Fantasy Hockey Picks 10-19-14
Make money with these fantasy hockey picks while everyone is focused on the NFL.
Goalies
Johnathan Quick $23,700 - It is absolutely crucial to have the right goalie today with only 4 games on the slate and all of the games are projected to be lower scoring than usual. There is a reason why I never play anyone against the Kings in LA and Quick is a huge part of it. The team in front of him doesn’t allow anyone to settle in front of the net and Quick always has a clean look at the shot.
Ondrej Pavalec $13,050 - Is not a goalie I ever plan on using but this slate of games just may call for it. He gets the best matchup of anyone today with the Flames in town. All of the other 6 teams playing should be playoff teams and the teams in this game are not. I am not a fan of his talent by any means but when the discrepancy of talent in the teams the goalies are facing is this large it warrants consideration.
Centers
Anze Kopitar $13,900 - Niklas Backstrom only appeared in 21 games for the Wild last season and was very bad. He was 5-11 with a .899 save percentage and allowed just over 3 goals per game. He has not been tested at the NHL level since January 30th of this year. The Kings play great at home and Kopitar usually leads the charge.
Bryan Little $11,850 - Gets to pick on the Flames. This is projected to be the highest scoring game of this slate. Dustin Byfuglien practiced on the skating line with Little and is expected to play there tonight. Byfuglien will win puck battles in the corners to keep it in the offensive zone for the scorers on his line. There should be plenty of chances for Little to contribute.
Left Wings
Thomas Vanek $12,750 - If I am going to take anyone on the Wild it will most likely be Vanek. Doughty is going to shadow Zach Parise all game and this should lead to more time against the 2nd and 3rd defensive pairings from the Kings.
Thomas Hertl $9,750 - This is more of a gut feeling than anything else. The Rangers have not looked great this season and very sloppy in their own zone. When the other team is making mistakes the experience of Joe Thornton should be able to capitalize on the mistake and set his line mate up for a scoring chance. Anytime I am looking at taking a player without a great matchup I tend to take the cheapest salary on the line as the salary you need to invest will often not pay itself off.
Right Wings
Rick Nash $13,250 - Alain Vigneault should try everything he can to get his superstar on the ice away from Joe Thornton and Logan Couture. Those two are both exceptional two way players and nightmares for the opposing lines. Normally I would stay away but Antti Niemi allowed 5 goals in an overtime win in his last start. I wouldn’t trust him right now and I think Nash will see more than his average ice time in this game.
Tyler Toffoli $7,650 - Has tallied 5 points in 5 games to start his rookie campaign. He was a big part of the team’s success in the playoffs last season and he is not slowing down. The only drawback to him is that he is not on the ice enough. Only seeing 12-15 minutes a game is not ideal but he looks fresh when he is out there.
Defensemen
Mike Giordano $12,300 - Is a fantasy stud. 6 points in 6 games for a Calgary team that doesn’t score very much is amazing. He is getting close to 25 minutes of ice time per game and this is projected to be the highest scoring game according to Vegas. This is the first night of playing DFS hockey that I think it is absolutely correct to spend high dollars for both defensemen as there is no great matchups and the stud defensemen are on the ice the most with good chances for assists on the few goals that are scored.
Dustin Byfuglien $12,250 - I know it is easy to list the two most expensive Dmen in this write up but it’s for good reason. Byfuglien is listed as a defenseman but is actually in a forwards role on this team. This is a rare occasion so take advantage while you can. WPG are one of the biggest favorites of the night and getting to roster an additional forward is never something to overlook.