NHL DFS Playbook October 23: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks
Welcome to Monday's one-game NHL DFS slate with the Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres. We get Tage Thompson and Nick Suzuki both looking to lead their teams to victory and both players should be quite popular on this daily fantasy hockey showdown 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 Monday, October 23rd, 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
Buffalo Sabres Vs Jake Allen (3.8)
Montreal Canadiens Vs. Eric Comrie (2.9)
Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres
Players to target: Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch, Rasmus Dahlin, Eric Comrie, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Michael Matheson
As a showdown this should be an interesting matchup. There will certainly be some intrigue with Tage Thompson who has averaged more than five shots per game, but he has only amassed a single point so far this season. That trend will change, but he is the highest-priced player, so I'm not certain I would want to pay up to find out if tonight is the night. You could look to players such as Dylan Cozens who has played well so far this season for the Sabres, or Alex Tuch and Jeff Skinner who will also get time on the top powerplay if you want to save a bit of your budget. For the Canadiens, Cole Caufield is a fine pick for your captain spot. He is averaging five shots per game, and he has four points in three games so far. Nick Suzuki can also be of value in this forward group, but thus far in the season, the Canadien's forwards have lacked excitement.
On the backend, Rasmus Dahlin should be a solid play for the Sabres. He continues to produce points and he will shoot the puck and get you some blocks, and Michael Matheson has been solid for Montreal. He gets the top powerplay time, and he averages more than three blocked shots per game which gives him a solid floor.
I don't think you need to play a goalie in this matchup. I don't have a lot of confidence in either Jake Allen or Eric Comrie, but if I had to pick one I would take the odds for Comrie to get the win at home, there is definitely risk there and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw eight or more goals scored in this game which would have me preferring skaters to goalies.
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.