shots per game. I prefer Hellebuyck in cash but if you need the savings for a top forward or D-man I would not talk you off Gibson in any format.

Also Consider: Tristan Jarry(PIT)

CENTERS

Jack Eichel FD - $8800 DK - $8100
Opponent - NAS
Proj Pts FD - 23.72 DK - 19.05

Eichel's price has crept right up and is only slightly cheaper than McDavid on both sites and it makes sense as they are both averaging almost identical points per game on both sites. With the slight discount, Eichel is my top guy tonight and he comes in scorching hot with a 14-game point streak and has 25 total points in that time. On top of that, he is providing an elite floor averaging 3.7 shots per game during the streak and 4.0 per game on the season and now gets a plus matchup vs. the Preds 20th ranked road defense. Fire up Eichel in all formats.

Stack with: Sam Reinhart, Victor Olofsson

Brock Nelson FD - $6100 DK - $5300
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 15.37 DK - 12.05

Looking at the overall production numbers, Brock Nelson comes in underpriced tonight compared to other players in his range of pricing. The scoring upside has been up and down and he has just six points in his last 10 games but the floor has been consistent all season as he has 39 shots in those 10 games while averaging a combined 4.0 shots/blocks per game on the season. Florida has been better as of late but still rank 27th overall on defense and 20th on home ice so fire up Nelson as a top PTS/$ option in all formats.

Stack with: Anthony Beauvillier, Mathew Barzal(PP)

Also Consider: Sebastian Aho(CAR)

WINGERS

Jake Guentzel FD - $8100 DK - $7600
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 19.08 DK - 14.56
Bryan Rust FD - $5100 DK - $6700
Opponent - CBJ
Proj Pts FD - 17.88 DK - 13.53

We are definitely going to want to get some exposure to the Jets in an elite matchup but the issue for cash games is that they are almost priced out of consideration. Instead, I will be turning to the Penguins top line wingers and while the matchup isn't quite as juicy the Blue Jackets do rank 24th overall in road defense.

With Crosby down with an injury, the Pens offense hasn't really skipped a beat thanks to Jake Guentzel who has tallied 18 points and an average of 3.3 shots per game in the 14 games without Sid in the lineup. Bryan rust is another player who has stepped up and is now skating alongside Guentzel and Malkin on the top line and comes into tonight with 11 points in his last 10 games with a whopping 40 shots on goal. You can consider him in all formats but his best value easily comes on FanDuel where he is just $5,100 an elite PTS/$ play.

Stack with: Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang(PP)

Clayton Keller FD - $5600 DK - $4800
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 11.58 DK - 9.14

While it can be tough to pinpoint where to get your exposure to the Coyotes offense, this is definitely a spot we want to attack tonight. They are at home facing a Blackhawks team that has given up nine goals in its last two games and has given up four or more goals in five of their last seven games. The good news with the Coyotes is that they come cheap and the one player that stands out to me tonight is Keller who has points in five of his last six games with 4+ shots in four of them. All things considered, Keller is in play in all formats.

Stack with: Derek Stepan, Vinny Hinostroza

Also Consider: Patrick Laine/Kyle Connor(WPG) skating together on the top line in a smash spot vs. Detroit

DEFENSEMEN

Oscar Klefbom FD - $5500 DK - $6000
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 16.66 DK - 13.13

Unfortunately for Oiler fans, Klefbom isn't going to lead them to a long playoff run with an ugly -20 rating but for fantasy, he has been right up there near the elite class. In the short term, the offensive production has fallen off(two points last 10) but the floor has been sky-high as he has combined for a total of 28 shots and 36 blocks in those 10 games for an average of 12.6 DK/12.3 FD points per game. He is in play in all formats in a plus matchup against the Wild.

Adam Fox FD - $4000 DK - $3800
Opponent - SJ
Proj Pts FD - 12.04 DK - 9.27

For value, I will be turning to Adam Fox of the Rangers who is having a solid rookie season and has been a top PTS/$ play for fantasy. It starts with the floor as he has a combined 36 shots/blocks over his last 10 games while also recording seven points. The ice-time is starting to climb and while he is on the third unit at even-strength, he is also skating on the team's second powerplay unit adding even more value. He is in play in all formats.

Also Consider: Calvin De Haan(CHI) or Sean Walker(LA) as other value options to help pay up at goalie and the forward positions

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