NHL DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Stacks Today: Saturday Playbook

Published: Oct 26, 2024
Oh boy! What a slate of 11 games we have for today, giving us plenty of options to sort through. There are a number of high-powered offenses in favorable matchups, so it won't be a surprise to see multiple teams post four goals or more tonight.
NHL DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, October 26th
A number of teams around the league got off to slower starts on offenses, but that is seemingly turning around after getting a few games under their belts. The Nashville Predators and the Vancouver Canucks are two teams that come to mind for that, and both have favorable matchups tonight.
Today’s NHL DFS Slate Overview; NHL DFS Pick'em Picks on Sleeper Fantasy
- Artemi Panarin Over 1.5 Points
- Jason Robertson Over 2.5 Shots On Goal
- Brock Boeser Over 0.5 Points
Artemi Panarin and the New York Rangers come in with a 3.9 implied goal total at home and are set to take on the Anaheim Ducks, which should make them one of the most popular options on the slate. The Rangers are scoring 3.83 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the third-highest in the league. Panarin comes in with 14 points in seven games, while seeing time on the first forward line and the first power-play unit.
Jason Robertson and the Dallas Stars should be another popular team tonight given their matchup against the lowly Chicago Blackhawks. Robertson is averaging 2.75 shots on goal per game, has at least two shots on goal in seven of the eight games, and faces a Chicago lineup that allows 66.05 Total Shot Attempts per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the sixth-most in the league.
Brock Boeser and the Vancouver Canucks got off to a bit of a rough start but that is starting to turn around and can continue the offensive surge tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins are on the second night of a back-to-back after a 4-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, which hopefully, puts the Canucks in a favorable spot. The Penguins allowed 3.69 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the third-worst in the league.
Saturday Salary Cap DFS Picks
Goalie Of The Day: Jonathan Quick - NYR
The New York Rangers are big -305 home favorites tonight against the Anaheim Ducks, who are one of the worst offensive teams in the league. Quick is confirmed as the starter for tonight and comes in just a few hundred dollars less expensive than Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars or Ilya Samsonov of the Vegas Golden Knights. Both of those goalies are solid home favorites as well and playing weak offensive teams.
Saving a few hundred in salary isn't a massive deal but can always help in terms of lineup construction. This season, Quick only has one start under his belt where he ended with 29 saves, 2 goals allowed, and picked up the win. Considering the Ducks are scoring 1.95 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the sixth-lowest in the league, Quick could be in for a similar outcome tonight.
Play Of The Day: Vincent Trocheck - NYR
It's no surprise to see a top skater on the same team as the Goalie of the Day, as they are both in good spots. If the team is a massive favorite, they're likely going to come away with the win, which is great for the goalie, along with putting up plenty of goals.
That's where we have Vincent Trocheck today, as the center on the first forward line and the first power-play unit for the New York Rangers. With seven points and an average of three shots on goal per game through seven games, this is a chance for Trocheck to jump those numbers up against a bad Ducks lineup.
This season, the Ducks are allowing a staggering 73.77 Total Shot Attempts per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the second-worst in the league. They are allowing only 1.95 Goals in the same situations off of those shot attempts, which is actually the ninth-best in the league, but they are due for massive regression.
If we glance at their Expected Goals Allowed (xGA/60), they are up at 3.28, which is the third-worst in the league. That falls more in line with the massive volume of shot attempts they are allowing, as opposed to the 1.95 Goals they are currently allowing.
In short, the floodgates are going to open for the Ducks' defense and it just means plenty of goals for opposing teams.
Value Play Of The Day (DraftKings): Gustav Nyquist - NSH
Gustav Nyquist and the Nashville Predators have a strong 4.0 implied goal total against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which should make them a very popular team. Nashville is one of those teams that got off to a slower start but have begun to turn things around as we saw last night with a 3-2 comeback victory over the Blackhawks.
Nyquist is still under $4K on DraftKings, while skating on the first forward line and the second-power play unit. With that role, we saw him post one goal, one assist, and a shot on net last night. We shouldn't expect two points every single night from him but a favorable matchup against Columbus can certainly extend that streak.
The Blue Jackets are allowing 2.95 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the seventh-worst in the league. The Predators' offense has a chance to pile up the goals after a slower start to the season.
Value Play Of The Day (FanDuel): Jake Neighbours - STL
The St. Louis Blues are rocking a 3.40 implied goal total on the road to take on the Montreal Canadiens, which puts them in a good spot for some offense. The Canadiens are dead last in the league in both Total Shot Attempts Allowed (76.86) and Goals Allowed (4.2), both per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations. This is legitimately one of the easiest matchups a team can have, so the Blues should be popular tonight.
Let's turn to Jake Neighbours, who is on the first forward line and the first power-play, all while being affordable at just $5K. He comes in with 4 points and 11 shots on goal over his last four games, heating up at the perfect time with just a juicy matchup in front of him tonight.
Stack Of The Day: DAL L1 (Jason Robertson/Roope Hintz/Logan Stankoven)
While the New York Rangers and Nashville Predators are great options tonight, they should be pretty chalky and the Dallas Stars' top line could come in just a bit lower in terms of ownership. This is not to say the Rangers or Predators aren't great options, just looking at another spot.
They are up against the Blackhawks, who are allowing over 3.3 goals per game, and the sixth-most (66.05) Shot Attempts Against, putting Dallas in a great spot.
Today's NHL DFS Cheat Sheet & Stacks
Player Pool
$ Tier | C | F | W | D | G |
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Stacks
Rangers | Artemi Panarin | Vincent Trocheck | Alexis Lafreniere | Adam Fox |
![]() | 9200 | 6900 | 4900 | 6100 |
![]() | 9000 | 8300 | 6600 | 7100 |
Predators | Ryan O'Reilly | Roman Josi | Filip Forsberg | Gustav Nyquist |
![]() | 5100 | 7800 | 8300 | 3600 |
![]() | 7200 | 8000 | 8800 | 5300 |
Stars | Roope Hintz | Jason Robertson | Logan Stankoven |
![]() | 5400 | 6500 | 4100 |
![]() | 7400 | 7700 | 7300 |
Rangers | Artemi Panarin | Vincent Trocheck | Alexis Lafreniere | Adam Fox |
![]() | 9200 | 6900 | 4900 | 6100 |
![]() | 9000 | 8300 | 6600 | 7100 |
Predators | Ryan O'Reilly | Roman Josi | Filip Forsberg | Gustav Nyquist |
![]() | 5100 | 7800 | 8300 | 3600 |
![]() | 7200 | 8000 | 8800 | 5300 |
Stars | Roope Hintz | Jason Robertson | Logan Stankoven |
![]() | 5400 | 6500 | 4100 |
![]() | 7400 | 7700 | 7300 |
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.