NHL DFS Core Plays March 08: Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks

Today's three-game NHL DFS slate is highlighted by Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild taking on Kyle Connor and the Winnipeg Jets. Also don't miss out on some of the great value plays available on the wing today with Ryan Strome of the Ducks facing the Coyotes. Remember, you can use the lineup generator powered by Fanjections to help put your lineup together.
Wild at Jets
This might not be the clash that it looks like initially. These division rivals should make for a solid matchup, but the Jets have been giving up more than 4.5 goals per game, and the Wild have been giving up less than 2. With that said though the Jets have been a good home team, and the Wild have been average on the road so we will see which trend wins today. Looking at the forward groups, we are seeing Kirill Kaprizov put 17 shots on goal over his last three games, which certainly makes him of interest. If you’re going to stack him, you can take the lower-priced Ryan Hartman, who he plays with five-on-five, or you can look at Mats Zuccarello who will be much more expensive but gives you full correlation with Kaprizov. You can also look at Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson-Ek who are both second-line players but are on the top powerplay. With the Jets, they have seen instant chemistry between Mark Schiefele and Nino Niederreiter, and neither player will break the bank. Kyle Connor is also an option, but he is more expensive but you could certainly pair him with Niederreiter as well. If you want to look at the second line, you have options there as well. Pierre-Luc Dubois returned to the lineup in the Jets’ last game, and he can be used as a one-off or paired with either Nikolaj Ehlers or Blake Wheeler.
On defence, we have lost the cheap option in Calen Addison, as John Klingberg has taken over the top powerplay. Klingberg is definitely an option even if his price has risen after the trade. For the Jets, we have seen Josh Morrissey emerge as a star. He has four points in his last three games, and four goals in his last four games as well as providing shots and blocked shots.
In goal, we are expecting Marc-Andre Fleury for the Wild and Connor Hellebuyck for the Jets. Fleury has won each of his last three starts and played well in each of those games, to go along with his respectable 0.917 save percentage on the road for the season. While Hellebyck has hit a rough patch recently giving up four goals or more in four straight starts which would make me hesitant to use him, especially at his price.
Blackhawks at Red Wings
Typically I would look at this matchup and say “Load up on Detroit today”, but Chicago is coming off a 5-0 win in Ottawa, and could surprise again today. Lukas Reichel is interesting, he has produced well in Chicago’s lineup, and you can pair him with Philip Kurchev for a value stack. With Detroit, everything starts with Dylan Larkin. I would look to pair him with David Perron today, as Lucas Raymond has really struggled all season, but could still be valuable in a GPP as he has the talent, and he likely doesn’t see a lot of ownership today.
On the blue line, we have seen Seth Jones really come alive over the last week. He has scored a goal in three straight games, and he has been shooting more and blocking shots as well. With Detroit, Moritz Seider is your best option, as he provides a nice floor. He has points in two of his last three games, he plays a lot of minutes and he is among the league leaders in blocked shots.
It looks like it will be Petr Mrazek going for Chicago today and he will face Ville Husso. Mrazek has lost each of his last three games, but has played reasonably well in his last two games, and has been better on the road than at home. Husso has lost four straight and has been up and down all season for Detroit. I think both goalies are playable in a GPP and you’re going to get a deep discount if you’re willing to take the chance on Chicago.
Ducks at Canucks
We continue to see Elias Pettersson of the Canucks play at a near-elite level. He doesn’t shoot as much as we would like but he has been a very solid point producer. You can pair him with Andrei Kuzmenko and you have the start of a nice stack with 5 on 5 and powerplay correlation. If you want to take the lower owed route, you can also go to J.T. Miller paired with Brock Boeser, and they share the same correlation. Or mix and match if you want to try to spread the wealth a bit. For the Ducks, Trevor Zegras continues to be the prime target. He is an exciting player, that has four points in his last three games. The rest of the Ducks players haven’t proven to be overly valuable, but I do like the value of Ryan Strome who gets top powerplay time.
Quinn Hughes of the Canucks continues to be a solid blue-line play. He has six points in his last four games and has been providing a steady amount of shots and blocked shots. If Filip Hronek is in the lineup for Vancouver he can also be an interesting play as he provides offence. For the Ducks, I think Cam Fowler is really the only defenseman who is of interest. He has been producing points and is on the top powerplay unit.
Since returning from injury Thatcher Demko has played well for the Canucks, as reflected by them going from the bottom third of the league in goals against to the top third of the league in goals against. This is a solid matchup against an Anaheim team that continues to struggle to score, just be aware there may not be a lot of shots for him to face. Anaheim is going to go with playbook favourite Lukas Dostal today. Dostal in his last three games has either gotten the win or made more than 35 saves, both of which can make him a great value.
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.