NHL DFS Playbook January 7: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks
Welcome to Sunday's two-game NHL Slate. Patrick Kane and Frank Vatrano are looking to lead their teams to victory and both players should be quite popular on this slate. We still need to dig deep and find value to allow us to pay up for both superstars, so let’s take a look at some options. You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Friday, December 1st, but before you build those NHL daily fantasy lineups, don’t forget to check out our NHL DFS projections, the NHL Value Finder, and the NHL DFS lineup generator. Let's now take a closer look at the daily fantasy hockey top plays for tonight's NHL DFS Showdown slate.
Highest Expected Goal Totals
Detroit Red Wings Vs John Gibson (3.7)
Winnipeg Jets Vs. Karel Vejmelka (3.1)
Anaheim Ducks Vs. Alex Lyon (3.0)
Arizona Coyotes Vs. Connor Hellebuyck (2.2)
Winnipeg Jets Vs. Arizona Coyotes
Players to target: Alexander Kerfoot, Sean Durzi, Clayton Keller, Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele, Cole Perfetti, Josh Morrissey, Vladislav Namestnikov, Connor Hellebuyck
With there not expected to be a lot of goals scored in this game, making sure that we get shots from forwards will be important. Nikolaj Ehlers should be a solid play today. He has led the Jets in shots over the last four games, and you should be able to pair him with Vladislav Namestnikov, who leads the Jets in points over that four-game stretch, for the start of a reasonable stack. I think the combination of Scheifele and Perfetti is also worth consideration, however, they have not had the same production as of late. Looking at the Coyotes, I think the most reasonable plays are going to be Alex Kerfoot and Clayton Keller.
There won't be too much to feast on with these two team's defencemen. Josh Morrissey is easily the most reliable point-getter, and we have seen Neal Pionk put up points recently as well for the Jets. When it comes to the Coyotes, I think Sean Durzi is the only one worth consideration as we haven't seen any real production from J.J. Moser as of late.
In goal, Karel Vejmelka is likely to be the better GPP play. He is likely to see around 30 shots, and if he has a strong game he can be a good value, and he is likely to be fairly low-owned. Connor Hellebuyck is a sensible play in cash games, he doesn't offer much upside in GPP's as the Coyotes are in the bottom third of the league in shots taken.
Detroit Red Wings Vs. Anaheim Ducks
Players to target: Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin, Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Frank Vatrano, Mason McTavish, John Gibson
It is this forward group that is the most likely to produce a big night. I think a lot of people will lean on Detroit today, with their stars, Patrick Kane, Alex Debrincat, and Dylan Larkin all capable of big games. However, we shouldn't look past how poor Detroit has been defensively in the last two weeks giving up 4.2 goals per game on average in that time frame. With that, I wouldn't shy away from stacking Mason McTavish with Frank Vetrano, or Adam Henrique with Trevor Zegras.
On the blueline, Moritz Seider is a player who offers everything you want in DFS, as he gets top minutes, he takes shots and he blocks shots as well. Jake Walman of Detroit also has three straight games with three blocked shots or more. Jamie Drysdale could be a solid play with his offence, and Ilya Lyubushkin is one of the top shot blockers in the league and has blocked three or more in three of his last four games.
In this matchup, I would be willing to use John Gibson in a GPP. He likely won't see a lot of ownership, and this is a game the Ducks could win at home. While Alex Lyon has won three of his last four games, he has played well in just one of those games and he is the most expensive goalie on the slate.
Check out our list of the best, and most trusted sports betting and fantasy sports promo codes from the top legal sites in your state.
Dominate your NHL DFS contests today with our DFS Playbook, Player Projections, Lineup Generator & DFS
Player News
Yankees OF prospect Spencer Jones went 4-for-5 with two homers on Sunday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Jones has been on an absolute tear, launching 10 homers in 13 games since the start of July to tie for the minor league lead with 26 round-trippers in just 65 games this season. The power potential is legitimate and gives him clear fantasy upside, but swing-and-miss concerns and shaky plate discipline raise questions about whether the hit tool will play in the majors. He’s the ultimate high-variance stash candidate with massive pop and equally massive strikeout risk.
Chiefs signed EDGE George Karlaftis to a four-year, $93 million extension through 2030.
The deal includes $62 million in fully guaranteed money. The Chiefs exercised Karlaftis’ fifth-year extension this offseason, keeping him under contract through 2026. Perhaps, watching Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt sign record-setting extensions prompted the Chiefs to smartly get this one done ahead of schedule—and more importantly, ahead of more market resets. Karlaftis has racked up 173 quarterback pressures, 26 sacks and 67 tackles through three NFL seasons, sufficiently returning value on his first-round draft capital from the 2022 NFL Draft.
Cowboys worked out free agent EDGE Jesse Luketa.
Luketa declined to sign his restricted free agent tender this offseason, ending a three-year run with the Cardinals, who drafted him in the 2022 NFL Draft’s seventh round. Luketa and Micah Parsons played together at Penn State from 2018-2019, and the two remain close friends. The former Cardinal earned a career-best 84.2 PFF run-defense grade and tallied a career-high three sacks last season, is a capable special teamer and can contribute as a linebacker. Bringing him aboard would be a smart, under-the-radar signing. The Cowboys also worked out DE Kameron Cline and DE James Houston.
Nolan Schanuel was removed from Sunday’s game against the Phillies with a left wrist contusion.
No word whether Schanuel underwent precautionary X-rays, but it appears he’s managed to avoid serious injury after being hit by a pitch during the first inning of Sunday’s series finale. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day heading into Monday’s contest against the Mets at Citi Field.
Zack Short was scratched from the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Mariners with left rib soreness.
Short was hit by a pitch during Saturday’s game. It’ll be Mauricio Dubón taking over at shortstop in his place.
Shelby Miller (forearm) has progressed to throwing bullpen sessions.
It’s a bit unclear how close Miller is to making it back to Arizona’s bullpen, but it’s an encouraging development that he’s already progressed to throwing bullpen sessions. He’ll need to face hitters in a live batting practice session before he’s cleared to kick off a rehab assignment. There’s a decent chance he’s back at some point in August.