Fantasy Hockey Picks 1-15-14
These fantasy hockey picks will help you dominate the NHL landscape tonight!
After the pathetic showing by my team last night I need to redeem myself today. A lot of us were burned by Martin Jones so I will let that one go but the Washington forwards really let me down. Today is a new day to play daily fantasy and that’s what I love about it. Let’s get to it.
Goalies:
Niklas Backstrom ($12,500) - Despite the poor play recently from everyone on the Minnesota Wild I am confident in Backstrom getting the win tonight. This price tag is just too low to pass on as we have been picking on Buffalo all season long. I don’t see a reason to stop utilizing this strategy now. If you want salary relief to fit in the high priced forwards, Backstrom is certainly my favorite way to make that happen.
Ben Bishop ($16,600) - Is another goalie I feel is extremely underpriced and is an even safer option than Backstrom. Tampa opened today at a -300 money line favorite in Vegas which is by far the biggest on the night. That is always reassuring when picking a goalie. EDM is just 2-11-7 on the road this season and there are no signs of them winning tonight.
Others: Roberto Luongo
Centers:
Jori Lehtera ($8,700) - STL is on fire right now and with Jimmy Howard being hurt for Detroit I see them scoring 3-4 goals tonight as well. That will be a decrease in the production over the last 4 games but Detroit really likes to slow down the pace of the game which is not great for fantasy. I have to ignore that somewhat as the Blues look unstoppable tonight.
Tyler Seguin ($14,450) - Seguin has not scored a goal in his last 5 games and has only 1 goal in the last 10. His price has dropped about $3,000 and I think this is the night he gets going. When Dallas is at home and gets to dictate the matchups I always want some piece of the Benn/Seguin combo. These guys are just studs when it comes to fantasy hockey and are always on my radar when on home ice.
Others: Tomas Plekanec, Antoine Vermette
Left Wing:
Johnny Gaudreau ($9,050) - Gaudreau has been moved down to the Flames’ second line. I think that this will help him get going again as he will see weaker defensive pairings. This Calgary/Arizona game should see plenty of goals in my opinion and getting some exposure to the Flames power play is the way to go. Arizona’s penalty kill ranks 29th in the league and is always a place I like to target.
Ondrej Palat ($10,400) - Finally Stamkos has some real players skating with him again and I am all about it. The home matchup is amazing considering EDM gives up the 2nd most goals per game in the league this season and is really struggling right now. Palat had two assists in the last game (first game skating with Stamkos). This top line for Tampa will be together on the top power play unit as well so do yourself a favor and get some exposure to it.
Others: Zach Parise, Alex Burrows
Right Wing:
Bryan Little ($10,900) - With 12 points in his last 10 games, Little is outproducing his price tag night in and night out. While Dallas has been playing much better defensive hockey I still think the Jets find a way to score a few goals tonight. Although the second line for WGP was the one to explode Tuesday night, the Little/Ladd/Wheeler line is easily the most consistent and top plays on the team.
Jarome Iginla ($11,000) - Iginla has been producing quite consistently which is always something to look at for your cash games. Even when he does not find the score sheet he is always putting shots on goal and contributing a little bit. He is a pretty safe play but the type of player I prefer to play in cash games compared to GPP’s as the upside is not nearly as high as many other players at this point in his career.
Others: Brett Ritchie, Brendan Gallagher
Defense:
Anton Stralman ($7,100) - With the injury to Victor Hedman, Stralman has taken over the ice time on the top power play unit for Tampa Bay and this price tag should be about $10,000 for anyone in that spot. The fact that they are playing EDM I can’t see how he will not make my roster tonight.
Andrei Markov ($8,900) - This price tag has dropped from the $14,000 range earlier in the season. He is still on the ice for well over 20 minutes a game and is on the top power play. With 3 assists in the last 2 games he is heating up again and should have no problem paying off the depressed salary tonight.
Others: Trevor Daley, Aaron Ekblad