NHL Daily Fantasy Sports: DFS Picks of the Day (Jan.11)
By Ryan Ritchie
NHL Daily Fantasy Sports: DFS Picks/Lineup of the Day – Only 4 games are scheduled Wednesday night. Florida heads to Brooklyn to take on the Islanders. Winnipeg plays host to the Montreal Canadiens. Pittsburgh and Washington meet up in another chapter of Crosby vs. Ovechkin as Ovie seeks 1000 career points. Then in the late game, Calgary takes on San Jose at home.
NHL daily fantasy sports (DFS) continues to grow in popularity despite the uncertainty surrounding the industry. Companies like Fan Duel and Draft Kings are still immersed in legal battles and in turn are unable to offer their services in certain American states.
Even with restrictions, the DFS community continues to thrive and in likelihood will emerge victorious when all is said and done. Just think of the way fantasy sports, in general, has evolved over the last 15-20 years. Daily fantasy sports is just the next step. Instead of drafting a team, spending an entire season tweaking and adjusting your lineup, you can select a roster of players for that given night and compete against other individuals.
Welcome back to my NHL daily fantasy sports series intended to help give fans an edge selecting their DFS rosters today. I’m targeting one player at each position (center, winger, defense, goalie) that make for quality value picks that won’t break the bank. I’ve also included results from yesterday’s picks and a bonus lineup of the day.
NHL Daily Fantasy Sports: DFS Picks of the Day (Wednesday, January 11th)
NHL Schedule (Wednesday, Jan.11)
Florida Panthers at New York Islanders
Montreal Canadiens at Winnipeg Jets
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals
San Jose Sharks at Calgary Flames
*Important Note: Prices/Scoring Format from DraftKings.com
Center – Mikkel Boedker, San Jose Sharks $3,500 (at CGY)
Boedker was a ghost to start the year after signing with San Jose in the offseason. He had just five points through his first 30 games. Since then, he’s gone off for four goals, three assists (seven points) in his last 10 contests, suggesting he’s turned a corner and is ready to contribute on a regular basis.
He won’t be a $3,500 bargain for long, so take advantage. He won’t be able to repeat Tuesday’s hat-trick performance, but he might be able to find the back of the net again tonight versus Calgary.
Yesterday’s Pick: Zemgus Girgensons, BUF $3,600 (vs. PHI) – 1 shot, 2 blocked shots = 1.5FPTS
Winger – Nikita Scherbak, Montreal Canadiens $3,300 (at WPG)
With a beat up Habs roster and Scherbak impressing in his first two games, it seems coach Michel Therrien is comfortable keeping the youngster around a little longer. This supremely talented prospect should also see a bit of time on the second power play unit, so don’t be surprised if he racks up some points while he sticks with the big club.
Yesterday’s Pick: Derek Ryan, CAR $3,800 (vs. CLB) – 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 shots, 1 blocked shot = 6.5FPTS
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Defenseman – Olli Maatta, Pittsburgh Penguins $3,500 (at WSH)
It’s been a slow start to the year for Olli Maatta. He has just four assists in 37 games and has seen his role diminish leading to fewer minutes. All of that being said, Maatta is riding a two-game point streak and many would argue he’s playing some of his best hockey right now.
We could be in for a high-scoring affair between the Pens-Caps on Wednesday, if that’s the case, the Finn might be able to extend his streak to three games, possibly even find the back of the net for the 1st time in 2016-17.
Yesterday’s Pick: Joel Edmundson, STL $3,200 (vs. BOS) – 1 shot = 0.5FPTS
Goaltender – Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins $7,500 (at WSH)
Typically, Pens netminders rank among the top-tier as most expensive. Given their tough match-up on Wednesday, Fleury ranks no.5 of eight starters on the night. He missed practice Monday for a maintenance day, but is expected to start tonight. At $7,500 for a Pittsburgh starter, it might worth the risk if you’re looking to spend a little more at another position.
In a quick honorable mention, you might also consider Isles starter Thomas Greiss at $7,400. He is putting up ridiculous numbers since Halak’s demotion and the Panthers are dealing with mounting injuries. The Islanders are a terrible team, but they might pull this one off at home.
Yesterday’s Pick: Buffalo Sabres Goaltending (vs. PHI) – 39 saves, 1GA, win = 9.8FPTS
NHL Fantasy: DFS Lineup of the Day
C John Tavares, NYI (vs. FLA) $7,100
C Mikael Backlund, CGY (vs. SJ) $5,800
W Alex Ovechkin, WSH (vs. PIT) $8,000
W Alex Radulov, MTL (at WPG) $5,800
W Kevin Labanc, SJ (at CGY) $3,600
D Justin Schultz, PIT (at WSH) $5,200
D Calvin de Haan, NYI (vs. FLA) $3,800
G Thomas Greiss, NYI (vs. FLA) $7,400
UTIL Nikita Scherbak, MTL (at WPG) $3,300