DailyFaceoff DFS Cheat Sheet – December 28th
There are five games across the NHL tonight and below I have listed my favourite Centres, Wingers, Defensemen and Goalies for tonight’s #dfs slate.
This Cheat Sheet includes DraftKings and FanDuel salary as well as SaberSim dfs projections. These projections don’t tell you exactly what’s going to happen. One game samples have too much randomness to pin down exact predictions. Rather, the projections represent what a player’s performance would look like on average if that particular matchup were played over and over again. There is a wide range of possible outcomes, and the projections represent the average of those possibilities for each player.
Centres
Jeff Carter – @ VAN – (DK-$6,900 / FD-$7,600)
SaberSim Projection: DK-3.32 / FD-12.06
Carter scored another two goals in Dallas before the break, which gives him five goals on 12 shots in his las three games and eight goals in his last eight games. Carter is one of the hottest goal scorers in the NHL right now and will go up against one of the weaker teams and coldest netminders (Ryan Miller) tonight.
Nazem Kadri – @ FLA – (DK-$6,000 / FD-$6,600)
SaberSim Projection: DK-2.81 / FD-10.04
Kadri has been under appreciated this season because of the emergence of players like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, but he has been a steady Daily Fantasy force because of his willingness to shoot. Kadri is averaging over three shots per game and has 12 goals on the season. Tonight he gets an infusion of talent on his wings with William Nylander coming up to play with him.
Wingers
Max Pacioretty – @ TBL – (DK-$6,600 / FD-$7,300)
SaberSim Projection: DK-4.36 / FD-15.65
The Canadiens are banged up, but no Alex Galchenyuk or David Desharnais hasn’t slowed Pacioretty down. He has picked up seven goals and two assists in his last eight games. Tonight he faces a Lightning team that is giving up a lot of goals recently and a team he has played well against in his career—including in the first meeting of this season, when he collected one goal on three shots.
William Nylander – @ FLA – (DK-$5,600 / FD-$5,500)
SaberSim Projection: DK-3.61 / FD-13.13
Nylander’s ice-time has been inconsistent this season, but his production hasn’t wavered much. He has 22 points (7G / 15A) in 32 games and is averaging over 2.5 shots per game. Tonight he gets a chance to play on the top-line with Kadri and the two make for a nice stack option.
Brendan Gallagher – @ TBL – (DK-$5,600 / FD-$5,600)
SaberSim Projection: DK-2.31 / FD-8.14
Gallagher has had a disappointing season so far, picking up just 17 points (5G / 12A) in 34 games and not recording and not recording a point in his last six games. However, Gallagher will move up to the top line to play with Pacioretty, which defiantly increases his value tonight.
Tanner Pearson – @ VAN – (DK-$4,600 / FD-$4,800)
SaberSim Projection: DK-2.47 / FD-8.90
Pearson has recorded two assists in his last two games and is averaging 2.7 shots per game in his last seven games. Playing with Carter makes Pearson a strong candidate for assists on any given night and he’s especially intriguing with a reasonable salary in Vancouver.
Defensemen
Alec Martinez – @ VAN – (DK-$5,000 / FD-$4,800)
SaberSim Projection: DK-1.65 / FD-5.85
I like the Kings tonight for obvious reasons *cough* Vancouver *cough* and Martinez is always one of my favourite daily defenseman. He hasn’t been shooting a ton lately, but his tendency to block opposition shots hasn’t slowed at all. He plays huge minutes at even strength and on the power-play, which makes him a really good option tonight.
Jeff Petry – @ TBL – (DK-$4,900 / FD-$4,900)
SaberSim Projection: DK-2.15 / FD-7.58
Petry has been an absolute beast recently and is seeing even more playing time with Andrei Markov sidelined. Petry has five goals, three assists and a whopping 4.4 shots per game over his last eight contests. His value hasn’t quite caught up to his production, which makes him a nice choice.
Jaccob Slavin – @ PIT – (DK-$4,100 / FD-$4,000)
SaberSim Projection: DK-2.47 / FD-8.46
With Justin Faulk out for the next little bit, Slavin will be leaned on heavily in Carolina. He already plays big minutes and blocks a bunch of shots, all while carrying offensive upside. With Faulk out, his production should increase even more.
Goalies
Matt Murray – vs. CAR – (DK-$8,400 / FD-$9,300)
SaberSim Projection: DK-5.02 / FD-20.09
With Marc-Andre Fleury starting last night, the Penguins should confirm that Murray is starting when they get to the rink around 5 p.m. ET. Murray’s last outing was his worst of the season, but that shouldn’t deter you from using him on home-ice vs. the Hurricanes. Murray is 6-1-1 with a 2.28 GAA and .926 SV% at PPG Paints Arena and he has the highest winning probability tonight according to SaberSim.
Peter Budaj – @ VAN – (DK-$7,800 / FD-$8,300)
SaberSim Projection: DK-3.83 / FD-15.31
Budaj is expected to get the call for the Kings after sitting out the last game before the break. He is coming off of a shutout vs. the Predators and tonight’s opponent should be an easier matchup. Budaj has a .931 SV% in December, .929 SV% on the road and was victorious in his first start against the Canucks.
Frederik Andersen – @ FLA – (DK-$7,400 / FD-$9,100)
SaberSim Projection: DK-4.94 / FD-19.75
Andersen has won his last two starts while stopping 69 of the last 70 shots that he has faced (.986 SV%). Andersen has played extremely well in December, posting a 1.63 GAA and .947 SV%, but that has led to just a 4-2-3 record. He has also been great against the Panthers this season, winning both of his starts while posting a 1.50 GAA and .948 SV%. That’s a lot of numbers, but all point towards him being a really good option tonight.