Daily Fantasy GPP Picks: 02-06-18
Tonight’s eleven-game slate will be hard-pressed to match the DFS theatrics of last night. Across just four games, we saw a ridiculous six players top ten fantasy points on DraftKings last night, with Connor McDavid leading the way with an otherworldly 20 points. We might not see that kind of production tonight, but there’s still an abundance of good options out there. Here are some suggestions to help you get started.
Jack Eichel ($7,100)
After producing at a torrid pace to start the new year, Eichel has cooled off as of late, failing to register a point in four straight games. Luckily for him and the Sabres, tonight’s matchup against the Ducks offers a prime opportunity to turn it around.
The Ducks are coming off a horrendous defensive game last night against Toronto, in which they surrendered six goals on 39 shots. Eichel won’t have the easiest 5v5 matchup tonight against the likes of Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell, but they’re play should be somewhat diminished given the fatigue of travelling on a back-to-back. What makes this matchup especially enticing tonight is Ryan Miller. Miller has struggled mightily in the new year, and has failed to adequately replace John Gibson, who remains sidelined with a lower-body injury. Over his last seven appearances, he’s posted a 4.52 GAA and a .863 SV%.
Despite his recent struggles to produce points, Eichel has continued to create scoring chances, averaging four shots a game over his last ten, including seven last game against St. Louis. He shouldn’t need anywhere near that many opportunities to pop a goal or two past Miller tonight.
Blake Wheeler ($7,400)
Wheeler has stepped up his game in the absence of Mark Scheifele, posting 16 points in 15 games on top of adapting to a different position in the process. Early reports suggest Scheifele could make his return to the lineup this weekend, so you might want to get in on the Jets’ overreliance on Wheeler while you still can.
Tonight’s matchup against Arizona will likely draw a lot of attention from DFS players, and deservedly so. There is a case for fading Wheeler and the Jets’ tonight, but if Antti Raanta is unable to go again the Coyotes will have to turn once again to the inept Scott Wedgewood, who has given up nine goals on 59 shots in Raanta’s two-game absence. You’ll really want to monitor this goalie situation closer to puck drop, as the Coyotes tend not to confirm their goalie until warm-ups. If it’s Wedgewood in net, fading the Jets becomes a huge risk. If you want to try to fight the ownership on Wheeler, line-stacking him with Jack Roslovic ($4,700) and Patrik Laine ($7,300) makes for a strong build.
Brent Burns ($7,300)
Burns is once again the highest-priced defenseman on the slate tonight, and it’s certainly warranted. Burns is as safe and consistent a play as there is in DFS, putting up at least four fantasy points in each of his last six games. That kind of solidified production from the back-end is an excellent foundation to any DFS lineup.
Given his unparalleled production among defenseman, it’s hard to ever get Burns at a decent ownership rate. Being priced at above $7,000 combined with the large size of tonight’s slate should help fight that trend, despite the attractive matchup he has in the form of Avalanche. There’s a number of modestly priced forwards in tonight’s slate that you can play to help fit Burns into your lineup. Most notably, his teammates Tomas Hertl ($5,000) and Kevin Lebanc ($4,800) could be in for a big night if Mikko Rantanen (game-time decision) is unable to go for the Avalanche, who are already without Hart Trophy candidate Nathan Mackinnon. The game-time decision on Rantanen is unfortunate for DFS players given puck drop isn’t until 9:00 PM EST, but either way you’re going to want a Shark or two in your lineup tonight.