NHL DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Stacks Today: Sunday Playbook
Published: Dec 22, 2024
Welcome to this four-game NHL DFS on Sunday to close out the week! While the fantasy football playoffs are fully underway, we have some NHL action throughout the day to dive into.
NHL DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, December 22nd
We're coming up to the Christmas break for the NHL so it will be a bit of a weird schedule this coming week. We have NHL throughout the day on Monday, then no games until Friday.
NHL DFS Pick'em Picks on Sleeper Fantasy
- Clayton Keller Higher 0.5 Points
- Cale Makar Higher 0.5 Assists
- Evan Bouchard Higher 2.5 Shots on Goal
Clayton Keller and the Utah Hockey Club should be a popular option today so there's no reason to get cute here. Keller has 11 points and 30 shots on goal in his last 10 games, With a 3.7 implied goal total, Utah should be pushing the pace on offense and Keller will be fully involved in that.
Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche also have a 3.7 implied goal total against the Seattle Kraken, who are on the second night of a back-to-back and horrible on defense right now. Over the last two weeks, the Kraken have allowed 3.29 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the fourth-worst in the league.
Evan Bouchard and the Edmonton Oilers are rolling on offense right now with plenty of scoring in recent games, along with plenty of shots. A solid 24 shots on goal over his last 10 games is what we should be seeing against the Ottawa Senators, who allowed 59.15 Total Shot Attempts per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the ninth-worst in the league over the last two weeks.
Sunday Salary Cap DFS Picks
Goalie Of The Day: Karel Vejmelka - UTA
The Utah Hockey Club comes in as very solid -225 moneyline favorites against the Anaheim Ducks. Vejmelka is looking like a popular option due to the favorable matchup against the lowly Ducks' offense.
Over the last two weeks, the Ducks have scored 2.04 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the ninth-worst in the league. Vejmelka has allowed two goals or fewer in three of his last five games, a level he can reach tonight.
Play Of The Day: Connor McDavid - EDM
We have both Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon on the same slate yet again, and I'll side with McDavid. He's less expensive on both FanDuel and DraftKings, making him a clear option to target.
Over the last 10 games, McDavid has 18 points and 23 shots on goal. In non-shocking news, the Edmonton Oilers have scored a league-best 3.57 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations over the last two weeks. When the offense is this hot, there's no reason not to get McDavid in some of your lineups.
Value Play Of The Day: Shane Wright - SEA
Shane Wright didn't have the smoothest start to his NHL career but he's looking better than ever. Over the last 10 games, he has 8 points, 11 shots on goal, and 10 blocked shots. He's under $3K on DraftKings and seeing time on the first power-play unit.
That's some of the best value you can possibly find on a five-game slate and helps ease lineup construction when we're trying to spend up for McDavid.
Stack Of The Day: UTA PP1 (Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Guenther, Mikhail Sergachev)
The Utah Hockey Club comes in with a 3.7 implied goal total against the Anaheim Ducks and they should be immensely popular tonight. On DraftKings, Keller is the most expensive at $6.2K, while Guenther and Sergachev are in the $5K range. After that, every other player is under $5K.
It's super easy to get a few of them in your lineups and that should be the plan against the Ducks. On the season, the Utah Hockey Club has scored 2.52 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the 12th-best in the league. We're getting plenty of production from these top stars, who should continue that versus the Ducks.
