NHL DFS Playbook: October 13

With Nathan MacKinnon and Auston Matthews out of their respective lineups, Connor McDavid is going to be a very popular choice. He’s also only $8300 on DK, which shouldn’t be allowed. 

Fresh off a new eight year contract, Nick Suzuki is going to be a very popular player most of the season, and it starts tonight. He’s affordable and is skating on the top line with Tyler Toffoli and Cole Caufield.

Elias Pettersson missed most of last season due to injury, but when healthy, the kid is able to do some pretty amazing things with the puck. Edmonton is still a trash can in goal and on defence, so he could find the back of the net a few times in this contest.

With MacKinnon out of the lineup, Nazem Kadri moves up to the top line with Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. The Blackhawks did get better over the summer, but with this game being in Colorado, we should see the Avalanche have the upper hand. 

Depending on where you play, Paul Stastny could be the perfect player to play. DraftKings has him listed at C, but FanDuel has him on the wing at a bargain price of $3600. He’s centering the top line with Mark Scheifele out of the lineup, still serving his suspension from the previous year. He's interesting on both sites.

The matchup on paper isn’t great, but Tyler Johnson is playing on the top line with Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. At worst, that entire line in a GPP is worth considering.

DK has Leon Draisaitl listed as a winger, and it looks like he will be skating with McDavid on night one. His $7700 price tag is way too cheap for him. There’s a good chance you can get both him and McJesus in your lineup and still have salary left to spend. 

Brock Boeser is out of the lineup as he continues to deal with a mystery injury, so J.T. Miller moves up the lineup to play with Pettersson. Another great combination to roll out in cash games.

The hype around rookie Cole Caufield is elevated, but the kid is poised to have a breakout season, and it could start as early as tonight. Play him while he’s still affordable.

Kyle Connor is elite, but most people don’t want to consider him elite, and that’s a shame. Even if you’re playing him on FD with Stastny in a winger-winger ministack, He’s one of my favourite options on the slate.

He’s expensive, but all Mikko Rantanen does is score goals, and that won’t change this season. You can use him as a single-bullet or play him with Kadri.

I expect Nick Ritchie to be very popular tonight, mainly because of his price tag. He’s skating on the top line and top power play unit and is still only $3900 on DK. Lot’s of reasons to love him if he can deliver.

Imagine playing McDavid and Draisaitl and not stacking them with Tyson Barrie.

If you read the playbook last season, you know how much I love Neal Pionk, and it looks like the Jets finally figured out how to use him. He’s expected to quarterback the top power play unit, and he’s only $5K on DK. Not to mention, he can also block shots. I love everything about him tonight.

Quinn Hughes is a very one-dimensional fantasy hockey player, but he racks up points, and that’s important. His fantasy ceiling is limited, but I think he could be very productive tonight at his current price tag. 

With no Shea Weber around, Jeff Petry has the entire top power play unit to himself. We know he can contribute offensively, and this season should be no different. Easy stack with Caufield and Suzuki. 

I’m not a fan of paying up for the most expensive defenceman on a slate, but I couldn’t leave Cale Makar out of the playbook. He is the early favourite to win the Norris Trophy, and he’s in a very good spot tonight. I don’t know if he can return value, but I wouldn’t call you crazy for spending up to play him.

The Anaheim Ducks are still a god awful team, and Connor Hellebuyck is still elite. No reason to fade him here in cash games.

Montreal against Toronto is never easy, but without Matthews, the task of beating the Leafs becomes a little easier. Jake Allen was very good last season, and I expect that strong play to continue this season. He’s also very affordable on DK at $7200.

Igor Shesterkin has a very friendly price tag on DK at $7600, and if Alex Ovechkin can’t go tonight, I like him even more. The Rangers are a good team, and this game probably won’t be a high scoring affair. I wouldn’t hesitate to use him in cash games or GPPs.

He’s the most expensive goalie on DK, but the sky's the limit for Darcy Kuemper. Chicago has some fire power, but Kuemepr is really good, and he could easily pick up the win and stop over 35 shots. 

On the flip side, I also love Marc-Andre Fleury as a GPP option. Chicago is a better team, but Fleury will have his hands full, because the defence is still very weak. No MacKinnon is a good thing, so maybe the Vezina Trophy winner can stand on his head and steal one for his team?