DailyFaceoff DFS Value Plays – January 3rd
We’ve got a small two-game slate tonight, and several players at each position are jumping out as great value options who are either in critical roles for their team or proving great production.
This value sheet includes salaries, projections for DraftKings and FanDuel, and three punt defencemen options.
These projections don’t tell you exactly what’s going to happen. One game sample has too much randomness to pin down exact predictions. Instead, the projections represent a player’s average performance on average if that matchup was played repeatedly. There is a wide range of possible outcomes, and the projections represent each player’s average of those possibilities.
Dawson Mercer (W, NJD) – vs. WSH – (DK-$3,900 / FD -$5,200)
DFO Projection: DK-8.9 / FD-11.7
Good value as a whole is hard to come by on a two-game slate like this, but Mercer is looking as solid of an option as any. He’s the top >$4k on DraftKings and top >$5k forward on both websites today in a favourable matchup for the Devils.
Matthew Knies (W, TOR) – @ ANA – ($3,600 / $3,800)
DFO Projection: DK-5.5 / FD-7.2
This one is all about opportunity as Toronto’s top line has the best matchup on the slate, and he gets you exposure to that line without breaking the bank. He’s a strong one-off option in lineups where you’re not fully stacking TOR1.
Ethan Bear (D, WSH) – @ NJD – ($2,800 / $3,700)
DFO Projection: DK-5.5 / FD-7
Through his first two games in Washington, he’s scored 9.9 and 7.8 DKFP and has blocked four shots. He’ll be live for more production tonight with low ownership against a high-octane Devils team. He’s a great option when you’re playing expensive stacks tonight.
Luke Hughes (D, NJD) – vs. WSH – ($3,700 / $5,100)
DFO Projection: DK-7.4 / FD-9.9
Hughes looks to be a great value on defence tonight, with his 1.9 P/60 second-highest among any rearguard on the slate. His time on NJD’s top power play unit helps boost that.
Top 3 Punt Defencemen
- Ilya Lybushkin, ANA ($3,200/$3,700): DK-4.6 / FD-5.7
- Timothy Liljegren, TOR ($3,900/$4,200): DK- / FD-8.5
- Joel Edmundson, WSH ($2,600/$3,600): DK-4.8 / FD-5.9
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.