Fantasy Hockey Picks 1-6-14
These fantasy hockey picks will guide your lineups into the money on a HUGE night for NHL!
We have a huge 10-game slate tonight while the NBA gives us a pathetic 2 games to work with. This means the cash game action for NHL DFS should pick up greatly today from all of the DFSers that are itching for action.
Goalies:
Pekka Rinne ($23,350) - The Nashville Predators are an outstanding 14-2-1 at home this season and host the team with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. This all adds up to a huge game for Rinne and the best chance to get the bonus points for the shut out. It is well worth paying for Rinne if you want a very safe option tonight.
Corey Crawford ($17,900) - Crawford should be another lock for the win. The main concern I have with him in GPP’s is that he may not face enough shots as Chicago should control the puck and dominate the entire game. If 1 or 2 slip their way past Crawford his only value will likely come from the win which would not justify the price.
Others: Craig Anderson, Cory Schneider
Centers:
Scott Gomez ($5,000) - Not only is Gomez the minimum price but he gets a home matchup with Buffalo which we love to target as they give up the most shots per game in the league. Gomez is skating on the top line for New Jersey alongside the 42 year old Jaromir Jagr, who is coming off of a record-setting hat trick. Gomez has 4 points in his last 2 games which is incredible value and tough to pass on given the matchup.
Tyler Seguin ($17,650) - I know this price tag is through the roof and that is part of the reason I like him for GPP’s tonight. I don’t think many will be willing or able to pay this much for one player. Anytime Dallas is at home I want a piece of the Seguin Benn combo. Columbus isn’t playing very good hockey right now despite having won 7 of their last 10 games. The blue line play for this team is just horrendous and the league’s leader in goals should have no problem exposing them.
Others: Mikko Koivu, Brad Richards
Left Wing:
Daniel Sedin ($12,350) - Daniel comes into this game on a bit of a hot streak with 9 points in his last 6 games. Coach Willie Desjardins is moving the skating lines around a bit at what seems like a weird time to me given the play of the top line recently. Burrows should fit in nicely with the Sedins as he skated with them all season last year and should be able to find the chemistry again very early into this game.
Pavel Datsyuk ($11,200) - If you like consistency, Datsyuk is your guy. His 5 game point streak was snapped Saturday night, although he still had 7 shots on goal and even contributed a blocked shot. EDM is a dumpster fire right now despite winning their last game. If anyone can take advantage of a mistake from the defense it is “The Magician”. The price is still too low in my eyes and I recommend playing him yet again.
Others: Brandon Dubinsky, Alex Steen
Right Wing:
T.J Oshie ($8,800) - There isn’t a hotter player on the planet right now. Oshie has 8 points in his last 5 games, including a hat trick last game and a 3 game goal scoring streak. At this price it will be very difficult to not have him on your roster tonight.
Ryan Johansen ($12,750) - It looks like the gang is back together for the top line in Columbus. This Hartnell, Foligno, and Johansen line was playing great together at the beginning of the season but the team could not find a way to win so they were split up trying to get the entire team going. Johansen has a 7 game point streak going and should be able to take advantage of the leagues 24th ranked penalty kill of the Dallas Stars.
Others: Jakub Voracek, Jaromir Jagr
Defense:
Kevin Shattenkirk ($11,250) - Comes in as my top play at defensemen today. He has 6 points in his last 2 games and is running the point beautifully on the power play. The Coyotes penalty kill ranks 28th in the league, only stopping 75.2% of power plays they face. That is a recipe for disaster for them and Shattenkirk gets a big bump up my ranks today.
Erik Karlsson ($13,350) - Karlsson is another expensive defenseman that I am trying to roster tonight at all costs. The Flyers give up a ton of shots to opposing defensemen in the style in which they play and Karlsson is the most offensively talented D man in the league in my eyes. Look for a big game out of him tonight as the Fylers continue to struggle.
Others: Adam Larsson, Niklas Kronwall