DraftKings Fantasy Hockey Cheat Sheet: November 25th

Tonight’s featured DraftKings contest has a $3 entry fee or FREE if you are a new user. The top 3,840 finishers will split a prize pool of $50,000 with first place taking home $4,000! Do you have what it takes to turn $3 into $4,000?

Are you new to DraftKings or Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS)? (If so, SIGN UP for an Account HERE) Here’s a quick explanation on how to build your lineup an play! You have $50,000 in Salary space, to build a team that consists of 2C, 3W, 2D, 1G and 1 Util. Below you will find how skaters and goalies scoring works!

• Players will accumulate points as follows:

Goal = +3 PTS
Assist = +2 PTS
Shot on Goal = +0.5 PTS
Blocked Shot = +0.5 PTS
Short Handed Point Bonus (Goal/Assist) = +1 PTS
Shootout Goal = +0.2 PTS
Hat Trick Bonus = +1.5 PTS

• Goalies only will accumulate points as follows:

Win = +3 PTS
Save = +0.2 PTS
Goal Against = -1 PTS
Shutout Bonus = +2 PTS

• Goalie Scoring Notes:

Goalies WILL receive points for all stats they accrue, including goals and assists.
The Goalie Shutout Bonus is credited to goalies if they complete the entire game with 0 goals allowed in regulation + overtime. Shootout goals will not prevent a shutout. Goalie must complete the entire game to get credit for a shutout.

Below I’ve listed my top DFS plays at each position as well as my ideal DraftKings lineup for tonight.

CENTRES

JOHN TAVARES – vs. PHI – $8,100

Tavares is the most expensive player I’m targeting tonight. He has five goals and three assists (eight points) in his last six games. J.T’s line is pretty hot and the matchup vs. the Flyers is a strong one. Steve Mason starts for Philadelphia and he has a 3.73 GAA on the road. Tavares with Kyle Okposo and/or Brock Nelson is a relatively inexpensive stack.

MATT DUCHENE – vs. OTT – $5,700

The Senators played last night, allowed five goals and then traveled from Dallas to Colorado. On top of that, Craig Anderson will start again, so the Avalanche could be in for a nice night. It is hard not to take Duchene the way he has been playing. He has seven goals and six assists (13 points) in his last seven games.

EVGENY KUZNETSOV – vs. WPG – $5,700

Moving Kuznetsov off of Alex Ovechkin’s line hasn’t slowed him down yet. In four games on the second line Kuznetsov has collected two goals and two assists. He is a point-per-game player right now and stacking the Capitals second line vs. the exploitable Jets is much cheaper than the Ovechkin-Backstrom line.

LEON DRAISAITL – @ CAR – $4,100

Draisaitl continues to roll on the Oilers’ top line. Draisaitl has four goals and six assists (10 points) in his last six games and still comes extremely cheap. He is averaging 5.0 fantasy points per game in 11 games, which ranks first among available centres tonight.

Value Options: Brock Nelson – vs. PHI – $4,200 / Brad Richard – vs. BOS – $4,200 /Rickard Rakell – @ ARI – $3,400

WINGERS

TAYLOR HALL – @ CAR – $6,900

Hall continues to have the best season of his career, having collected three goals, five assists and 30 shots in his last six games. Over his last 10 games, Hall has averaged 5.9 fantasy points per game and still makes for cheap stack with Draisaitl.

KYLE OKPOSO – vs. PHI – $6,000

Okposo hasn’t scored a whole lot this season (just four goals), but he has picked up one goal and eight assists in his last eight games and is averaging 3.1 fantasy points per game this season. I think the Islanders will score tonight and when that happens, Okposo usually gets onto the score sheet.

THOMAS VANEK – vs. VAN – $5,200

Vanek had a goal and an assist on Saturday and has three goals and two assists in his last six. He is having a old school Thomas Vanek season after being a disappointment in 2014-15. Overall, 16 points (8G / 8A) in 19 games and a great matchup tonight vs. Vancouver.

JUSTIN WILLIAMS – vs. WPG – $4,800

Williams is enjoying a fine season with the Capitals and has played well with Kuznetsov since he was moved down. The Jets currently rank third last in the NHL in goals against, giving up 3.09 goals per game and the Kuznetsov-Williams stack could be a good way to save money.

Value Options: Teddy Purcell – @ CAR – $3,500 / Teemu Pulkkinen – vs. BOS – $3,100 / Devante Smith-Pelly – @ NYR – $3,000

DEFENSEMEN

ERIK KARLSSON – @ COL – $7,300

In Karlsson’s first 14 games of the season he had no goals and 12 assists. In his last seven games he has five goals and six assists. The point is, he is great. But, right now, he is especially great. He has found his scoring touch and if you can stomach his outrageous salary, he is a great option tonight in Colorado.

RYAN SUTER – vs. MIN – $6,000

In Suter’s first eight games he had six assists, in his last 11 games he has three goals and 10 assists (13 points). Suter has caught fire and is nearly as hot as Karlsson and $1,300 cheaper. I’m a fan of the Wild stack tonight, which will include Suter.

KEVIN SHATTENKIRK – @ PIT – $5,000

It took Shattenkirk a few games to get his legs back underneath him after returning from injury, but it is safe to say he is back in the swing of things now. In his last six games, Shattenkirk has two goals and six assists (eight points) and his salary in no way reflects how good he is. He is a top offensive defenseman and at $5,000 he is a steal.

Value Options: Shayne Gostisbehere – @ NYI – $2,800 / Brett Pesce – vs. EDM – $2,800 / Chris Wideman – @ COL – $2,700

GOALIES

JAROSLAV HALAK – vs. PHI – $7,400

Greiss is coming off of a poor performance on Friday and is 2-3-0 with a 2.47 GAA and .907 SV% in November. Not great numbers, but the matchup is excellent. He faces a Flyers team that is last in the NHL in scoring and Steve Mason who has a near 4.00 GAA (3.87) on the road this season.

DEVAN DUBNYK – vs. VAN – $7,400

Except for a breakout performance on Saturday, the Cnaucks have played terrible lately. They’ve lost five of their last six and were outscored 18-10 in the five losses. The matchup is rock solid, but not as solid as Dubnyk has been on home ice this season. Coming into tonight he is 8-1-0 with a 1.90 GAA and .928 SV% at home.

CORY SCHNEDIER – vs. CBJ – $7,200

Schneider has been one of the NHL’s top goalies so far this season. He ranks fifth in the NHL in wins (10) and GAA (2.05) and eighth in SV% (.928). No one is saying the team in front of him is great, but it is good enough to win in front of a great goalie. Columbus is turning things around, but overall it is a good home matchup.

Value Option: Anders Nilsson – @ CAR – $6,200

MY LINEUP