NHL DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Predictions Today: Friday Playbook
Published: Nov 15, 2024
Welcome back for another Playbook and today's NHL DFS picks! We have a nice, crisp five-game slate to tackle. I love these smaller slates because they force you to really dig deep for value. Picking an elite player is easy, but finding a value play that hits? Now that’s a task.
As always, we must ensure we are getting our goalie pick correct. On a small slate, there is no room for error. We need to get it right so we can have a chance of sniffing a GPP win.
NHL DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, November 14th
Before we get into DFS, let’s make some pick’em picks for the night over on Underdog.
There are lots of ways we try to fill your wallet over here at Fantasy Alarm and this is just another option.
NHL DFS Pick'em Picks On Underdog Fantasy
- Cale Makar O/0.5 PPP
- Sidney Crosby O/0.5 A
- Sean Monahan O/0.5 PTS
The Colorado Avalanche are dominant on the power play and they are getting Valeri Nichushkin back tonight, making them an even bigger threat. The Capitals are a very good team, but Colorado on the power play can’t be stopped. Makar is quarterbacking that top unit and is in a great spot to pick up a power play point.
Sidney Crosby continues to show everyone that he still has. In a league with so many skilled rookies, the veteran continues to put together a fantastic season. He’s elite at setting his teammates up and that should be on display tonight against a below-average Columbus team.
Speaking of below-average, the Penguins still don’t have a goalie with an SV% above .900. Columbus has lost five games in a row, but they are returning home and poised to end their losing streak. Sean Monahan is a good veteran player, and he is averaging a point-per-game on home ice. I like his chances of finding the scoresheet in this one.
NHL DFS Lineup Picks Today, 11/14
Goalie Of The Day: Justus Annunen - COL
I hate this play, but we can’t ignore the fact that Colorado is going to be a massively improved team tonight. Justus Annunen has had some good moments this season, but paying $8200 for him on DraftKings is a choice. I trust the Avalanche as a team more than him, so we just need them to pick up the win and everything is chill.
Play Of The Day: Nathan MacKinnon
We know that Nathan MacKinnon is elite, but on home ice, he takes that to another level. 25 of his 33 points have come at home and he has a whopping 21 points in the last ten games. He can’t be stopped. I know $10K is asking a lot for him on a short slate, but if you’re going to spend up, he’s the player to target.
Value Play Of The Day: Trevor Zegras - ANA
To say Trevor Zegras is having a down season would be QUITE an understatement. He has three points in 15 games, but he is skating on the top line and top power play unit. The kid is too good to be this bad. Detroit is in town, and they aren’t an elite hockey team. I don’t love Zegras’ price tag but on a short slate, if you have the salary left over, I will take my chances tonight.
Stack Of The Day - VGK PP1 (Nicolas Roy - Tomas Hertl - Jack Eichel)
The Vegas Golden Knights have the second-best power play in the NHL while the Utah Hockey Team are in the bottom half of the standings. We still don’t know if Mark Stone will be able to play, so we need to monitor that, but even if he doesn’t, Nicolas Roy, Tomas Hertl and Jack Eichel is a great bang for your buck.
