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

Published: Dec 28, 2024
Welcome back for another NHL Playbook! The New Year is right around the corner, but we still have a few more slate to go in 2024. Tonight we have seven games to choose from with some teams already playing back-to-back. There are some matchups we can exploit and others that we need to stay away from.
As always, we will need to make sure that we are targeting the right goalies. A bad goalie in a good matchup is still a bad goalie. Don’t be distracted by all the holiday magic, Santa Clause didn’t bring any of them better rebound control of team defence for Christmas
NHL Pick 'Em At Sleeper Today
Before we get into DFS, let’s make some pick’em picks for the night over on Sleeper There are lots of ways we try to fill your wallet over here at Fantasy Alarm and this is just another option.
Sleeper NHL Picks, Saturday, December 28th:
- Mitch Marner O/2.5 SOG
- Sidney Crosby O/0.5 P
- Kyle Connor O/0.5 A
The Toronto Maple Leafs are playing their second game in as many nights, but I’m not shying away from Mitch Marner. He picked up three goals last night and is shooting the puck a lot more since Auston Matthews has been out of the lineup. AM34 isn’t back for this game, so I like Marner to keep shooting the puck.
Sidney Crosby isn’t a kid anymore, but he is still racking up points. He has eight in the last three games and has a juicy matchup against the New York Islanders. He is the straw that stirs the offence and it almost feels like a given that he finds the scoresheet tonight.
Kyle Connor has a fantastic matchup against the Ottawa Senators. The Jets winger is coming off a four point performance against the Leafs and has ten assists in as many games. I know he’s a goal scorer who loves to shoot the puck, but he’s also a great passer and the Jets have a lethal power play. I like his odds to pick up an assist before it’s all said and done.
SALARY CAP DFS
Goalie Of The Day: Andrei Vasilevskiy - TBL
You could also go with Connor Hellebuyck in this spot, but I just love how good the matchup on paper is for Tampa Bay and for Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Rangers are a mess and that won’t change tonight. They can’t score goals and their defensive game has been miserable. The Lightning are scoring 3.92 goals per game, so Vasilevskiy should get more than enough goal support. You can use him in cash games or in a GPP.
Player Of The Day: David Pastrnak - BOS
The Boston Bruins are playing the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second time in as many days. Boston took a beating last night-- losing 6-2 and not putting together a very inspiring performance-- but David Pastrnak still found a way to hit value. Now he’s on home ice and should get even more space to shoot the puck. It won’t be easy, but I do think he can hit value and that we can get him at low ownership.
Value Play Of The Day: Neal Pionk - WPG
If you haven’t been paying attention, Neal Pionk has 26 points this season and is averaging over 24 minutes of ice time. He gets forgotten playing behind Josh Morrissey, which probably explains his price tag. He’s also really good at blocking shots. The Senators are a team that can shoot the puck, so this should help keep Pionk’s floor high. I like the value that he brings and the upside is there.
Stack Of The Day - PIT L1+ (Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust - Rickard Rakell- Erik Karlsson)
I wish the Pittsburgh Penguins would go back to just having their five best players on the top power play unit, but they refuse to do so. This does open the door for us to get the best of both worlds by using a four-man stack. The top line is a good option but I also wanted to get even exposure to both power play units, hence adding Erik Karlsson. You don’t absolutely have to play him, but he’s reasonably priced and is still seeing a decent amount of ice time.
Player Pool
$ Tier | C | G | W | D |
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Stacks
Flames | Nazem Kadri | Jonathan Huberdeau | MacKenzie Weegar |
![]() | 6000 | 4600 | 6300 |
![]() | 6300 | 5600 | 5900 |
Blue Jackets | Kent Johnson | Sean Monahan | Zach Werenski |
![]() | 4700 | 6300 | 8300 |
![]() | 7000 | 6700 | 7400 |
Lightning | Brayden Point | Victor Hedman | Nikita Kucherov |
![]() | 8100 | 6600 | 9600 |
![]() | 8700 | 7000 | 9000 |
Flames | Nazem Kadri | Jonathan Huberdeau | MacKenzie Weegar |
![]() | 6000 | 4600 | 6300 |
![]() | 6300 | 5600 | 5900 |
Blue Jackets | Kent Johnson | Sean Monahan | Zach Werenski |
![]() | 4700 | 6300 | 8300 |
![]() | 7000 | 6700 | 7400 |
Lightning | Brayden Point | Victor Hedman | Nikita Kucherov |
![]() | 8100 | 6600 | 9600 |
![]() | 8700 | 7000 | 9000 |
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.