NHL Daily Fantasy Sports: DFS Picks of the Day (Jan.10)

NHL Daily Fantasy Sports: 14 teams are in action on Tuesday night, including Philly/Buffalo, Boston/St. Louis, Detroit/Chicago, San Jose/Edmonton, and more.

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.

NHL Daily Fantasy Sports: DFS Picks of the Day (Tuesday, January 10th)

NHL Schedule (Tuesday, Jan.10)

Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres
Columbus Blue Jackets at Carolina Hurricanes
Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues
Vancouver Canucks at Nashville Predators
Detroit Red Wings at Chicago Blackhawks
San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers
Dallas Stars at Anaheim Ducks

*Important Note: Prices from DraftKings.com

Center – Zemgus Girgensons, Buffalo Sabres $3,600 (vs PHI)

The Sabres have a favorable match-up against a Flyers squad that is struggling to keep the puck out of their net since that long winning streak. Couple that with the absence of Ryan O’Reilly and Johan Larsson (expected to result in a more expanded role), plus the fact that Girgensons has two goals in last three games, Zemgus has value written all over him.

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Winger – Derek Ryan, Carolina Hurricanes $3,800 (vs. CLB)

Derek Ryan went on a tear not long ago before cooling down. The streaky goal-scorer might be starting to catch fire again after finding the back of the net twice versus St. Louis in a 4-2 win last Thursday, followed up with another goal against Boston on Sunday. It might worth the gamble to see if he can light the lamp again on Tuesday night.

Defenseman – Joel Edmundson, St. Louis Blues $3,200 (vs. BOS)

If you really want to free up some cap space for other spots, consider taking Blues defenseman Joel Edmundson. He won’t see much ice-time on special teams, but being on the top pairing with Alex Pietrangelo certainly creates plenty of opportunity to get on the scoresheet. He has one goal, five assists (six points) in his last 10 games.

Goaltender – Robin Lehner, Buffalo Sabres $7,400 (vs. MIN)

We haven’t had much luck trying to find value picks in underdogs between the pipes. After all, picking a winner is important. So, tread carefully when it comes to our picks in goal.

If you need some extra value between the pipes, I’d go with either Buffalo netminder. I’m assuming Lehner starts, but Anders Nilsson ($7,300) is also an option so keep an eye on who gets the nod. Both Lehner and Nilsson have slightly better stats (GAA and SV percentage) at home and both tend to play better when they’re more engaged/seeing more pucks. With O’Reilly and Larsson out, Sabres goaltenders could see a lot of rubber on Tuesday night.

Next: Week 13 NHL Power Rankings

Heavy Schedule Bonus – W Andreas Athanasiou, Detroit Red Wings $4,100 (at CHI )

Here’s a guy that seems to produce wherever he slots into the lineup. He has three goals, four assists (seven points) in his last 10 contests, and is currently riding a two-game multi-point streak. He had one goal, two assists versus LA last Thursday, followed up by a goal and an assist against San Jose on Saturday night.