Fantasy Hockey Picks 1-27-15
These fantasy hockey picks will welcome you back from the break and help you cash in BIG!
Welcome back. I hope you all enjoyed the the break as much as I did. I had a great time at All Star Weekend here in Columbus but am ready to get back to the grinding. With only 2 days left to punch your tickets to the 10k Ice Throne lets get down to business.
Goalies:
Carter Huttom ($12,500) - While I am not a fan of his talent, the position he is in is great. He is minimum price for a goalie on a team that is 18-2-1 at home this season on such a great defensive team. I don’t see him allowing more than 2 goals tonight and that should be good enough enough to pick up the win. He is the number one option in my mind tonight given the asking price.
Jonas Hiller ($14,500) - Another great value option. At home against Buffalo makes anyone intriguing. The price tag and the fact that Vegas has Calgary as the biggest favorite of the night by far makes me want to roster Hiller and makes him a another very safe value option tonight.
Center:
Valterri Filppula ($9,050) - You will not find a roster of mine tonight without Filppula as long as he is still skating with Stamkos in today’s morning skate. This should lead to a huge bump in production and save your salary cap for some of the top plays.
Mikko Koivu ($9,750) - With 5 points in the last 4 games, Koivu has been paying off his price tag night in and night out. I prefer him in cash games compared to GPPs as he just does not shoot enough. Skating with Parise and Pominville there is a good chance for an assist every shift. EDM gives up 3.30 goals per game, which is 28th in the league. I see this trend continuing tonight and will target EDM for sure.
Others: Nicklas Backstrom, Henrik Zetterberg
Left Wing:
Brayden Schenn ($9,350) - Skating with two all stars in Voracek and Giroux Schenn provides a ton of value tonight. Arizona has one of the worst penalty kills in the league with just a 77% kill rate. I always look to target their opponents power play.
Johnny Gaudreau ($9,900) - “Johnny Hockey” was heating up before the break with 4 points in his 5 previous games. The price tag won’t break the bank and the matchup can’t possibly get any better. You ALWAYS want some exposure to any team hosting Buffalo and Gaudreau is the best option at forward tonight.
Others: Pavel Datsyuk, Zach Parise
Right Wing:
James Neal ($11,950) - After returning from injury, Neal has 2 goals and 2 assists in 4 games. Nashville is the best team in the league on home ice this season and Neal is a big reason why. He provides the offensive threat every shift he is on the ice. Getting ice time with the top power play unit he can help set up that amazing 108.5 mph slapshot from Shea Weber.
Rick Nash ($14,800) - Normally I would not target a team at NYI but Halak has given up 17 goals in his last 4 games. Nash is always in play even in bad matchups as he can rack up the shots on goal with the best of them. There should be plenty of penalties in the battle for New York and Nash is lethal on the power play.
Others: Tobia Rieder, Mikita Kucherov
Defense:
John-Michael Liles ($5,250) - From what I am seeing, Liles is expected to get the ice time with the top power play unit and at the asking price just above the minimum that is hard to ignore. While I expect Tampa to win this game I see Liles getting enough shots on goal and blocks to pay off the minimum price.
Niklas Kronwall ($9,250) - Kronwall is heating up with 4 points in his last 3 games and seems to finally be a big part of the offense again. He is a killer on the power play and taking on the struggling Panthers is a recipe for success.
Others: Victor Hedman, Paul Martin