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 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Medium | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Low | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Stacks
Bruins | Hampus Lindholm | David Pastrnak | Morgan Geekie |
![]() | 3200 | 9500 | 4200 |
![]() | 4400 | 10200 | 4900 |
Stars | Roope Hintz | Thomas Harley | Jason Robertson |
![]() | 6200 | 4500 | 6700 |
![]() | 7200 | 6100 | 8200 |
Flyers | Sean Couturier | Nick Seeler | Travis Konecny |
![]() | 5000 | 3600 | 6500 |
![]() | 6500 | 4100 | 8000 |
Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.