NHL Daily Fantasy Sports: DFS Picks of the Day (Jan.18)
By Ryan Ritchie
NHL Daily Fantasy Sports: DFS Picks/Lineup of the Day – 5 games are scheduled Wednesday: Pittsburgh heads to the Bell Centre to take on the Habs, Winnipeg plays host to Arizona, the Bruins travel to Motown to take on the Red Wings, Edmonton is at home to Florida, and California rivals clash as San Jose faces off with Los Angeles.
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 18th)
NHL Schedule (Wednesday, Jan.18)
Pittsburgh Penguins at Montreal Canadiens (7:30pm et)
Arizona Coyotes at Winnipeg Jets (7:30pm et)
Boston Bruins at Detroit Red Wings (8:00pm et)
Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers (9:30pm et)
San Jose Sharks at Los Angeles Kings (10:30pm et)
*Important Note: Prices/Scoring Format from DraftKings.com
Center – Alex Burmistrov, Arizona Coyotes $3,000 (at WPG)
The Russian center impressed in his debut on Monday with a PP assist. Recently claimed off waivers from Winnipeg, Burmistrov returns to the only NHL home he’s known on Wednesday. Safe to say he should have more than enough motivation to get up for this one. He’s worth the risk, especially for the price, just don’t expect him to be a long-term option for the Coyotes. Alex always had that flash and dash even with the Jets, but it led to a lot of turnovers.
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Winger – Mikkel Boedker, San Jose Sharks $3,900 (at LA)
Let’s roll the dice with Boedker again. We suggested taking him a week ago versus Calgary following his hat-trick performance the night before in Edmonton. It worked out well, he had an assist, five shots, and three blocked shots for 6.0 fantasy points. He hasn’t found the scoresheet in his last two contests, but still four goals, three assists in his last 10 games. With two assists in four games versus LA in 2016-17, Boedker could be primed to find the scoresheet, perhaps even post a multi-point night.
Defense – Danny DeKeyser, Detroit Red Wings $3,300 (vs. BOS)
You’d admittedly be rolling the dice with this one, but it might be worth the risk. DeKeyser is playing much better of late after a dismal start to the year and finally snapped a 16-game drought without a point in his last contest. Worst case scenario, he averages a shot/game and two blocked shots/game.
Goaltender – Mike Smith, Arizona Coyotes $7,100 (at WPG)
It’s painful enough selecting any Coyotes skater, let alone one of their netminders, yet, here we go. Given the circumstances, that being Ondrej Pavelec‘s debut in a desperate attempt by Winnipeg to salvage their season, you might not have a better chance to earn big goalie points for such a low cost. If the Yotes can pull off the W, you’re talking about nearly $900 in extra salary for spending compared to your typical expensive starter.
Next: Mid-Season Grades: Central Division
NHL Daily Fantasy Sports: DFS Lineup of the Day
C Connor McDavid, EDM $8,100
C Alex Burmistrov, ARZ $3,000
W Leon Draisaitl, EDM $6,400
W Radim Vrbata, ARZ $5,100
W Mikkel Boedker, SJ $3,900
D Brent Burns, SJ $8,000
D Danny DeKeyser, DET $3,300
G Mike Smith, ARZ $7,100
UTIL Thomas Vanek, DET $5,100