NHL DFS Playbook November 27: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks
Published: Nov 27, 2023
Monday's six-game NHL slate is loaded with top-tier scorers featuring a great matchup as Chris Kreider and the New York Rangers face Rasmus Dahlin and the Buffalo Sabres. 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 27th
DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
This should be an interesting slate. There are some really good matchups where there could be high-scoring games. The Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers are likely to get a lot of player's attention with their matchups, but I wouldn't want to lose sight of the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both teams are in the top four in goals per game over the last two weeks. The Lightning are coming off an eight-goal outburst against Carolina, and The Avs have scored five goals or more in four of their last seven games.
Recommended DFS Starting Goalies
Top Options for Saves
Jacob Markstrom vs Vegas Golden Knights
Devon Levi vs New York Rangers
Sergei Bobrovsky vs Ottawa Senators
Best Odds for a Win
Jeremy Swaymen vs Columbus Blue Jackets
Igor Shesterkin vs Buffalo Sabres
Darcy Kuemper vs San Jose Sharks
Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups
Igor Shesterkin, G, New York Rangers
In cash games today Shesterkin would be my pick. I think many people will go to Jeremy Swayman, but Shesterkin has just as good of a matchup against a Sabres team that has struggled to score goals without Tage Thompson. Darcy Kuemper is also viable in cash games as the Sharks don't have much bite these days, but he isn't the same calibre of goalie as Shesterkin or Swayman right now.
Joonas Korpisalo, G, Ottawa Senators
Korpisalo has won three straight starts for the Sens, and he could see enough shots from the Panthers today for him to get to the save bonus. He is a GPP play, however as I wouldn't want to take on the risk in cash games.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning
In a GPP I don't mind taking a gamble on Vasilsvskiy. He looked good against Carolina, and maybe the rest from his surgery will help him regain his form as the top goalie in the world.
Recommended DFS Skaters
Highest Expected Goal Totals
Boston Bruins vs Spencer Martin (4.1)
New York Rangers vs Devon Levi (4.0)
Washington Capitals vs Mackenzie Blackwood (3.9)
Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups
Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, Washington Capitals
With how bad the Sharks are, I am amazed to see Kuznetsov's price as low as it is. He hasn't been good this season, but he gets the best minutes to create offence alongside Alex Ovechkin and he is going against a team that gives up a lot of goals.
Chris Kreider, W, New York Rangers
Kreider has five points in his two games. He has been shooting more, and that should lead to success against a struggling Sabres team.
David Pastrnak, W, Boston Bruins
The issue with Pasta today is being able to fit him in. He has 21 shots in his last four games and he will be facing a goalie today in Spencer Martin who has given up four goals or more in each of his last three starts. I would be doing my best to get Pasta into any cash lineups I could, and I would consider him in GPP's as well if you can find enough value plays.
Aaron Ekblad, D, Florida Panthers
With the Senators putting 32 shots on goal per game on average, I expect Ekblad will be able to get three blocked shots, and he has upside with points and shots as well which could make him a real bargain on today's slate.
Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | W | D | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Nathan MacKinnon  $10,200 |  David Pastrnak $10,400 | Cale Makar $8,400 | Jeremy Swayman $8,600 |
| Medium |  Mika Zibanejad $5,700 |  Chris Kreider $7,800 |  John Carlson $6,000 | Igor Shesterkin $8,400 |
| Low |  Evgeny Kuznetsov $5,300 | Blake Wheeler $4,300 |  Aaron Ekblad $4,900 |  Andrei Vasilevskiy $7,900 |
Stacks
| Rangers | Mika Zibanejad | Chris Kreider | Jacob Trouba |
 DraftKings | 6800 | 6500 | 5800 |
| Fanduel | 5700 | 7800 | 6000 |
| Capitals | Alex Ovechkin | John Carlson | Evgeny Kuznetsov |
| DraftKings | 7500 | 6300 | 4200 |
| Fanduel | 7700 | 6000 | 5300 |
| Lightning | Brayden Point | Nikita Kucherov | Mikhail Sergachev |
| DraftKings | 7300 | 9200 | 4500 |
| Fanduel | 9400 | 10200 | 6200 |
Player News
José Buttó (illness) fired a scoreless inning on Tuesday during a minor league rehab appearance in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League.
Buttó landed on the injured list earlier this month with an undisclosed illness. The 27-year-old righty, who has posted a strong 2.47 ERA across 43 2/3 innings (31 appearances) this season, figures to be ready to rejoin New York’s relief corps shortly after the All-Star break.
Bills placed EDGE Landon Jackson on the PUP list.
Jackson will be able to be activated off the PUP list at any time during training camp, but apparently will not be ready as camp starts. If he remains on the PUP list through the 53-man roster deadline, he’ll be locked into missing a few weeks at the beginning of the season.
Falcons OC Zac Robinson said Michael Penix Jr. “opens up a different avenue within the offense.”
This is in the context of stretching the field a little more than the Falcons did in 2024, something they struggled to do at times with Kirk Cousins under center. The Athletic’s Josh Kendall also adds “The coaching staff won’t ask Penix to curtail his aggressiveness. In fact, it’s the trait they are most excited about.” A more balanced offensive approach could raise all ships in Atlanta — and it’s something that might be necessary for them as they try to stave off regression with almost no new players added to the room.
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper believes if Najee Harris misses time in training camp, the possibility of Omarion Hampton becoming the lead back is “even more likely.”
“Hampton has a chance to be an immediate difference-maker in the run game, a player with the explosiveness to score anytime he touches the ball. And he could be getting the bulk of the first-team work early in camp,” Popper continues. This is hardly an endorsement that Hampton is going to be RB1 in Los Angeles from Week 1, but Harris’ eye injury has at least complicated things early in training camp. There’s a non-zero chance that Hampton takes the baton and runs with it before Harris is ready to come back.
Oshae Brissett signed a two-year deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Brissett, who most recently played for the 76ers, will head overseas to join the EuroLeague team that is based in Israel. Brissett ended last season on a 10-day deal with Philadelphia after previous stops with the Celtics, Pacers and Raptors.
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reports Hornets waived Josh Okogie.
Okogie was dealt to Charlotte in January after spending time with the seasons. The Hornets made a handful of perimeter acquisitions this offseason, including Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley and Collin Sexton, that made Okogie expendable. He’s an impactful defender that should be able to find a spot on a new team.