NHL DFS Core Plays February 19: Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
Published: Feb 19, 2023
We have three games today with some high-flying offensive teams. Toronto and New Jersey will be popular, but can we find some value elsewhere? Can the Arizona Coyotes provide us with any value? Are the Winnipeg Jets frauds? You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Sunday, February 19th, but before you build those NHL daily fantasy lineups, don’t forget to check out our NHL DFS projections, the NHL Value Finder, and the NHL DFS lineup generator. Let's now take a closer look at the daily fantasy hockey top plays for tonight's NHL DFS slate.
Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Players to target: Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Ryan O’Reilly, William Nylander, Michael Bunting, Rasmus Sandin, Erik Kallgren, Patrick Kane, Seth Jones, Connor Murphy, Caleb Jones.
To the shock of absolutely no one, Toronto comes into this game as a massive favourite. Even though they played last night, the Habs put up no fight and were dominated mostly from start to finish. Chicago is a terrible hockey team and they are going to get smoked on home ice.
Any Toronto centerman works for me tonight. If you want to pay up for Auston Matthews, go for it. If you want to save some salary, Ryan O’Reilly is a good option too. I love William Nylander and his game this season, so I’ll gladly pay up for a player that has 14 points in the last ten games and who is averaging over four shots on goal in that span.
On the back end, Seth Jones, Caleb Jones and Connor Murphy are all great options to choose from. We know that they are going to be asked to block a ton of shots and all three players do that really well. If you want a Toronto blueliner, Rasmus Sandin is affordable and is coming off a two-point performance.
It’s never great to play a goalie on a back-to-back, but if Erik Kallgren gets the call, we can’t ignore him. Ilya Samsonov is sick and Justin Woll played last night, so everything is lining up for Kallgren to start. He’s $6500 on DraftKings, which is a joke, but I’ll gladly eat the chalk at that price.
Winnipeg Jets Vs. New Jersey Devils
Players to target: Mark Scheifele, Cole Perfetti, Josh Morrissey, Connor Hellebuyck, Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Ondrej Palat, Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, Jonas Siegenthaler, Mackenzie Blackwood.
I think it’s time someone says it-- the Winnipeg Jets are potential frauds. This is a team loaded with skill that could win the Western Conference, but on some nights, they lose to Columbus and can’t score against the Flyers. They are facing a team playing the tail end of a back-to-back, but I refuse to fall for that trap.
If you do want to go down that path, Mark Scheifele, Cole Perfetti and Josh Morrissey are the only three players I would consider. Scheifele has proven that he can score goals, Perfetti is cheap and Josh Morrissey could hit value without having to register a point. Don’t feel obligated to play any of them, but if I had to pick just one, it’s Morrissey.
For the Devils, Jack Hughes made his return to the lineup and he looked nothing short of amazing. Nico Hischier had his first career four-point game and I can see him keeping that pace up tonight. I would stack both centerman together because they are the best players on the team. If you need to save some salary, Ondrej Palat and Dawson Mercer are players to consider. On the back end, Jonas Siegebthaler was a healthy scratch yesterday and head coach Lindy Ruff said maybe a game off would help him reset. I'm looking for points from him, but I do think that he can block at least three shots and hit value.
When it comes to goalies, both are an option here. Connor Hellebuych is elite and he’s going to face a ton of shots. He could still hit value without picking up the win. Mackenzie Blackwood should start for the Devils, and while I don’t think he’s the best option on the slate, his price tag is affordable and I can see New Jersey winning this game.
Columbus Blue Jackets Vs. Arizona Coyotes
Players to target: Patrick Laine, Kirill Marchenko, Andrew Peeke, Erik Gudbranson, Barrett Hayton, Clayton Keller, Matias Maccelli, Juuso Valimaki, Josh Brown, Patrick Nemeth, Connor Ingram.
What toilet bowl matchup to finish a Sunday. I wish I wasn’t going to stay up to watch this game, but this matchup could have serious DFS implications. Both teams are playing the tail end of a back-to-back and we could see a boatload of goals between the two teams. In their first meeting of the season, they combined to score nine goals, so don’t sleep on this game.
Columbus is coming off a 4-1 victory against Dallas, but they did it without Johhny Gaudreau, who is questionable to play tonight. Patrik Laine and Kirill Marchenko are both capable of scoring goals, so those are the only two forwards I would trust. On the back end, Erik Gudbranson and Andrew Peeke are great at blocking shots, but will Arizona be able to generate enough offence for them to even get to three blocked shots? Their price tags are cheap, so I’ll at least consider it.
For Arizona, Clayton Keller has ten points in the last five games and is just dragging this team to wins. The Coyotes have lost just one game in regulation in their last ten, which is crazy. Matias Maccelli is coming off a two-assists in last night’s game, but he just doesn’t shoot the puck. If he doesn’t get a point, he’s going to finish with zero fantasy points. Play him at your own risk.
On the blue line, Jusso Valimaki is on the top power play unit, but take that with a grain of salt. Josh Brown and Patrick Nemeth are both capable of blocking shots, but can Columbus generate enough offence for it to even matter? Brown had himself a really good game last night, so maybe we see a repeat of that tonight?
Connor Ingram came in for Karel Vejmelka and stopped are 23 shots he faced. He has now stopped 70 shots in a row and is playing some fantastic hockey. Columbus is 30th in goals per game, so this is an excellent spot for Ingram to be good. His $7800 price tag is also very appealing. I hate having to trust a goalie on a back-to-back, but Columbus is barely a hockey team and you only live once.
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DK | Position | Top Tier | Mid-Tier | Value-Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Jack Hughes | Mark Scheifele | Ryan O'Reilly |
| W | William Nylander | Clayton Keller | Cole Perfetti |
| D | Josh Morrissey | Connor Murphy | Josh Brown |
| G | Connor Ingram | Mackenzie Blackwood | Erik Kallgren |
FD | Position | Top Tier | Mid-Tier | Value-Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Auston Matthews | Nico Hischier | Barrett Hayton |
| W | William Nylander | Kirill Marchenko | Matias Maccelli |
| D | Josh Morrissey | Seth Jones | Jonas Siegenthaler |
| G | Mackenzie Blackwood | Connor Ingram | Erik Kallgren |
Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.