NHL DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Stacks Today: Saturday Playbook
Published: Jan 04, 2025
Welcome to another NHL DFS Playbook! We have a massive 10-game slate with some high-scoring teams. We can’t just go out and pay up for every superstar, so tough choices will need to be made. Let’s take a look at which players we should be targeting for tonight.
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, January 4th:
- Jack Eichel O/0.5 A
- Zach Werenski O/3.5 SOG
- Jeremy Swayman U/26.5 SV
Jack Eichel is facing his former team, the Buffalo Sabres, and you know he’s going to want to come out and really stick it to them. The matchup on paper is also very good because the Sabres are a mess defensively. He can score goals, but he can also dish out some fantastic passes. He has ten assists in the last ten games and I expect him to add another to his total.
Zach Werenski is a cheat code. The man is just on another planet offensively and I don’t see him slowing down tonight. He has 51 shots on goal in the last ten games, 23 of which have come in the last three. I don’t know how you slow him down and the St. Louis Blues certainly won’t know. This might not be the best matchup on paper, but Werenski is elite on home ice and I think he just smashes the Over here.
Jeremy Swayman has played better of late, but his overall numbers are not very good. The last time he stopped 26 shots or more was back on December 10th against the Winnipeg Jets. The Bruins actually do a pretty good job of suppressing shots, but Swayman just can’t seem to stop them. Even with Auston Matthews back in the lineup, his mystery injury is limiting the amount of shots he takes, so we don’t need to worry about him too much. Swayman’s .893 SV% is an issue and he won’t get any better tonight.
SALARY CAP DFS
Goalie Of The Day: Mackenzie Blackwood - COL
Since coming over to Colorado, Mackenzie Blackwood has allowed two or fewer goals in every start. I didn’t think he was going to be this good, but what do I know? Goalies will forever be voodoo. Montreal is playing their second game in as many nights and they are 32nd in the league in shots per game. They are also playing the final game of their road trip, which started back in 2024 (LOL, I know). Blackwood is going to need to pick up the win to hit value and I have full faith that he does.
Player Of The Day: Zach Werenski - CBJ
Did you need me to tell you a second time why Zach Werenski is elite? The man is on another planet and he’s a shooting MACHINE! You could also play Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar or Connor McDavid, but Werenski has such a high floor that it’s hard to fade him.
Honourable mentions: Nathan MacKinnon/Cale Makar - COL
You should probably play one of these two beauties in your cash games because Montreal is going to be playing on their heels for most of the night. MacKinnon has 23 points in his last ten games and 35 points in 19 home games. If you can’t afford him, Cale Makar is the next-best way to get exposure. If you do decide to go with a Makar-Werenski on the back end; you’re an animal and I love it!
Value Play Of The Day: Tanner Pearson - VGK
I do not love the idea of playing Tanner Pearson tonight, but he is skating on the top line with Eichel and Mark Stone and has three goals in the last five games. He also played a season-high 16 minutes against Philadelphia and is min price on DraftKings. Even if he does nothing and gives us a goose egg, if he allows you to pay up for another superstar, he’s worth playing in all formats.
Stack Of The Day - WPG PP1 (Gabriel Vilardi - Kyle Connor - Josh Morrissey )
The Winnipeg Jets are ranked first on the power play and the Detroit Red Wings are ranked second-last on the penalty kill. You don’t need a degree in advanced analytics to understand that Winnipeg’s top power play unit is an option tonight. You could go with any of the five players skating on that unit, but when it comes to value, Gabriel Vilardi-Kyle Connor-Josh Morrissey is the way to go.
Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | W | D | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Nathan MacKinnon  $10,400 |  Kyle Connor $9,100 | Cale Makar $8,700 | Mackenzie Blackwood $8,500 |
 Jack Eichel $8,700 |  Mikko Rantanen $8,900 |  Zach Werenski $8,500 | Connor Hellebuyck $8,000 | |
 Leon Draisaitl $8,600 | ||||
| Medium | Sean Monahan $6,800 | Mark Stone $6,900 | Evan Bouchard $7,100 |  Dustin Wolf $7,800 |
| Gabriel Vilardi $5,600 | Artturi Lehkonen $5,700 |  Brandon Montour $6,000 | ||
| Ross Colton $5,200 | Shea Theodore $5,700 | |||
| Low | Matt Duchene $4,800 | Kent Johnson $4,500 | Neal Pionk $4,700 |  Filip Gustavsson $7,300 |
 Jake Evans $2,700 | Emil Heineman $2,500 | Lane Hutson $4,500 | Jakub Dobes $6,900 | |
| Viktor Arvidsson $3,400 |  Christopher Tanev $0 |
Stacks
| Avalanche | Cale Makar | Mikko Rantanen | Nathan MacKinnon |
| DraftKings | 8700 | 8900 | 10400 |
 Fanduel | 7700 | 8500 | 9300 |
| Golden Knights | Shea Theodore | Jack Eichel | Mark Stone |
| DraftKings | 5700 | 8700 | 6900 |
| Fanduel | 6400 | 8400 | 7800 |
| Oilers | Connor McDavid | Evan Bouchard | Leon Draisaitl |
| DraftKings | 10100 | 7100 | 8600 |
| Fanduel | 8800 | 6600 | 8900 |
| Avalanche | Cale Makar | Mikko Rantanen | Nathan MacKinnon |
| DraftKings | 8700 | 8900 | 10400 |
| Fanduel | 7700 | 8500 | 9300 |
| Golden Knights | Shea Theodore | Jack Eichel | Mark Stone |
| DraftKings | 5700 | 8700 | 6900 |
| Fanduel | 6400 | 8400 | 7800 |
| Oilers | Connor McDavid | Evan Bouchard | Leon Draisaitl |
| DraftKings | 10100 | 7100 | 8600 |
| Fanduel | 8800 | 6600 | 8900 |
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.