NHL DFS Playbook November 7: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks
Published: Nov 07, 2023
Tuesday's ten-game NHL slate is loaded with top-tier scorers. 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 7th
DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
There are a handful of key games to build around tonight. The most difficult one of them is going to be the Philadelphia Flyers at the San Jose Sharks. I wouldn't normally put a lot of DFS weight into the Flyers, but the Sharks have been awful this season. In the last two weeks, the Sharks have given up 5.83 goals per game, and if that trend continues tonight, I would want to have some Flyers players like Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny. The other matchup that I would be paying attention to is the New Jersey Devils at the Colorado Avalanche. The Devils are going to be without Jack Hughes again today, and that loss will be much more obvious today when they face Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche. The Avs are coming off a bad loss being shown up 7-0 by Vegas and the Devils could be in for a long night.
Recommended DFS Starting Goalies
Top Options for Saves
Lukas Dostal vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Jake Allen vs Carolina Hurricanes
Alexandar Georgiev vs New Jersey Devils
Best Odds for a Win
Antti Raanta vs Buffalo Sabres
Samuel Ersson vs San Jose Sharks
Alexandar Georgiev vs New Jersey Devils
Favorite Goalies to Use for DFS Lineups
Samuel Ersson, G, Philadelphia Flyers
I wouldn't typically recommend a goalie who has a 0.815 save percentage, but Ersson has only given up three goals in his last two starts, and to be honest San Jose has been that bad. Over the last two weeks, the Sharks have scored less than one goal per game, so the risks that come with starting Ersson are minimalized by how bad the Sharks have been.
Alexandar Georgiev, G, Colorado Avalanche
Georgiev has been flat-out terrible in his last five starts, but as a GPP play, there are good reasons to take on his risk. He has been streaky (by the way most goalies are), but he was great in his first 5 starts, before being bad in his most recent starts. He typically wins games as well, he has won six of his nine starts. Lastly, he has played much better at home, with his save percentage nearly 20 points higher than it is on the road. There is still risk facing a Devils team that can score goals, but I think Georgiev is in a good spot where he could see a lot of shots and if he stops most of them he could be one of the highest-scoring goalies on this slate.
Lukas Dostal, G, Anaheim Ducks
I love the value of Dostal in this matchup. Dostal has won four straight starts for the Ducks, and he has looked great doing it. He has a 0.920 save percentage on the season, and he could easily be among the best values on this slate today.
Recommended DFS Skaters
Highest Expected Goal Totals
Carolina Hurricanes vs Devon Levi (3.9)
Colorado Avalanche vs Vitek Vanecek (3.8)
Philadelphia Flyers vs Mackenzie Blackwood (3.8)
Favorite Skaters to Use for DFS Lineups
Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
This is a great matchup for MacKinnon. With the Devils down both Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, MacKinnon will be facing their third-best center and that is something I would look for him to take advantage of. I will be curious to see MacKinnon's ownership today, as I think many people will simply see that he is facing the Devils and go looking to build around someone different.
Nikita Kucherov W, Tampa Bay Lightning
There is an argument to be made that Kucherov has been the best player in the league this season, so far. He has 20 points, and nine of those points have come in his last two games. The Lightning will need him to continue to play well as the Atlantic division is very tight, and every point matters, especially against a division rival. I would look for him to have another big game today.
Lawson Crouse, W, Arizona Coyotes
Crouse has scored in three straight games, and he has points in five straight games overall. He should be a fine value play today as the Coyotes face the Seattle Kraken at home. Crouse is playing top-six minutes right now and Seattle has been in the bottom third of the league in goals against over the last two weeks, so I expect Arizona to score some goals today.
Erik Gustafsson, D, New York Rangers
With Adam Fox out, it looks like it will be Gustafsson who will take over the top powerplay time. Gustafsson is a pure offensive defenceman, and while he isn't at the calibre of Fox, he is capable of running a powerplay. While he doesn't have the floor of his teammate Jacob Trouba, his time on the powerplay gives up plenty of upside at his price.
Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | W | D | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Nathan MacKinnon  $10,200 |  Nikita Kucherov $9,700 |  Roman Josi $7,200 |  Alexandar Georgiev $8,300 |
| Medium |  Mason McTavish $6,700 |  Owen Tippett $5,500 |  Moritz Seider $6,000 | Lukas Dostal $8,000 |
| Low |  Dawson Mercer $5,100 |  Lawson Crouse $4,500 | Erik Gustafsson $4,600 | Samuel Ersson $7,500 |
Stacks
| Avalanche | Mikko Rantanen | Nathan MacKinnon | Bowen Byram |
 DraftKings | 8500 | 9800 | 3100 |
| Fanduel | 9900 | 10200 | 4200 |
| Lightning | Brayden Point | Victor Hedman | Nikita Kucherov |
| DraftKings | 7200 | 6000 | 8400 |
| Fanduel | 8400 | 6600 | 9700 |
| Flyers | Travis Sanheim | Cam Atkinson | Owen Tippett |
| DraftKings | 5500 | 5500 | 5100 |
| Fanduel | 6500 | 5900 | 5500 |
Player News
Sal Frelick clobbered his seventh home run of the season on Tuesday, propelling the Brewers to a 3-1 victory over the Dodgers.
Frelick provided a valuable insurance run with a 391-foot (99.3 mph EV) solo shot off of Kirby Yates that increased the Brewers’ advantage to 3-1. That would be his only hit in four at-bats on the night, but played a key role in the victory. On the season, the 25-year-old outfielder is now hitting .293/.350/.408 with seven long balls, 37 RBI and 15 swipes on the season.
Andrew Vaughn went 1-for-3 and drove in a run on Tuesday as the Brewers eked out a two-run victory over the Dodgers.
Vaughn smacked an RBI single off of Clayton Kershaw in the fourth inning that got the Brewers on the board and tied the score at one run apiece. He also drew a walk in the ballgame, reaching base safely in two of his four plate appearances. On the season, he’s hitting .195/.230/.332 with six homers and 23 RBI.
Trevor Megill closed out the Dodgers in the ninth inning on Tuesday, protecting a two-run lead to earn his 21st save of the season.
The 31-year-old stopper wasn’t messing around in this one, getting Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages each on swinging third strikes to start the frame before retiring Michael Conforto on a ground ball to second base. He needed just 14 pitches (10 strikes) to get the job done. On the season, Megill now sports a 2.48 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and a 40/15 K/BB ratio over 32 2/3 innings while converting 21 of his first 24 save chances.
Jacob Misiorowski was outstanding in Tuesday night’s victory over the Dodgers, racking up a career-high 12 strikeouts over six innings of one-run baseball.
Misiorowski allowed four hits on the night while allowing one base on balls. Things didn’t start out well for him as he served up a leadoff homer to Shohei Ohtani, but from that point on he was completely dialed in. He struck out each of the next five hitters that he faced and allowed just three hits and a walk the rest of the way. The 23-year-old right-hander generated a whopping 21 swings and misses on 91 pitches in the ballgame — nine on his fastball and eight on his curveball — while posting an elite CSW of 40 percent. He has been very impressive through his first five starts with the Brewers, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and a 33/11 K/BB ratio over 25 2/3 innings.
Shohei Ohtani launched a leadoff home run on Tuesday, but it would account for the Dodgers’ only run in a loss to the Brewers.
Ohtani fell behind rookie phenom Jacob Misiorowski 0-2 to start the game before clobbering a curveball for a 431-foot (108.4 mph EV) leadoff home run. That would be their only run in the game and one of just four hits over six innings off of Misiorowski. The 31-year-old superstar finished the night 1-for-3 plus a walk and is now hitting .281/.383/.615 with 31 homers, 57 RBI and 12 stolen bases on the season.
Clayton Kershaw logged a quality start in Tuesday night’s loss to the Brewers, giving up two runs on six hits over six strong frames.
The 37-year-old southpaw struck out three batters on the evening while issuing one base on balls. All of the damage done against him came in the fourth inning as Andrew Vaughn and Isaac Collins each delivered run-scoring singles. Kershaw got six swings and misses on 85 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 29 percent. Kershaw finishes the first half with a 4-1 record, 3.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and a 35/15 K/BB ratio over 50 2/3 innings through his first 10 starts.