NHL DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Predictions Today: Monday Playbook
Published: Oct 28, 2024
Happy Sports Equinox Day! That means we have all four of the major sports leagues in action tonight and you're here for some NHL action!
There are eight games on tonight's slate, and a number of high-powered offenses are going up against very bad defenses. We should be in for plenty of scoring tonight.
NHL DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, October 28th
As usual, stacking will be key tonight with so many teams expected to pile up the goals. We'll add in a touch of value and end up with a variety of options to pick from tonight.
NHL DFS Lineup Picks: Starting Goalies
Top Options For Saves
Anthony Stolarz and the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking good but not great to start the season and have a very tough test tonight against the Winnipeg Jets. Stolarz himself has been playing solid with two goals or fewer allowed in five of his six starts and 25 saves or more in five starts as well.
The Winnipeg Jets are on fire with an 8-0 start to the season but are only -112 moneyline favorites at home compared to the road Maple Leafs at -108. We are in for a very close game where Stolarz should see plenty of shots and have the chance to pick up the win.
The Jets come in with 62.30 Corsi For per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the 11th best in the league, meaning they are producing plenty of shot attempts. Stolarz should be in for a busy night stopping plenty of pucks.
Best Odds For A Win
Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers are -155 road favorites as they are set to take on the Buffalo Sabres. The big news for this game is that Aleksander Barkov is set to return to the Panthers' lineup after missing a few games. Barkov is arguably the best defensive center in the NHL, giving an already great lineup a boost.
The Panthers are the far superior team in this matchup and with an elite skate coming back into their lineup, they should have no issues picking up the win tonight.
NHL DFS Lineups: Core NHL DFS Skaters
Play Of The Day: Nathan MacKinnon - COL
Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche got off to a very shaky start this year but have quickly turned things around and find themselves on a five-game winning streak. They can certainly extend that streak to six games tonight, as -225 home favorites against the Chicago Blackhawks.
A 4.0 implied goal total for the Avs is the second-highest on the slate and that means MacKinnon is likely to be involved in the scoring. He's picking up right where he left off last season and comes in with 15 points in 9 games, along with 35 shots on goal. His multi-point potential is evident every single night and should be on full display against the Blackhawks.
Value Play Of The Day: Michael Kesselring - UTA
The Utah Hockey Club got off to a solid start and then lost two of their defenders, meaning new roles for a number of players. Both Sean Durzi and John Marino are going to be out for a couple of months, which elevates Michael Kesserlring in the lineup. He is now on the top defensive pairing and seeing time on the second power-play unit.
He brings good point-per-dollar value to the lineup and comes in with a total of 2 goals, 3 assists, 13 shots on goal, and 8 blocked shots in 9 games this season. An elite matchup versus the lowly San Jose Sharks should help his offensive potential tonight.
Stack Of The Day: COL PP1 (Nathan MacKinnon, Ross Colton, Casey Mittelstadt)
While it would be great to stack Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar, it's super expensive and leaves you scraping for value. We can pivot to MacKinnon, Colton, and Mittelstadt for a first power-play stack. MacKinnon and Colton skate together on the first forward line, so there's a bit of extra correlation there as well.
The Blackhawks allow over 3.0 goals per game, are in the bottom half of the league in total penalty minutes, and are around the league-average in penalty kill percentage. The Avalanche offense can pour it on quickly and these players should be fully involved.
Highest Expected Goal Totals
Today's NHL DFS Cheat Sheet & Stacks
Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | F | W | D | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Nathan MacKinnon  $9,700 |  Mikko Rantanen $9,000 | Cale Makar $8,400 |  Connor Ingram $8,400 | |
 Connor McDavid $9,300 |  Nikita Kucherov $9,600 |  Roman Josi $7,700 |  Connor Hellebuyck $8,300 | ||
 Jack Eichel $9,100 | Kyle Connor $8,900 | Victor Hedman $8,000 | |||
| Mark Stone $8,700 | |||||
| Medium | Leon Draisaitl $8,100 | Nikolaj Ehlers $7,400 | Evan Bouchard $7,100 |  Sergei Bobrovsky $7,900 | |
| Brayden Point $8,000 | Clayton Keller $7,900 | Josh Morrissey $7,000 | Andrei Vasilevskiy $7,600 | ||
| Aleksander Barkov $7,600 | Jake Guentzel $8,400 | Mikhail Sergachev $6,400 | |||
| Ross Colton $7,200 | Zach Hyman $6,600 | Gustav Forsling $6,000 | |||
 Casey Mittelstadt $6,800 | Alex Pietrangelo $5,900 | ||||
| Low | Logan Cooley $6,100 | Nick Schmaltz $6,100 |  Owen Power $5,600 |  Pyotr Kochetkov $7,500 | |
| Barrett Hayton $5,500 | Cole Perfetti $5,800 | Michael Kesselring $4,100 |  Kevin Lankinen $7,400 | ||
 Adam Fantilli $5,700 | Pavel Dorofeyev $5,400 |  Christopher Tanev $0 | |||
| Brett Howden $4,900 | Viktor Arvidsson $5,300 |  Daniil Miromanov $4,000 | |||
| Nino Niederreiter $5,000 |
Stacks
| Avalanche | Ross Colton | Casey Mittelstadt | Nathan MacKinnon |
 DraftKings | 5500 | 5700 | 9800 |
| Fanduel | 7200 | 6800 | 9700 |
| Oilers | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | Connor McDavid | Evan Bouchard | Zach Hyman |
| DraftKings | 4700 | 9400 | 6300 | 6700 |
| Fanduel | 6700 | 9300 | 7100 | 6600 |
| Golden Knights | Shea Theodore | Ivan Barbashev | Jack Eichel | Mark Stone |
| DraftKings | 6400 | 5800 | 8700 | 7600 |
| Fanduel | 6800 | 6800 | 9100 | 8700 |
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.