Today's NHL DFS Cheat Sheet & Stacks
Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | W | D | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Connor McDavid  $8,900 |  Mikko Rantanen $8,600 |  Cale Makar $7,600 | Mackenzie Blackwood $7,900 |
| Nathan MacKinnon $9,100 |  Nikita Kucherov $8,900 | Victor Hedman $6,900 |  Karel Vejmelka $8,000 | |
| Leon Draisaitl $9,000 | Jake Guentzel $7,800 | |||
| Brayden Point $8,500 | ||||
| Medium |  Tim Stutzle $6,800 | Dylan Guenther $7,200 | Thomas Chabot $5,500 |  Charlie Lindgren $7,600 |
| Anthony Cirelli $6,700 | Clayton Keller $6,600 | Mattias Ekholm $5,400 | ||
| Dylan Strome $6,700 | Artturi Lehkonen $6,500 |  Vladislav Gavrikov $5,200 | ||
| Logan Cooley $6,300 | Valeri Nichushkin $6,300 | |||
| Low |  Shane Wright $4,100 | Claude Giroux $5,700 | Samuel Girard $5,000 | |
| Shane Pinto $4,800 |  Evan Rodrigues $4,900 | Ryker Evans $5,100 | ||
| Matty Beniers $5,400 | Oliver Bjorkstrand $5,500 | Trevor van Riemsdyk $4,300 |
Stacks
| Hockey Club | Clayton Keller | Nick Schmaltz | Mikhail Sergachev | Dylan Guenther |
 DraftKings | 6200 | 4400 | 5600 | 5800 |
| Fanduel | 6600 | 6000 | 6100 | 7200 |
| Hockey Club | Clayton Keller | Nick Schmaltz | Mikhail Sergachev | Dylan Guenther |
| DraftKings | 6200 | 4400 | 5600 | 5800 |
| Fanduel | 6600 | 6000 | 6100 | 7200 |
| Hockey Club | Clayton Keller | Nick Schmaltz | Mikhail Sergachev | Dylan Guenther |
| DraftKings | 6200 | 4400 | 5600 | 5800 |
| Fanduel | 6600 | 6000 | 6100 | 7200 |
Player News
Twins OF prospect Walker Jenkins (ankle) received a cortisone injection and isn’t expected to return to minor league game action until June.
Jenkins has dealt with an array of physical issues since being selected fifth overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. The immense talent and upside is undeniable, but he’s struggled to stay on the field at times. The 20-year-old top prospect isn’t expected to return to game action at Double-A Wichita until early June after receiving an injection to address lingering ankle soreness. He’s a top-10 prospect for dynasty purposes, but the lost development time is starting to become a minor concern.
Josh Lowe (oblique) took batting practice on Tuesday.
Lowe took on-field batting practice off a pitching machine for the first time since suffering a Grade 2 right oblique strain back on Opening Day. He’s expected to progress to facing live pitching on Friday and could potentially kick of a minor league rehab assignment this weekend in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. The 27-year-old fantasy standout is likely to require a couple weeks of game action to get back up to speed, but it sounds like he could potentially return by mid-May, barring any setbacks.
Giants signed OF Cal Mitchell to a minor league contract.
It didn’t take Mitchell long to find a new home. The 26-year-old outfielder latches on with the Giants just a couple days after being cut loose by the White Sox. He was hitting .111 (3-for-27) in 10 games at the Triple-A level this season.
Mariners signed RHP Bryan Shaw to a minor league contract.
Shaw fortifies Seattle’s relief depth at Triple-A Tacoma after failing to make the Reds’ season-opening roster in spring training. The 37-year-old journeyman righty has made a whopping 796 appearances in the big leagues dating back to 2011.
Jaylen Brown (knee) is available for Game 5 on Tuesday against the Magic.
Brown is available after the Celtics listed him as questionable on the initial injury report. The reigning champions will only be without one starter, Jrue Holiday, for Tuesday’s game as they look to close out the Magic. Al Horford will remain the fifth starter.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. was removed from Tuesday’s game against the Orioles with right flank discomfort.
We’re not licensed medical professionals, but the flank is defined as the area just below the rib cage and below the wait. The greater concern here is that it could be either an oblique or back issue, so fantasy managers should monitor his status closely in the coming days. Chisholm exhibited some discomfort during a first-inning plate appearance and was immediately lifted from the contest after a double to right field. He’s presumably day-to-day for now.