NHL DFS Core Plays March 24: Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
Welcome to the NHL DFS Core Plays with an 3-game slate tonight! You will see three tiered options for Yahoo! DFS, DraftKings, and FanDuel every night that there are three or more games. Otherwise, you are still getting the same great top plays and the Discord chat is still open for all of your questions. Don't forget to check out our NHL daily projections, the NHL DFS lineup generator, today's NHL betting odds, and NHL starting lines. Have fun and let's make some money together tonight!
Check out our list of the best, and most trusted sports betting and fantasy sports promo codes from the top legal sites in your state.
New Jersey @ Buffalo 7pm ET on ESPN+
This is the big one tonight, at least in my eyes for DFS. The game total sits at 7 goals and you know how the Buffalo Sabres roll at this point so lets dig into the forwards. Tage Thompson and Jack Hughes lead the way and both are fine options. I like Hughes more given the matchup for Buffalo isn't the greatest. Sabres allow the 5th most DFS points to centers this season and have allowed 5.4 goals against over their last 10 home games! Nico Hischier is also in play if you want to save a buck, plays a bunch and normally has a very safe floor of production.
On the wings tonight fire up Timo Meier for sure, Buffalo just as bad against wingers as they are centers. Timo has 5 points in his last 5 games as well. For Buffalo's top options I like Jeff Skinner a hair more than Alex Tuch tonight. Both have had good seasons but seeing more production from Skinner lately. Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer and Victor Olofsson are good mid tier options in this game too.
On defense its Dougie Hamilton and Rasmus Dahlin, both guys are studs but again I favor the New Jersey side of things. I'll take a flyer on Ryan Graves at 4.1k on DraftKings tonight as well, he has been blocking a fair amount of shots. At goaltender only Vitek Vanecek is in play for me. He is 29-8-4 on the season and posts good numbers most nights.
New York Islanders @ Columbus 7pm ET on NHLN
The other early window game tonight is this matchup and its much less exciting. Not sure I want to have much exposure to the Blue Jackets given the Islanders defense this season. At center you can fire up Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson for the Islanders and that's about it with Patrick Laine out for Columbus. Boone Jenner is an option if you want to pivot in GPPs but I don't love it.
It's tough on the wings for each team but Anders Lee is interesting with Barzal out tonight. Should play a lot more and he's coming off of a 32.2 point DFS night in the last game. Simon Holmstrom is the cheap option as he runs with the top line tonight, had a goal and 5 shots in his last outing.
On defense I may play Noah Dobson, he's on the powerplay unit and the Blue Jackets allow the 2nd most DFS points to blue liners this season. Scott Mayfield is another option in GPP fields. Goalies haven't been announced for New York yet but hoping to play Ilya Sorokin if he gets the nod, lead the NHL with 5 shutouts and is having a fantastic season.
Arizona @ Colorado 9pm ET on ESPN+
The late night hammer belongs to the Avalanche this evening as they get the Coyotes. Coyotes have done well for themselves in the betting market of late covering a ton of Puck Lines but in DFS this is a tough ask. At center I am playing Nathan MacKinnon for sure as he is over 15 DFS points in 8 of the last 9 games. J.T. Compher is also an option in GPPs as he has been known to score some goals from time to time. Arizona's Barrett Hayton has been playing well too but its a tough matchup tonight for him.
On the wings there are 3 names to play tonight, Mikko Rantanen, Clayton Keller and Valeri Nichuskin! All three are solid options, Mikko obviously the best of the trio. Keller is on a roll right now for Arizona though with a point streak of 10 games and 19 points in that span.
On defense Cale Makar is still showing as day to day so watch the news for that. With him out I have been playing Bowen Byram and while it hasn't worked out yet I have faith in the young defenseman. Juuse Valimaki is the option I like for the Coyotes tonight at 3.8k. He has had a handful of double digit DFS nights in the last month and is good about shots on goal and blocking shots too. In goal you can go with Alexandar Georgiev tonight, he has been solid in his last 4 outings with 3 wins and a solid GAA.
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.