DailyFaceoff DFS Cheat Sheet – October 17th

We are nearly one week into the season and there has been a bunch of great individual performances already and a ton of goals are being scored almost on a nightly basis. My first cheat sheet was pretty successful, so let’s hope we can keep that trend going into tonight.

This evening there is a short four-game slate, with every game looking like it could be high-scoring. There are also a number of backup goalies getting their first action of the year, which always makes things a little more interesting.

Below I have listed my favourite centres, wingers, defensemen and goalies for tonight’s slate of Daily Fantasy action. Each player is listed with their prices from both of the Daily Fantasy giants—DraftKings and FanDuel.

You will also find my “ideal” lineup for tonight on both of these platforms.

Centres

Evgeni Malkin – vs. COL – (DK-$7,300 / FD-$8,400) 

The Avalanche won their first game of the season, but it was a track meet. The Avalanche still gave up nearly 30 shots and tonight Calvin Pickard gets the nod. Through two games Malkin has one goal, two assists and six shots. This could turn out to be a high-scoring affair as well and if the Avalanche take four penalties again, the Penguins’ first power-play unit will have a chance to feast.

David Backes – @ WPG – (DK-$5,900 / FD-$6,200)

This could be Backes’ final game on the Bruins’ top-line with Patrice Bergeron’s return looming in the not too distant future. Backes’ Bruins debut was great, scoring two goals and one assist, but was held off of the scoresheet in game No.2. Tonight the Bruins are taking on a Jets team with the worst possession rating in the NHL so far. They’ve given up an average of 39 shots directed towards goal through two games, which bodes well for the Bruins’ top-line tonight.

Dylan Larkin – vs. OTT – (DK-$5,100 / FD-$5,300)

The Red Wings have stumbled out of the gate, but Larkin has been a bright spot. He leads all Detroit forwards in time on ice and is one of their few positive possession players through two games. Tonight he will centre the top line with Tomas Tatar and Henrik Zetterberg on his wings as they take on an exploitable Senators team, who has given up seven goals in two games. This line can make for a modestly priced stack with high-upside.

Value Options: Darren Helm – vs. OTT – (DK-$3,000 / FD-$4,300) / Brandon Pirri – vs. SJS – ($DK-$2,700 / FD-$4,400)

Wingers

Brad Marchand – @ WPG – (DK-$7,600 / FD-$7,300)

As I mentioned in the Backes bit, the Jets have had a tough time possessing the puck this season, something that hasn’t been an issue for Marchand (57.14 CF%). The Bruins are coming off of an ugly performance in Toronto on Saturday and should rebound against the Jets. Don’t expect another five-point performance from Marchand, but he should put up some numbers.

Patric Hornqvist – vs. COL – (DK-$6,200 / FD-$7,000) 

With Sidney Crosby out, Hornqvist is playing with Malkin and the duo make a nice small-stack on the Penguins’ top line. The matchup is intriguing  and Hornqvist comes in with one goal, one assist and six shots through two games. Pair him with Malkin and don’t think twice.

David Pastrnak – @ WPG – (DK-$5,700 / FD-$5,300)

Pastrnak was pegged as a breakout candidate at the start of the season and he is off to a great start. The Czech winger has three goals, two assists and 14 shots in the first two games. The shot totals alone are enough to provide him with a stable daily floor and tonight’s matchup paired with his digestible salary make him an intriguing pick yet again.  

Tomas Tatar – vs. OTT – (DK-$4,500 / FD-$4,700) 

Tatar has been touted as one of the NHL’s best possession players, but he hasn’t seen the ice time to make a huge impact He has averaged just under 15 minutes per night so far this season and has no points and two shots on goal to his credit. Based on merit and his quality linemates (Larkin and Zetterberg), Tatar can be a cheap stacking option with a lot of upside tonight.

Value Options: Mikhail Grigorenko – @ PIT – (DK-$3,600 / FD-$3,700) / Scott Wilson – vs. COL – (DK-$2,900 / FD-$3,600)

Defensemen

Kris Letang – vs. COL – (DK-$6,900 / FD-$7,000) 

To no one’s surprise we’ve seen Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns get off to hot starts this year and they are good options tonight, but Letang comes in nearly $1,500 cheaper and has just as much upside. Letang has averaged 28:43 TOI in two games while picking up one assist, nine shots and four blocks. He can do it all and the Penguins should score some goals tonight. Expect him to factor in on that offence.

Mike Green – vs. OTT – (DK-$4,800 / FD-$4,900)

Green was arguably the Red Wings’ best player in an otherwise ugly season opener for Detroit, but he struggled against the Panthers on Saturday. He will play on the top pair and top power-play tonight and comes in having played 26:39 the other night. His usage is great for a defenseman who comes in under $5,000. He has high-end offensive ability and is a huge part of the Red Wings’ offence.

Value Options: Nikita Zadorov – @ PIT – (DK-$2,900 / FD-$4,100) / Brandon Carlo – @ WPG – (DK-$2,900 / FD-$3,500)

Goalies

Marc-Andre Fleury – vs. COL – (DK-$8,000 / FD-$9,100)

Fleury is off to a great start to the year, winning his first two starts with a 1.92 GAA and .948 SV%. But, that’s not all, he has stopped 39 and 34 shots in his two starts, which just pads onto his daily fantasy success. The matchup isn’t ideal after watching the Avalanche put up six on the Stars, but the Penguins are a better defensive team with a better goalie, so expect a W from Fleury with nice numbers.

Tuukka Rask – @ WPG – (DK-$7,700 / FD-$8,800)

Rask was slated to start on Saturday, but was held out because of a minor injury. However, it looks like he’ll get back into the crease tonight against the Jets. Rask’s matchup isn’t ideal (Winnipeg has eight goals in two games), but tonight’s slate is filled with potentially high-scoring games and Rask carries one of the best chances to limit the damage.

Petr Mrazek – vs. OTT – (DK-$7,700 / FD-$8,300)

Mrazek got absolutely peppered in his first two games. He has faced an average of 36 shots per game and has posted an ugly 4.06 GAA and .889 SV% in those starts. However, Mrazek has been playing great and his team is letting him down. As Detroit returns to home ice, they should get a big boost from their home crowd and Mrazek had great numbers against Ottawa last year—2-0-1 with a 1.95 GAA and .930 SV%.

Ideal Lineups

DraftKings

• C – Dylan Larkin ($5,100)
• C – Evgeni Malkin ($7,300)
• W – Tomas Tatar ($4,500)
• W – Patric Hornqvist ($6,200)
• W – David Pastrnak ($5,700)
• D – Kris Letang ($6,900)
• D – Brandon Carlo ($2,900)
• Util – Mikhail Grigorenko ($3,600)
• G – Petr Mrazek ($7,700)

FanDuel

• C – Evgeni Malkin ($8,400)
• C – Henrik Zetterberg ($5,500)
• W – Dylan Larkin ($5,300)
• W – Brad Marchand ($7,300)
• W – David Pastrnak ($5,300)
• W – Tomas Tatar ($4,700)
• D – Torey Krug ($5,700)
• D – Nikita Zadorov ($4,100)
• G – Petr Mrazek ($8,300)