DFS values and players to avoid in Saturday's busy NHL slate

By Jason Chen
RotoWire Hockey Writer

The Kings and Jets are the only two teams taking Saturday night off with a slate of 14 games, which means almost every star player is available in the Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey. This makes a little more difficult, but there are still a few players who seem undervalued.

The Devils, Rangers, Jackets, Wings, Leafs, Blackhawks, Islanders and Coyotes will play the second of back-to-back games, but only the Wings, Leafs, Devils and Coyotes will face a different opponent. Keep that in mind when picking goalies and forwards playing against those tired teams.

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GOALIE

Roberto Luongo, FLA vs. PHI ($29) - Luongo sported a 1.95 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in three appearances against Philly last year, so the numbers tilt in his favor. Philly is a bit of a wild card this year with some different faces and a new coach, so there could be some ups and downs to start the season. The Panthers should take another step forward this season with a potential breakout year from Jonathan Huberdeau and Year 2 of Aaron Ekblad.

Players to Avoid:

Cam Talbot, EDM at NSH ($33) - This one's a no-brainer. This just isn't good value for a team on the road going against a much stronger opponent whose defense and goaltending can shut down Connor McDavid and friends. The Oilers scored just one goal against in Thursday's loss against the Blues, who have a slightly weaker defense than Nashville with a pair of rookie defensemen this year in Colton Parayko and Joel Edmundson, though both are future pieces. Marc-Andre Fleury is priced the same and has a much easier opponent.

Jimmy Howard, DET at CAR ($32) - Petr Mrazek is expected to start with Howard starting Friday. OK, never mind, this one's the actual no-brainer.

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CENTER

Henrik Sedin, VAN vs. CGY ($16) - Ever the model of consistency, Sedin has traditionally feasted on the Flames, scoring 74 points in 83 games against them over his career. The Flames should show some pushback after a 5-1 drubbing in their home opener to spoil Vancouver's party, but the Canucks get the final change at home, which should give Willie Desjardins a few opportunities to throw the Sedins out against their third pairing of Brett Kulak and Deryk Engelland.

Player to Avoid:

Robby Fabbri, STL at MIN ($19) - It's not that Fabbri isn't good or worth the hype, but on ability alone there's a ton of centers who are just as talented on offense with bigger roles. Collecting his first NHL goal in his NHL debut in front of his family Thursday was nice, but it's hard to score in back-to-back games, not to mention it's against Minnesota, which could take the division title this year.

WING

Phil Kessel, PIT at ARI ($19) - I still believe in Phil the Thrill. He fired six shots in a 3-0 loss to Dallas on Thursday, and if he does this all season he won't get blanked for long. Dave Tippett's teams typically defend well, but Mike Smith is still a huge question after a disastrous season last year. It's hard to believe that a vaunted Pens offense can get shut out twice in a row, and as the main trigger man, Kessel should have the best shot at scoring their first goal of the season.

Jonathan Drouin, TB at BUF ($12) - If you're looking for some big value plays, Drouin is probably the best option at $15 and under. He collected two assists in the season opener, and there's no indication that Jon Cooper is taking him off Steven Stamkos' wing. He's an electrifying talent and will face Buffalo's backup in Chad Johnson.

Players to Avoid:

Cam Atkinson, CLS at NYR ($19) - He can certainly score goals, but he's getting buried on the depth chart in Columbus and is a tad expensive playing on a line with Scott Hartnell and Alexander Wennberg. There's no real reason to expect Rene Bourque to remain in Columbus' top-six all season, so Atkinson can move up, but, then again, they are facing King Henrik.

Patrick Eaves, DAL at COL ($18) - The Avs defense is porous, having just blown a 4-1 lead heading into the third period Thursday against Minnesota, but it's still difficult to see a line of Eaves, Vernon Fiddler and Travis Moen finding the score sheet in Denver. The fourth line, which features Ales Hemsky and Mattias Janmark, has more offensive upside, but the bulk of the scoring should still come from the top two lines.

DEFENSEMEN

Erik Karlsson, OTT at TOR ($25) - Rarely is a player a must-start in his position, but Karlsson comes as close as anyone. He led the league in scoring among defensemen the last two seasons, and that kind of consistent production is almost unheard of in a league with so much talent and parity. He can elevate his play in big games and it's a nationwide broadcast for Toronto's home opener.

Shea Weber, NSH vs. EDM ($18) - Weber has 10 goals and 24 points in 32 career games against the Oilers, his highest total out of all non-division opponents (Detroit not included) he's faced. The Oilers have a lot of weapons, but the Preds should control much of the game, and when frustrations mount and the Oilers take a bad penalty, Weber's a good bet to capitalize. Half of those 10 goals he's scored against them came on the man advantage.

Players to Avoid:

Dennis Wideman, CGY at VAN ($21) - He's one of the most expensive defenseman yet he's behind Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton and Kris Russell on the depth chart. Sure, he brings a lot of offense and still gets his fair share of ice time, but he's scored just five points in 22 career games against Vancouver.

Francois Beauchemin, COL vs. DAL ($17) - Odds are that Beauchemin, who hasn't scored over 30 points in almost 10 years, won't be able to repeat the three-assist effort he had against Minnesota. He'll have his hands full trying to contain the Dallas offense, and the much, much, much more offensively inclined Tyson Barrie can be had for the same price.

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