NHL DFS Playbook January 2nd: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks
Published: Jan 02, 2024
Tuesday's 10-game NHL slate is loaded with top-tier scorers featuring a great matchup as David Pastrnak and the Boston Bruins face Adam Fantilli and the Columbus Blue Jackets. 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 2nd
DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
Recommended DFS Starting Goalies,
Top Options for Saves
Sam Montembeault vs Dallas Stars
Martin Jones vs Los Angeles Kings
Marc-Andre Fleury vs Calgary Flames
Best Odds for a Win
Scott Wedgewood vs Montreal Canadiens
Juuse Saros vs Chicago Blackhawks
Linus Ullmark vs Columbus Blue Jackets
Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups
Linus Ullmark G, Boston Bruins
In cash games, Ullmark is my go-to. The Bruins should win this game against Columbus, and I expect Ullmark shouldn't struggle too much in this matchup. Wedgewood and Saros are both viable cash game plays, but I think Ullmark has played the best of those three goals recently.
Tristan Jarry, G, Pittsburgh Penguins
Following the holiday break, Jarry has played well and so have the Penguins. He will get to face a Washington team today that has really struggled to score goals lately, which should really help the value of playing Jarry today.
Karel Vejmelka G, Arizona Coyotes
Vejmelka has won four straight games for the Coyotes, and he has only given up six goals in those games. This is a matchup against Florida where he should see a lot of shots, and that is typically when he has played his best. He is a player I would consider in GPP's.
Recommended DFS Skaters
Highest Expected Goal Totals
Nashville Predators vs Arvid Soderblom (4.2)
Dallas Stars vs Sam Montembeault (4.2)
Boston Bruins vs Spencer Knight (4.1)
Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups
Sebastian Aho, C, Carolina Hurricanes
There are lots of great options at the center today, but Aho stands out mostly because of his incredible run as of late with 11 points in his last three games, and those points have come mostly against teams who are currently in a playoff position.
David Pastrnak, W, Boston Bruins
With the Bruins facing the Blue Jackets Pastrnak is very close to must-play status. He will shoot the puck a lot, and with him facing a below-average goalie in Spencer Martin, Pastrnak could be in for a big night.
Adrian Kempe, W, Los Angeles Kings
Toronto's goalie situation seemly has spiraled from bad to worse with Ilya Samsonov being placed on waivers. Kempe has been shooting the puck a lot lately with at least four shots in four of his last five games, and five points in his last three games.
Charlie McAvoy D, Boston Bruins
Even with Boston having a great matchup I think of McAvoy as more of a GPP play. He has points in four straight games, and he continues to play a lot of minutes for the Bruins. He could be in for a big night, just remember his floor is almost is very low.
Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | W | D | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Connor McDavid  $9,900 |  David Pastrnak $10,400 |  Quinn Hughes $8,100 |  Linus Ullmark $8,600 |
| Medium |  Sebastian Aho $8,400 |  Adrian Kempe $7,300 | Charlie McAvoy $6,900 |  Tristan Jarry $8,100 |
| Low |  Marco Rossi $5,900 |  Jamie Benn $5,400 | Jared Spurgeon $4,400 |  Karel Vejmelka $7,200 |
Stacks
| Hurricanes | Brent Burns | Sebastian Aho | Andrei Svechnikov |
 DraftKings | 4500 | 7100 | 5400 |
| Fanduel | 5200 | 8400 | 5900 |
| Bruins | David Pastrnak | Charlie McAvoy | Morgan Geekie |
| DraftKings | 9500 | 5900 | 4000 |
| Fanduel | 10400 | 6900 | 4400 |
| Kings | Anze Kopitar | Drew Doughty | Adrian Kempe |
| DraftKings | 6000 | 5200 | 7000 |
| Fanduel | 7500 | 5900 | 7300 |
Player News
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that Zach Eflin (lat) is likely to return and start Sunday against the Angels
It was assumed that Eflin would be back this weekend, but now we have a concrete date. The 31-year-old may not be at full strength after throwing fewer than 60 pitches in his rehab start, but the Orioles feel confident enough to have the right-hander back on the bump for the series finale against the Angels.
Riley Greene is not in the lineup for the first game of a doubleheader against the Rockies on Thursday.
Greene will get a break and likely return to the lineup for the second game of the twin-billing. Zach McKinstry will get the start in left field while Greene rests.
Panthers released TE Jordan Matthews.
Matthews converted to tight end a few years ago and hasn’t made much noise at the position. The change has, however, likely kept him in the league for a few more seasons. He appeared in four games with the Panthers last year but didn’t record any stats on offense. The Panthers also released or waived WR Dax Milne, C Andrew Raym, and TE Colin Granger.
Yu Darvish (elbow) is facing live hitters on Thursday.
Darvish has been throwing bullpen sessions and traveled to the team’s complex in Arizona to face live hitters on Thursday. It will be his first time facing live batters since a spring training appearance on March 13th. He will likely need a few sessions like this before the Padres can map out a rehab appearance timeline for him.
Adael Amador is starting at second base and batting ninth for the Rockies on Thursday.
Amador has now started three of the last four games at second base for the Rockies. He’s gone just 7-for-43 this season with 15 strikeouts in 16 games. He’s just 22 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to adjust to the MLB level, but he doesn’t need to be on redraft radars right now.
Jackson Holliday is playing second base and batting second for the Orioles on Thursday against the Twins.
With Cedric Mullins sitting out on Thursday, Gunnar Henderson will bat lead off, and Holliday will jump up from sixth in the order to second. Holliday is riding a hot streak right now, and the Orioles are taking advantage. This is likely just a one-game sample with no Mullins or Adley Rutschman in the lineup, but Rutschman has been struggling, so perhaps it could become a more permanent spot in the lineup for Holliday moving forward.