Today's NHL DFS Cheat Sheet & Stacks
Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | W | D | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Nathan MacKinnon  $10,000 |  Mikko Rantanen $8,700 | Cale Makar $8,300 |  Justus Annunen $8,200 |
 Jack Eichel $9,000 |  Zach Werenski $7,400 | Adin Hill $7,900 | ||
| Medium |  Dylan Larkin $6,800 | Kirill Marchenko $6,100 |  MacKenzie Weegar $5,800 |  Alex Lyon $7,800 |
| Sean Monahan $6,200 | Alex DeBrincat $6,400 |  Erik Karlsson $5,500 | Dustin Wolf $7,600 | |
| Low | Tomas Hertl $5,300 | Lucas Raymond $4,600 |  Marcus Pettersson $3,500 | Elvis Merzlikins $7,300 |
 Trevor Zegras $4,100 | Jonathan Huberdeau $3,900 |  Radko Gudas $3,400 | ||
 Nicolas Roy $3,600 |
Stacks
| Avalanche | Cale Makar | Valeri Nichushkin | Nathan MacKinnon |
| DraftKings | 8300 | 7000 | 10000 |
 Fanduel | 7700 | - | 9000 |
| Red Wings | Alex DeBrincat | Dylan Larkin | Lucas Raymond |
| DraftKings | 6400 | 6800 | 4600 |
| Fanduel | 6700 | 6800 | 6200 |
| Penguins | Erik Karlsson | Sidney Crosby | Evgeni Malkin |
| DraftKings | 5500 | 8000 | 7000 |
| Fanduel | 5900 | 7000 | 6600 |
| Avalanche | Cale Makar | Valeri Nichushkin | Nathan MacKinnon |
| DraftKings | 8300 | 7000 | 10000 |
| Fanduel | 7700 | - | 9000 |
| Red Wings | Alex DeBrincat | Dylan Larkin | Lucas Raymond |
| DraftKings | 6400 | 6800 | 4600 |
| Fanduel | 6700 | 6800 | 6200 |
| Penguins | Erik Karlsson | Sidney Crosby | Evgeni Malkin |
| DraftKings | 5500 | 8000 | 7000 |
| Fanduel | 5900 | 7000 | 6600 |
Player News
The Kansas City Star’s Jesse Newell believes Chiefs RB Elijah Mitchell will “make the team given good health.”
Newell, of course, gives the caveat that health has been Mitchell’s main issue for years, so it’s far from a lock that he makes it to the season without a scratch. The Chiefs jumped on the opportunity to sign Mitchell this offseason, inking him to a one-year deal worth “up to” $3.5 million at the start of free agency. It’s a high-upside move given Mitchell’s past success in San Francisco. He ran for 963 yards and five scores on 207 carries as a rookie but has been plagued by injuries ever since. Mitchell appeared in 16 games over the following two seasons and missed all of 2024 with a hamstring issue. While a healthy Isiah Pacheco should be penciled in for the bulk of the carries to start the year, Mitchell could work himself into a committee role if he continues to look back to form in practice.
Derek Hill is starting in center field and batting ninth on Thursday against the Twins.
Hill was activated off the IL on Tuesday but had been on the bench for the first two games back. The 29-year-old figures to remain a part-time player with Dane Myers playing well in center field for the Marlins.
Guardians placed RHP Luis Ortiz on non-disciplinary paid leave
We don’t yet know the reason why Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary leave, but we do know that he will be out through the All-Star break because of an MLB investigation. We’ll await more details, but Ortiz can be dropped in most leagues since he will be out for three weeks at least. He was supposed to start tonight against the Cubs, but now Joey Cantillo will instead.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that Adolis García “could emerge as a rather interesting trade candidate” this season.
Rosenthal mentions that the limited number of right-handed hitters on the trade market could make García an attractive option, especially since he’s under team control next season as well. With the Rangers falling out of contention, García could be the team’s most valuable trade chip. Rosenthal believes that, “As long as he continues producing offensively, his trade value would be greater at the deadline than during the offseason or at next year’s deadline.”
Francisco Alvarez went 3-for-7 with a solo home run in a doubleheader for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.
Alvarez went 3-for-4 with that home run in the first game of the doubleheader, which made it three games in a row with a home run since Alvarez was sent down to Triple-A. If he can keep showing that pullside power as well as improved defensive performance during his stint in the minors, Alvarez could be back up with the Mets in July.
Nestor Cortes (elbow) threw three scoreless innings for Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday.
The left-hander struck out four, walked nobody, and gave up just one hit, which was a bunt single. He threw 25 of his 37 pitches for strikes in what was an extremely efficient outing. Cortes will obviously need a few more starts to build up his pitch count, but the bigger question is where he fits. With Brandon Woodruff coming off the IL on Sunday, the Brewers have six starters in their big league rotation right now, and Logan Henderson is also at Triple-A. That could mean that Cortes is used in a trade if he continues to show good health and form.