NHL DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Stacks Today: Saturday Playbook
Published: Dec 07, 2024
We have a solid 6-game NHL slate to start this weekend off right and we should be in for a higher-scoring slate! Let's find the studs and the duds for today and win some cold hard cash! Reminder that the main slate starts with the 7pm ET games although there are several matinee contests to wager on play smaller slates as well.
NHL DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, December 7th
NHL DFS Pick'em Picks On Sleeper Fantasy
- Brady Tkachuk Over 3.5 Shots on Goal
- Dylan Guenther Over 2.5 Shots On Goal
- Auston Matthews Over 3.5 Shots on Goal
The Senators get to take on the Predators tonight and they've hit rock bottom hard. On top of that they are allowing 31.6 shots on goal per game on the road this season so Tkachuk and the Senators should be licking their chops for a high production game ahead tonight.
Dylan Guenther is the best hockey player in Utah right now and that's not up to debate! He has post 21 points already on the season but I am more interested in his shot volume with 62 shots on goal this season which is leading the team. The Sabres are in the top 10 of shots allowed per game at home too so it makes for an easy play for the young star to record 3 shots tonight.
Playing any shots prop feels pretty good against the Penguins this season as their defense has been absent in large stretches so let's take advantage with the all-star Auston Matthews tonight. Penguins allow an NHL high 33.1 shots on goal per game on home ice and Matthews will have dozens of chances to fill the stat sheet tonight.
Friday Salary Cap DFS Picks
Goalie Of The Day: Joseph Woll - TOR
The Maple Leafs goaltending overall has been fantastic this season and its the main reason for their hot start to this NHL season. Joseph Woll is a large part of that of course with his 7-2-0 record on the season and a 2.11 GAA is nothing to scoff at either.
He should face decent shot volume from the Penguins tonight as they still run a decent offense but their goal scoring touch just hasn't been there. They also played last night so they could be sloppy in the zone and not produce high danger chances. Either way you slice it Woll is my must play in the net tonight.
Play Of The Day: Cale Makar - COL
I feel its highly unusual to put a blue liner here in the play of the day but Cale Makar is not an ordinary defenseman by any means. The matchup against the Red Wings is a great spot here today for the forwards and Makar alike as Detroit has a knack for shoddy defense.
The Red Wings are allowing the 2nd most DFS points per game on DK to blueliners this season and with Makar posting over 15 per game he should return value and then some tonight! Build those lineups around this stud and you'll be cashing.
Value Play Of The Day: Connor McMichael - WSH
It is puzzling the hockey experts this season so far but the Capitals are good and that's a leading the eastern conference in points good at that. Part of the reason for that is the emergence of McMichael who has 15 goals and 10 assists on the season and is nearly a point per game player right now!
He is getting a Montreal team tonight that has been sloppy on defense at times and allows nearly 30 shots on goal per game. Its a back to back for Washington tonight but McMichael is on a roll and playing as much as he can during a hot streak is a great thing for us in DFS.
Stack Of The Day: NJ PP1 (Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon)
I fully understand that this stack will likely turn your lineup into a stars and scrubs build but I do see great value tonight in just stacking up your Avalanche guys. The Red Wings are a bottom tier defensive team that looks to start Ville Husso and that guy is awful!
Colorado is scoring 3.31 goals per game on the road this season and their powerplay is the 7th best in the NHL at 25.9%! They should get their chances tonight and I am banking on the fact they will cash in for us all.
Today's NHL DFS Cheat Sheet & Stacks
Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | W | D | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Auston Matthews  $9,500 |  Brady Tkachuk $8,500 |  Cale Makar $8,000 | Joseph Woll $8,100 |
| Nathan MacKinnon $9,300 | William Nylander $8,300 |  Logan Thompson $8,000 | ||
 Mikko Rantanen $8,000 | ||||
| Medium | Tim Stutzle $7,400 |  Matt Boldy $7,200 | John Carlson $6,200 | Linus Ullmark $7,800 |
| Dylan Strome $6,300 | Connor McMichael $6,100 | Jake Sanderson $5,800 | ||
 Dylan Larkin $6,100 | Alex DeBrincat $5,800 | |||
| Low |  Josh Norris $5,200 | Valeri Nichushkin $4,900 | Brock Faber $3,500 | |
 Casey Mittelstadt $4,200 | Matthew Knies $4,700 | Oliver Ekman-Larsson $3,600 | ||
 Jake Neighbours $3,400 |
Stacks
| Avalanche | Cale Makar | Mikko Rantanen | Nathan MacKinnon |
| DraftKings | 8000 | 8000 | 9300 |
 Fanduel | - | - | - |
| Maple Leafs | Auston Matthews | Morgan Rielly | William Nylander |
| DraftKings | 9500 | 5300 | 8300 |
| Fanduel | - | - | - |
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.