Saturday Night DFS: Stacking Maple Leafs against Canadiens
There’s no day for some Yahoo daily fantasy hockey quite like Saturday.
A fairly light slate of games gives us 8 games and 16 teams to construct our lineups with.
Here are some recommendations for your lineup tonight.
The Value Guys
These players are the ones that are not the most or least expensive on the board, but solid options for your lineup.
C Anze Kopitar, LAK at MIN ($20)
The Los Angeles Kings don’t look like they’re on their way to a banner year (Yes, that comment was made in reference to the whole Taylor Swift ‘curse’), but on Saturday, Kopitar’s price given the matchup is too good to turn down. Los Angeles’ below-average offense receives a boost as it gets a juicy matchup against the Minnesota Wild, who have allowed the fifth-highest number of shot attempts over the past two weeks. Minnesota may or may not have starter Devan Dubnyk between the pipes, although whoever is in net for the Wild doesn’t matter all that much.
W James Van Riemsdyk, PHI vs. CLS ($18)
One of the more frustrating players to own in fantasy hockey, it’s been an odd start to the season for Van Riemsdyk. His 37 shots on goal have him right near the top of the category, but having just one goal to show for it is extremely puzzling. Van Riemsdyk’s previous outing against the Chicago Blackhawks saw him tally his first two points of the year and entering a meeting against the Columbus Blue Jackets - who have sneakily allowed the eight-most shot attempts in the NHL the past couple of weeks - his high shot volume could be a big asset.
D Ryan Ellis, NSH at TB ($20)
With nine points in his last six games, Ellis has been on a tear. His five-game point streak came to an end in the club’s last game, but the Nashville Predators have been scoring at will lately. Notching 10 goals over its past two games, Nashville meets a Tampa Bay Lightning squad allowing just a shade under 34 shots per contest.
G Ben Bishop, DAL vs. PIT ($29)
Don’t look now, but the once-slumping Dallas Stars have won three straight games, and they face a hard-luck Pittsburgh Penguins team that’s dropped three consecutive contests. After allowing one goal each in his past two starts, Bishop seems to be back to normal again.
Offenses to Stack
When a team’s having a good night offensively, you want to have as many pieces as possible. Stacking offenses can be a rewarding strategy.
Philadelphia Flyers
C Claude Giroux ($23) + W Jakub Voracek ($18) + W James Van Riemsdyk ($18)
I’m back on the Flyers stack this week. Last Saturday, it didn’t work out all that well, but it turned out I was a game too early to the team’s offensive outbreak. Since its 4-1 loss to Dallas, Philadelphia has mustered up 10 goals and a pair of wins to show for it. The Flyers have seemingly been one of the streakiest teams in hockey over the past couple of seasons, and I’m hopping on while they're hot.
Toronto Maple Leafs
C Auston Matthews ($34) + W Mitch Marner ($27) + D Morgan Rielly ($25)
You’ll have to pay up if you want this trio of Maple Leaf stars, but a matchup against the Montreal Canadiens has proven to be profitable for fantasy players. In each of the past three times both teams have faced off, Toronto has scored five or more goals. Most recently, each player registered at least a point in the Toronto’s 6-5 shootout loss against Montreal on Oct. 5.
Expensive, but Worth it
Sometimes you can’t help but fork over a decent amount of your budget to get elite fantasy production.
C Nathan MacKinnon, COL vs. ANH ($33)
There’s not a whole lot to say here. If you can fit this guy into your lineup, you do it.
Chasing the Cheap Win
It may be silly, but when selecting a goalie, the first question running through your mind should be: what is his team’s chance to win?
G Jonathan Quick, LAK at MIN ($24)
I don’t feel good recommending Quick, in fact, I feel kind of greasy doing it. The cost-efficient goaltending options on the slate aren’t great though, so I’ll plug my nose and put him here, although, you’re better off paying up at this position.
Cash Savers
Spent some major cash on some potential game-changers? These inexpensive players can help fill out the rest of your lineup.
C J.T. Compher ($15)
C Phillip Danault ($16)
W Jeff Carter ($16)
W Corey Perry ($14)
W Dominik Simon ($12)
D Drew Doughty ($17)
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