NHL DFS Playbook January 8th: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks
Published: Jan 08, 2024
Monday's 4-game NHL slate is loaded with top-tier scorers featuring a great matchup as Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche face David Pastrnak and the Boston Bruins. 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 8th
DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
It is an interesting four-game slate today as we have some genuinely fun matchups. The matchup that stands out the most for me is Dallas at Minnesota. The Stars have been scoring four goals per game on average in the last couple of weeks, and Marc-Andre Fleury hasn't played well this season. This could be a long night for the Wild at home. The other matchup that stands out for me is Boston at Colorado. In Boston's last six games, they have scored five goals per game on average, while Colorado has struggled defensively as they are in the bottom third in the league in goals against, and Alexandar Georgiev hasn't helped much either with a 0.894 save percentage on the year.
Recommended DFS Starting Goalies,
Top Options for Saves
Carter Hart vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Marc-Andre Fleury vs Dallas Stars
Alex Nedeljkovic vs Philadelphia Flyers
Best Odds for a Win
Igor Shesterkin vs Vancouver Canucks
Scott Wedgewood vs Minnesota Wild
Alexandar Georgiev vs Boston Bruins
Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups
Carter Hart G, Philadelphia Flyers
Hart has been feast or famine as of late. He has either been giving up no goals, or blowing up. With that said, he has only lost once in regulation in his last nine games, and he played very well in a win the last time the Flyers faced the Penguins.
Igor Shesterkin G, New York Rangers
Outside the game against the Hurricanes, we have seen Shesterkin play well in his last five days. With that said though I don't love his price, and I see him as a GPP play only, as he has struggled at home this season, and Vancouver has enough firepower to score four times or more today.
Jeremy Swayman G, Boston Bruins
Swayman has lost just once this season on the road. If the Bruins can lock down the Avalanche's top line it shouldn't be a surprise for them to win this game on the road. In a GPP I don't mind taking Swayman on the road as he could see a lot of shots as well.
Recommended DFS Skaters
Highest Expected Goal Totals
New York Rangers vs Thatcher Demko (3.6)
Dallas Stars vs Marc-Andre Fleury (3.2)
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Carter Hart (3.2)
Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups
Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
MacKinnon has as solid of a floor as you're going to find. He has 17 shots in his last three games, and seven points in those three games as well. It isn't a great matchup against Boston, but that will keep his ownership numbers down as well and be a boon if he had a big game.
Travis Konecny, W, Philadelphia Flyers
With goals in four of his last five games, Konecny has been one of the hottest players in the league as of late. He also has five shots or more in three straight games, which will help his floor in what should be a hard-fought matchup against the Penguins.
Mason Marchment, W, Dallas Stars
We continue to see solid value from Marchment who has points in four straight games, and he has had five shots or more in two of those games as well. With the Stars having one of the better matchups tonight we should look for him to keep his point streak alive.
Jacob Trouba D, New York Rangers
Trouba has points in three of his last four games, and he has blocked three shots or more in four of his last five games. Trouba's floor remains really high, and with the Rangers facing a Canucks team today that hasn't been good on the road, I would expect them to score more than a few goals.
Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | W | D | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Nathan MacKinnon  $10,400 |  David Pastrnak $10,200 | Cale Makar $9,000 |  Igor Shesterkin $8,500 |
| Medium |  Roope Hintz $7,200 |  Travis Konecny $8,000 |  Jacob Trouba $6,000 | Jeremy Swayman $8,000 |
| Low | Morgan Geekie $4,900 |  Mason Marchment $5,800 | Hampus Lindholm $4,400 | Carter Hart $7,400 |
Stacks
| Bruins | Hampus Lindholm | David Pastrnak | Morgan Geekie |
 DraftKings | 3200 | 9500 | 4200 |
| Fanduel | 4400 | 10200 | 4900 |
| Stars | Roope Hintz | Thomas Harley | Jason Robertson |
| DraftKings | 6200 | 4500 | 6700 |
| Fanduel | 7200 | 6100 | 8200 |
| Flyers | Sean Couturier | Nick Seeler | Travis Konecny |
| DraftKings | 5000 | 3600 | 6500 |
| Fanduel | 6500 | 4100 | 8000 |
Player News
The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports the Dodgers are moving Bobby Miller to a relief role.
The Dodgers figure to add a couple experienced bullpen arms at the trade deadline, but their recent avalanche of injuries has forced them to move Miller to a relief role as a potential in-house alternative. The 26-year-old former top prospect continues to battle control issues at the Triple-A level, but his stuff figures to play up in shorter bursts out of the bullpen. He’s highly unlikely to make a fantasy impact in the near future, but we’ve seen countless examples of failed starters turning into quality relievers in the past.
NBA insider Chris B. Haynes reports that free agent guard JD Davison has signed a deal with the Houston Rockets.
Davison appeared in just 36 games for the Celtics across his first three NBA seasons, but he most recently won G League MVP. Houston’s rotation is one of the deepest in the Association, so Davison shouldn’t be expected to see meaningful minutes right away.
Mets sent RHP Chris Devenski outright to Triple-A Syracuse.
Devenski figures to stick around as emergency organizational relief depth for New York after passing through waivers unclaimed. The 34-year-old veteran righty has posted a solid 2.38 ERA across 11 1/3 innings (10 appearances) this season in the majors.
Randy Arozarena smacked a solo homer in a win for the Mariners over the Angels on Saturday.
Arozarena got every inch of a Tyler Anderson offering to give the Mariners a 2-1 lead and Arozarena his 20th homer of the season. He’s reached that mark in five-straight seasons, and it seems like a foregone conclusion that he’ll break his career-high of 23 homers before the 2025 campaign comes to a close.
Julio Rodriguez homered while going 2-for-4 in a win Saturday over the Angels.
Cal Raleigh hit his 40th homer of the season as the Mariners beat the Angels by a 7-2 score Saturday.