DFS Lines To Target: 11/04/19
This week’s NHL action kicks off with Monday’s four-game slate. I’ve highlighted my top high-priced, mid-range, and value stacks below. Good luck!
High-Priced
Boston 1 – @Brad Marchand ($7,700), @Patrice Bergeron ($7,800), @David Pastrnak ($8,400)
The red-hot Boston 1 is the obvious choice for the best high-priced stack of the night. Their sky-high price tags means the full-stack will cost just under half your budget, but that should also help drive down ownership. Most people are not going to want to dedicate that much money to three players, so you can really differentiate your lineup if you manage to fit the full stack in. Boston 1 should see a mix of the Penguins’ top-six tonight. A part-time matchup against @Sidney Crosby isn’t ideal, but his line is surrendering nearly 30 scoring chances per 60. Add that to the 6 or 7 minutes they’ll see against the @Malkin line, and Boston 1 should have no problem generating their usual rate of offense tonight. When you consider their outrageous power-play production, it’s easy to see the upside here.
Mid-Range
Nashville 2 – @Filip Forsberg ($7,300), @Matt Duchene ($5,500), @Mikael Granlund ($4,600)
After spending last game on the top line, Forsberg will return to join Duchene and Granlund on line two for tonight’s contest against the Red Wings. The three of them are undoubtedly the Predators’ most productive line at even strength. They’re averaging 70 shot attempts, 31 scoring chances, and 14 high-danger chances per 60. When it comes to line matching, teams generally tend to treat the @Ryan Johansen line as Nashville’s top unit. That’s left Nashville 2 with some cupcake matchups on the road, and that should continue in Detroit tonight.
Detroit is a very top-heavy team. Their top line of @Tyler Bertuzzi, @Dylan Larkin, and @Anthony Mantha is elite, but their depth leaves a lot to be desired. Detroit 1 is a threat to any line’s 5v5 production, but luckily for Nashville 2, Larkin should see most of his 5v5 minutes against the Johansen line tonight. That should leave the job of maintaining Nashville 2 to the @Frans Nielsen line. Nielsen and @Taro Hirose, his most common line-mate, are a defensive liability. They’re surrendering over 16 high-danger chances per 60. You have to love Nashville 2’s chances of breaking through for at least one goal against @Jimmy Howard in such a lopsided matchup. Their power-play usage only adds to their upside.
Value
New York 2 – @Chris Kreider ($5,000), @Filip Chytil ($4,700), @Pavel Buchnevich ($5,100)
Chytil has hit the ground running after spending the first few weeks of the season in the AHL. The 2017 first-round pick scored in each of his first two games while registering 7 shots in just under 17 minutes a night, effectively rejuvenating what was a dormant second line. Chytil and Kreider proved to be a productive duo last season, and their chemistry is once again on full display. The Rangers averaged 27 scoring and 14 high-danger chances per 60 with Kreider and Chytil on the ice last season.
New York draws an excellent home-ice matchup against the lowly Senators tonight. New York 2 should spent the majority of their 5v5 ice time against the @Jean-Gabriel Pageau line. Pageau is a half-decent player in his own right, but the Senators’ abysmal blue-line is just too much for him to overcome. Kreider, Chytil, and Buchnevich should spend plenty of time in Ottawa’s end tonight, which, considering their shot production, gives them a very high-floor. It won’t take more than a single line goal for New York 2 to have a big night in DFS. Get in on them now before Chytil’s price tag creeps into the high-priced range.