NHL DFS Playbook January 25th: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks
Published: Jan 25, 2024
Thursday's 9-game NHL slate is loaded with top-tier scorers featuring a great matchup as David Pastrnak and the Boston Bruins face Brady Tkachuk and the Ottawa Senators. We should expect lots of tight games with some great matchups out there, but expect some of the top scorers to shine through still. So, be sure to check in with our NHL DFS Tools, with the daily NHL projections, and our NHL lineup generator when building those lineups today to help you decide which players you should be targeting!
NHL DFS Playbook January 25th
DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
Cash games today should be made with heavy doses of Edmonton and Dallas. Both have great matchups against a couple of the worst teams in the league (Anaheim and Chicago). In a GPP though I think Boston has a great matchup against Ottawa, who is known to give up plenty of goals (they are bottom top in goals against per game over the last two weeks), and Calgary and Nashville also get matchups against Columbus and Nashville respectively who are also teams that give up close to four goals per game. This could be a wild night with high scores if all of these teams get to five goals or more.
Recommended DFS Starting Goalies,
Top Options for Saves
Alex Lyon vs Philadelphia Flyers
Petr Mrazek vs Edmonton Oilers
Jeremy Swayman vs Ottawa Senators
Best Odds for a Win
Calvin Pickard vs Chicago Blackhawks
Jake Oettinger vs Anaheim Ducks
Andrei Vasilevskiy vs Arizona Coyotes
Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups
Jeremy Swayman G, Boston Bruins
This is a great matchup for DFS. Boston is a clear favorite in this game which gives you a good change to get the win, and Ottawa is also a team that shoots in volume (34.7 per game over the last two weeks). With this you have the floor and the upside…what more can you ask for?
John Gibson G, Anaheim Ducks
As a GPP play, Gibson is one that can work for you. He is inexpensive, and facing a team that could put 40 shots on him today. No risk, no reward…just remember the risk is definitely there though.
Sam Montembeault G, Montreal Canadiens
If we look past the shelling that Montembeault got at the hands of the Bruins, he has played well in his last five games. He will face an Islanders team that has scored just over two goals in recent weeks, which helps reduce his risk.
Recommended DFS Skaters
Highest Expected Goal Totals
Edmonton Oilers vs Petr Mrazek (4.7)
Dallas Stars vs John Gibson (4.3)
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Connor Ingram (4.0)
Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups
Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
We haven't seen a big McDavid game in a while now, but tonight could be the night. He has five shots on goal in three of his last four games, and you would struggle to find a better matchup on the calendar.
David Pastrnak W, Boston Bruins
Pasta just keeps on rolling. He has five goals in his last five games and three shots or more in three of his last four games. This is a wonderful matchup against the Ottawa Senators who continue to struggle to keep the puck out of their own net.
Cam Atkinson, W, Philadelphia Flyers
There is a lot to like about Atkinson's value today. He has points in six straight games and goals in three of his last four games. Detroit is a solid matchup for him to keep his streak going, and he always has the upside of a player who will put more than five shots on goal.
Brock Faber, D, Minnesota Wild
With Connor Bedard hurt, Faber has placed himself firmly into the Calder trophy conversation. He has points in five straight games, and he is also a player who will block shots. His price is on the rise, but he could still be a value today.
Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | W | D | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Connor McDavid  $10,500 |  David Pastrnak $10,700 |  Roman Josi $8,100 | Jeremy Swayman $8,600 |
| Medium |  Matt Duchene $7,100 |  Cam Atkinson $5,800 |  Brock Faber $5,900 |  Sam Montembeault $7,500 |
| Low |  Shane Pinto $5,000 |  Mason Marchment $5,400 |  Cam Fowler $4,500 |  John Gibson $6,900 |
Stacks
| Wild | Joel Eriksson Ek | Brock Faber | Kirill Kaprizov |
 DraftKings | 7300 | 5500 | 8200 |
| Fanduel | 8000 | 5900 | 9000 |
| Oilers | Connor McDavid | Evan Bouchard | Zach Hyman |
| DraftKings | 9800 | 7100 | 8500 |
| Fanduel | 10500 | 8000 | 9700 |
| Stars | Roope Hintz | Thomas Harley | Jason Robertson |
| DraftKings | 6400 | 4800 | 6900 |
| Fanduel | 7600 | 5900 | 8200 |
Player News
CJ Abrams hit a solo homer, but the Nationals fell to the Angels on Saturday.
Abrams hit a solo homer in the fifth inning to the game at 1-1 off an otherwise effective Kyle Hendricks. He’s been excellent in June with a .313/.377/.469 with four homers and nine stolen bases. It appears he’s putting together his best season at the age of 24, and he has a chance to be a fantasy star for the foreseeable future.
Kevin Newman hit a three-run homer in a win for the Angels on Saturday over the Nationals.
Mike Trout hit a solo homer to help the Angels to an 8-2 win over the Nationals on Saturday.
Kyle Hendricks held the Nationals to one run over five innings in a no-decision for the Angels on Saturday.
Hendricks scattered five hits, and he was able to strike out five; a total he’s only reached five times in his 16 starts. The veteran right-hander put together a solid June with an ERA of 3.21 over 28 innings, and it lowers his season mark to 4.66. Even with Hendricks pitching relatively well, this is a hard profile to trust, and it would be a mistake to ignore his struggles in the previous months/years. He’ll be back on the bump for the Angels on Independence Day when he faces the Blue Jays.
Michael Soroka fired six innings of one-run baseball while striking out five in a no-decision versus the Angels on Saturday.
Soroka pitched well. The Nationals’ bullpen did not. Soroka exited with a 2-1 lead and it was immediately vanquished on homers by Mike Trout and Kevin Newman an inning later. That’s a bummer, but doesn’t completely negate a start for Soroka where he allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out five. He still has a 4.70 ERA, but there have been flashes of the pitcher he was with Atlanta a few years ago as of late. He’ll get a chance to keep it going against the Red Sox on Friday.
Seiya Suzuki homered and tripled in a blowout win for the Cubs over the Astros on Saturday.
Suzuki hit a two-run shot off Ryan Gusto that gave the Cubs an 11-2 lead. He’s tripled three times in 2025, while the homer brings that total up to 22 at just-over the halfway point of the season. Suzuki doesn’t get nearly enough plaudits for how solid of a player he is, but the Cubs are well aware.