NHL DFS Playbook November 15: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks

Published: Nov 15, 2023
Wednesday's four-game NHL slate is loaded with top-tier scorers featuring a great matchup as Sebastian Aho and the Carolina Hurricanes face Travis Konecny and the Philadelphiala Flyers. 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 November 15th
DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
With just four games today, there can only be so much variance in lineups, but there are players to target in each of the four games. I continue to think of the Philadelphia Flyers as a trap. They never do what we think they should win or lose, but what they don't do is give up a lot of goals. They have only given up three goals per game on average this month, and they are facing a Carolina team that has scored only 2.8 goals per game over the last two weeks. The temptation will be to load up on Hurricanes players, it might be wise to use the Flyers goalies in some of your GPP's. For scoring Vancouver, Edmonton and Colorado are the better places to look. Vancouver leads the league in goals per game this month with 5, Edmonton looks better after firing Jay Woodcroft, and Colorado is going to face an Anaheim team that is playing on back-to-back nights.
Recommended DFS Starting Goalies
Top Options for Saves
Joey Daccord vs Edmonton Oilers
Lukas Dostal vs Colorado Avalanche
Carter Hart vs Carolina Hurricanes
Best Odds for a Win
Alexandar Georgiev vs Anaheim Ducks
Pyotr Kochetkov vs Philadelphia Flyers
Stuart Skinner vs Seattle Kraken
Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups
Carter Hart, G, Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers are tough to predict, but they don't give up a lot of goals, and I would expect Hart to see lots of shots today facing a Carolina team that is among the top of the league in shots per game. In a GPP I can see rolling the dice with Hart, but in cash games, I would look for a safer option.
Thatcher Demko, G, Vancouver Canucks
Demko has been a top-shelf goalie at home this season. He has a 5-0 record and a 0.964 save percentage on home ice. He will be facing an Islanders team that has only scored 2 goals per game this month which is second worst in the league. There should be both value and some safety in starting Demko today.
Stuart Skinner, G, Edmonton Oilers
After a really rough start to the season, Skinner has played well in his last two games. This is a game the Oilers are capable of winning, and Skinner shouldn't see high ownership numbers which can be a value in itself.
Recommended DFS Skaters
Highest Expected Goal Totals
Colorado Avalanche vs Lukas Dostal (4.2)
Carolina Hurricanes vs Carter Hart (4.1)
Edmonton Oilers vs Joey Daccord (3.8)
Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups
Elias Pettersson, C, Vancouver Canucks
Pettersson is coming off his first zero of the season in his last game. I would look for him to bounce back today against an Islanders team that is giving up close to four goals per game this month.
Sebastian Aho, C, Carolina Hurricanes
Aho has been rock solid for the Hurricanes as of late. He has scored in three of his last four games, and he has points in each of his last five games. The Hurricanes are expected to score more than four goals today and if that prediction becomes a reality, I would expect Aho to be involved in at least a couple of those goals.
Zach Hyman, W, Edmonton Oilers
Hyman has been a consistent scorer for the Oilers as of late. He has four goals in his last two games, and he will continue to get lots of minutes playing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Jamie Oleksiak, D, Seattle Kraken
Oleksiak as started to be a mainstay in lineups as his price as continued to be very low, while he kept blocking lots of shots. I wouldn't expect today to be any different with Seattle facing an Edmonton team that leads the league in shots per game over the last two weeks.
Player Pool
$ Tier | C | W | D | G |
---|---|---|---|---|
High | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ||||
Medium | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |
Low | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |
![]() |
Stacks
Hurricanes | Sebastian Aho | Tony DeAngelo | Andrei Svechnikov |
![]() | 6500 | 4000 | 5300 |
![]() | 6700 | 4300 | 3800 |
Avalanche | Cale Makar | Mikko Rantanen | Nathan MacKinnon |
![]() | 7700 | 8600 | 9800 |
![]() | 7800 | 10300 | 10400 |
Kraken | Jamie Oleksiak | Oliver Bjorkstrand | Eeli Tolvanen |
![]() | 3200 | 4500 | 4100 |
![]() | 4000 | 4900 | 4500 |
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.