NHL DFS Core Plays January 4: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks
Published: Jan 03, 2023
We have three games today with some high-flying offensive teams. New Jersey and Dallas are going to be popular, but can we find some value elsewhere? Will the Anaheim Ducks be able to generate any kind of offense? Can Kirill Kaprizov and Nikita Kucherov hit value? You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Friday, December 16th, 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.
New Jersey Devils Vs. Detroit Red Wings
Players to target: Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier (if he plays), Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, Dougie Hamilton, David Perron, Jake Walman, Moritz Seider.
The New Jersey Devils have the highest team total entering tonight, but Nico Hiscier and Tomas Tatar are questionable to play. If both don’t play, that would be a huge loss for New Jersey, but I still like them to score a few goals. Jack Hughes and Dawson Mercer skate together five on five and Mercer could join the top unit due to all the injuries. Hughes is a shooting machine and that trend shouldn’t stop tonight. His floor is very high for this slate. Dougie Hamilton is always a good option on the blue line, but his price tag is higher than I’d like to spend.
Detroit isn’t in a great spot here, but I do like Moritz Seider and our new favorite player Jake Walman to exceed value. Walman isn’t going to blow you away with his offensive numbers, but he’s very capable of blocking shots and New Jersey takes a ton of them. For $4100 on DraftKings, we can’t say no to him. If you want a piece of the offense, David Perron is the way to go.
Tampa Bay Lightning Vs. Minnesota Wild
Players to target: Nikita Kucherov, Mikhail Sergachev, Sam Steel, Kirill Kaprizov, Filip Gustavsson.
This is a tough matchup to break down because both teams aren’t expected to score a ton of goals. Andrei Vasilevskiy should get the start in this one, while Filip Gustavsson is confirmed to start for Minnesota. Both teams have some elite goalscorers, but are they worth paying up for?
For Tampa Bay, I’ll limit my exposure to Nikita Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev. Kucherov is elite and can certainly find a way to get on the scoresheet, while Sergachev is going to get chances to shoot the puck and block shots. I could see an argument for playing someone like Victor Hedman or Steven Stamkos, but I just don’t feel comfortable spending up for them.
As for Minnesota, Kirill Kaprizov is always a good play because he loves to shoot the puck. He needs to score a goal to hit value, but if anyone can do it, it’s him. Sam Steel is my favourite cheap center option on the slate. He’s skating on the top line and has ten points in the last ten games. He doesn’t shoot the puck much, but you know he’s going to be dishing out the puck to his two elite wingers.
Filip Gustavsson might feel like a downgrade from Marc-Andre Fleury, but he’s sporting a 2.34 GAA and a .920 SV% on the season, which is on par with what Vasilevskiy has done. He’s won four of his last five starts and has allowed just four goals in those wins. It’s not a great matchup on paper for him, but I do like his price tag and upside.
Dallas Stars Vs. Anaheim Ducks
Players to target: Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Jason Robertson, Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Miro Heiskanen, Scott Wedgewood, Dmitry Kulikov
This is the game most DFS players will be targeting tonight. The Ducks are a terrible hockey team and they could easily get smashed tonight by a very good Dallas team. Anaheim is last in almost every important category and they don’t have their best goalie (Lukas Dostal, for those of you wondering) in goal.
For Dallas, any combination of their top six works for me, but Joe Pavelski, Jason Robertson, and Miro Heiskanen are my three favorites. All three play together on the top power-play unit, so that correlation is something to consider.
If you need some cheaper options, Wyatt Johnston and Tyler Seguin play together on the second power-play unit and are relatively affordable on DK. There’s less upside with those two, but they may allow you to pay up for some of the more expensive players.
Jake Oettinger got the start yesterday against Los Angeles, so there’s a good chance we see Scott Wedgewood start this game. The Ducks don’t generate many score chances, so it’s going to be a challenge for Wedgewood to hit value. He’s still going to be very popular tonight because he has the best chance of picking up a ton.
As for the Ducks, there’s really nothing to love. Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry are both good players, but they won’t be able to hit value against an elite team like Dallas. The last time these two teams faced each other, the Stars came away with a 5-0 victory, and we could see a repeat of that here. If you want one player just to be different, Dmitry Kulikov has a good chance of picking up three blocked shots tonight and is only $3300. Everything else is just not worth it.
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DK | Position | Top Tier | Mid-Tier | Value-Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Jack Hughes | Nico Hischier | Sam Steel |
| W | Jason Robertson | David Perron | Dawson Mercer |
| D | Dougie Hamilton | Miro Heiskanen | Jake Walman |
| G | Scott Wedgewood | Filip Gustavsson | Andrei Vasilevskiy |
FD | Position | Top Tier | Mid-Tier | Value-Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Jack Hughes | Tyler Seguin | Sam Steel |
| W | Jason Robertson | Joe Pavelski | Dawson Mercer |
| D | Mikhail Sergachev | Moritz Seider | Jake Walman |
| G | Scott Wedgewood | Filip Gustavsson | Vitek Vanecek |
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.