NHL DFS Playbook November 5: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks

Welcome to Sunday's two-game NHL Slate. Timo Meier and Connor Bedard 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 Sunday, November 5th, 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
New Jersey Devils Vs Arvid Soderblom (4.0)
Vegas Golden Knights Vs. Lukas Dostal (3.8)
Anaheim Ducks Vs. Logan Thompson (2.9)
Chicago Blackhawks Vs. Vitek Vanacek (2.7)
New Jersey Devils Vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Players to target: Dawson Mercer, Tyler Toffoli, Jesper Bratt, Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes, Vitek Vanecek, Connor Bedard, Seth Jones, Connor Murphy
It will be interesting to see how the Devils react today without Jack Hughes. It looks like Dawson Mercer (he is listed on the W however if you are looking) will take over the top-line center duties, as Nico Hischier is also out. Mercer is well-positioned to be a nice value today, as he will be playing between Timo Meier and Tyler Toffoli and he is likely to take on the top powerplay duties as well. For Chicago, I think you are going to look to Connor Bedard and Bedard only in this matchup. He has scored in three straight games and four of his last five games. His shots have gone down since his first few games, but with the Devil's injuries we could see a big performance from the star rookies today.
On the backend, we saw Luke Hughes' point streak come to an end as he put up a DFS donut on Friday failing to block a shot or put a shot on goal. He will continue to get a look at the top powerplay which makes him worth his price, especially in a matchup like this one, but be aware that there isn't much of a floor there with him. On the flip side, Dougie Hamilton is much more expensive, but he is a consistent shot producer and his ceiling is sky-high because of those shots. Chicago has the better floor players in this matchup. Connor Murphy is among the league leaders in blocked shots, and he has blocked three shots or more in four of his last five games. Seth Jones is also worth looking at, as he has a better chance to get you points, and he will shoot the puck at high volumes as well.
The Devils are likely to go back to Vitek Vanecek today. While Vanecek hasn't been spectacular this season he has won four of his last five starts, and in the DFS game, that is worth something. He is likely to face Arvid Soderblom of Chicago. Soderblom hasn't been good this season, and even with Hughes out, I think the Devils should still be able to score goals without too much issue.
Vegas Golden Knights Vs. Anaheim Ducks
Players to target: Jack Eichel, Chandler Stephenson, Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone, Shea Theodore, Logan Thompson, Mason McTavish, Troy Terry, Pavel Mintyukov, Lukas Dostal
Vegas is a big favourite today. The defending champs haven't skipped a beat coming into this season and they are facing a Ducks team that is still struggling to find an identity. Look for all of their top players to be in play, but also don't be surprised if there is a bit of a letdown after a 7-0 drubbing of Colorado last night. I would want to have some shares of Jonathan Marchessault and Jack Eichel as those two players put the most shots on goal, but I also don't mind a player like William Karlsson, who has been red hot lately with points in five straight games, and goals in three of those games as well. For Anaheim, we have been seeing Mason McTavish start to break out. He has six points in his last three games and 12 points on the year so far. He can be paired with either Frank Vatrano or Ryan Strome. Vatrano has more upside as he shoots more, but Strome is much less expensive and he has six points in his last three games. Troy Terry and Leo Carlsson are also worth a look. Terry is coming off a four-point, six-shot game, and Carlsson is inexpensive while playing lots of minutes.
On the blueline, Shea Theodore will get lots of attention. He is playing at a near point-per-game pace, and he is a player who can get to all three bonus types for Vegas. Brayden McNabb is also of interest as he is among the top shot blockers in the league, however, I would likely look elsewhere for blocked shots today as the Ducks are near the bottom of the league in total shots. For the Ducks, similar issues exist. Ilya Lyubushkin blocks lots of shots, but Vegas only puts 27.5 shots on goal per game on average so his opportunities are likely to be limited. You can take a look at Pavel Mintyukov. He has three points in his last two games, and he will shoot the puck and block shots as well as being on the Ducks top powerplay.
Logan Thompson is the obvious choice to use today. He has been fantastic for the Golden Knights this season, and while the Ducks have been a top ten offence over the last two weeks, I would wonder how long that offence will last. Lukas Dostal has played great for the Ducks this season. He has won five of his six starts this season while posting a save percentage of 0.920, and a goals saved above average of 3.1. He won't be a popular choice, but if you're looking for a contrarian play, he isn't a bad choice and he comes at an inexpensive price as well.
Player News
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that the Diamondbacks are listening to offers on Randal Grichuk, Alek Thomas, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Jake McCarthy.
The Diamondbacks are not locked into the “seller” role, but unless something changes in the next few weeks, it would be smart of them to consider offers for players who are not likely to be part of their future. Grichuk seems to be the most likely to be dealt since he’s playing on a one-year contract with a mutual option for next season. Gurriel has $13 million guaranteed for 2026, which could make it harder for the Diamondbacks to find a trade partner for him, and they may be less inclined to trade Thomas, who used to be one of the top prospects in baseball and is under team control for a few more years.
Adrian Del Castillo went 4-for-6 with two home runs, two doubles, two runs scored, and six RBI for Triple-A El Paso on Sunday.
Del Castillo was battling some arm fatigue earlier in the season, but he has now played 14 games at Triple-A, slashing .288/.386/.559 with four home runs, 16 RBI, and a 19/10 K/BB ratio. He has split his time between catcher and designated hitter and could get another opportunity with the Diamondbacks after the trade deadline if players like Eugenio Suarez are moved to another team.
Zebby Matthews (shoulder) threw four scoreless innings for Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday.
The 25-year-old allowed one hit and struck out nine without walking a batter. He threw 38 of his 56 pitches for strikes and induced 15 whiffs in his four innings. Matthews averaged 97.4 mph on his four-seam fastball and touched 99 mph on one. There’s a good chance that he could return to the Twins rotation immediately following the All-Star break. It’s time to stash him if he’s still available in your league.
Sawyer Gipson-Long (neck) threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings for Triple-A Toledo on Sunday.
The 27-year-old didn’t allow a single hit while walking one and striking out five on the day. He threw 41 of his 59 pitches for strikes and looked to be in complete control on the day. Gipson-Long will likely need at least one more rehab start before rejoining the rotation to replace Keider Montero.
Tigers INF prospect Hao-Yu Lee went 2-for-3 with two walks, three runs scored, and four steals for Triple-A Toledo on Sunday.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a strong month of May before struggling a bit in June. Still, he’s been solid on the year, slashing .246/.349/.413 with nine home runs, 48 runs scored, and 15 steals in 76 games. Lee can play both second and third base and is putting himself on the map as a potential replacement for Gleyber Torres in 2026.
Yonathan Perlaza went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored for Triple-A El Paso on Sunday.
Perlaza is having a good season for the Padres, hitting .298/.382/.486 in 85 games at Triple-A with nine home runs, 11 steals, and 62 RBI. He was good for the Cubs in Triple-A in 2023 as well, hitting .284/.389/.534 with 23 home runs and 13 steals in 121 games at Triple-A before going to Korea and hitting 24 home runs in the KBO in 2024. Perhaps Perlaza gets a shot with the Padres in the second half if they don’t add an outfielder at the trade deadline.