Fantasy Hockey Picks 11-24-14
These fantasy hockey picks will guide your team to victory tonight!
There is only one team playing tonight that is on a back to back going into tomorrow so hopefully these goalies I like will actually be in the lineup with no big surprises.
Goalies:
Darcy Kuemper ($16,650) - While the Florida Panthers are starting to play much better, this price is just too inciting. Kuemper would be my top option if price were not a factor as he is allowing an astonishing 1.81 goals per game this season. The Panthers come into this game with only averaging 2.17 goals a game which lands them in the 3rd from the bottom in total offense in the entire league. Kuemper should be your safest bet tonight.
Jimmy Howard ($17,850) - Ottawa is finally slowing down a bit and comes in as the biggest underdogs of the night according to Vegas. Howard also will not break the bank and makes for a solid play if you want to be contrarian and avoid Kuemper. Joe Lewis Arena is a tough place to steal a win and the Red Wings post a 6-2-2 record at home this season. You can bank on the points for the win here.
Centers:
John Tavares ($12,850) - Coach Jack Capuano decided to change all of the skating lines for the Islanders a few games back to get the offense going. The team responded by beating the Penguins in a back to back home and home two nights in a row. John Tavares tallied a goal and an assist in the last game and his price is dropping. This is supposed to be the highest scoring game of the night according to Vegas with the Islanders being a heavy favorite. It is never a bad thing to take the best player on a team in this situation.
Henrik Zetterberg ($11,500) - Ottawa tends to give up a ton of shots every game and seems to never control the puck. Detroit has turned into a one line team with the injury to Pavel Datsyuk and will rely heavily on Zetterberg and his line mates to carry the scoring load. This means they will do everything they can to shift this skating line against the weaker defensive pairings for Ottawa. Zetterberg has also moved back to the point on the top power play unit which suits his game very well.
Others: Mikael Granlund, Evgeni Malkin
Left Wing:
Zach Parise ($12,650) - This price and matchup make him the play of the day for me. It is impossible to not roster Parise in all of your head to head games tonight. Nashville dominated the Panters on Saturday, putting up 50 shots in the game. Florida scored twice in the last minute to make the game close and send it to shoot out but if Minnesota has the puck as much as Nashville did Parise will score at least once tonight. He is always capable of putting 7-8 shots on goal so he can provide enough points for your team even without scoring.
Nick Spaling ($5,900) - Normally I would not play anyone going into Boston to face the Bruins, but this price is just too low. The Bruins seems to always have Bergeron on the ice against Sidney Crosby which leads me to believe that the second line for the Penguins will be the ones to score. Spaling has a point in 3 of his last 4 games while skating alongside Malkin and comes in at a near minimum price.
Others: Brayden Schenn, Nikolay Kulemin
Right Wing:
Jakub Voracek ($15,100) - Is leading the league in points with 29 (3 more than any other player). He is just on fire to start this season and is playing in a game with a rare 6 goals over/under line in Vegas. There is nothing I can see to talk me off of him tonight and he is a no brainer.
Gustav Nyqvist ($10,100) - I really like this top line for Detroit and Nyqvist is a pure goal scorer on it. Detroit should be playing in Ottawa’s end for most of the night and it should lead to great scoring chances for the Red Wings. He hasn’t scored in two games but looks very hungry for that goal. He is another player that is putting up a good amount of shots and the goals will certainly come.
Others: Reilly Smith, Jason Pominville
Defense:
Ryan Suter ($10,450) - If you like opportunities against bad teams, then Suter is your guy. He seemingly never leaves the ice, logging over 29 minutes of ice time per game. I would like him to shoot a little more but he is always there for assists. He’s also a blocked shot machine and is never afraid to put his body on the line.
Lubomir Visnovsky ($5,000) - I can’t seem to get past this guy at minimum price. He is a very talented offensive-minded defenseman in the highest total game of the night that also gets power play time. There is nothing else you can ask for in a value play.
Others: Mark Streit, Torey Krug