NHL DFS Picks for January 22, 2026: Top Stacks, Best Value Plays & Goalie Targets
Another sweet 8-game slate. Let’s get to it.
Top Stack of the Day
Edmonton Oilers Power Play 1
(Hyman, RNH, Walman, McDavid, Bouchard)*
With Leon Draisaitl, Kasperi Kapanen, and Adam Henrique all out tonight—and the Penguins likely turning to Arturs Šilovs over a #RevengeGame Stuart Skinner—it’s hard not to love Edmonton at home. It’s still unclear whether Vasily Podkolzin or Jake Walman gets the final power-play spot, but Walman spent 2:07 TOI with PP1 last game, While Podkolzin saw just 0:16.
Either way, my lean (and preference) is Walman. Podkolzin is expected to skate on the fourth line, while Walman should see solid minutes on the back end. Another reason to love EDM tonight is just how top-heavy they are—if the Oilers put up points, it’s almost certainly flowing through their top unit.
Top Value Stack of the Day
Carolina 2
(Stankoven – 3.6k DK, Blake – 4.1k DK, Hall – 3.8k DK)
Bonus:
Carolina 3
(Martinook – 2.7k DK, Staal – 3.1k DK, Ehlers – 5.6k DK)
DOUBLE BONUS (DOUBLE RAINBOW 🌈🌈):
All six Carolina defensemen
(Slavin, Chatfield, Miller, Walker, Nikishin, Nystrom)
Who in the heck priced the Hurricanes today—and can I have what they’re smoking? The top line of Andrei Svechnikov–Sebastian Aho–Seth Jarvis is priced reasonably, but the depth pricing is completely off the rails. This is a -300 favorite with an implied team total pushing an Avalanchian 4, and we’re getting near-min prices across the board.
Total pricing disaster. I’m here for it. Let’s take advantage.
Top C Value
Matt Duchene – Dallas Stars (3.3k DK)
Duchene hasn’t played a ton this season and hasn’t exactly been lighting it up, but with Mikko Rantanen sideline again and Tyler Seguin on LTIR, his minutes are trending in the right direction—18+ minutes in each of his last three games. He should skate with Wyatt Johnston tonight in a strong matchup against whatever the Columbus Blue Jackets consider a defense.
Dallas isn’t exactly a track meet team, but I like this spot.
Top W Value
Kirby Dach – Montreal Canadiens (3.2k DK)
Dach is working his way back from a fractured foot, but this is still a former 3rd overall pick who’s just 25 years old. He’s got the size, the tools, and now a top-line role next to Team USA snub Cole Caufield and Team Canada center Nick Suzuki.
He’s simply not priced for this role—and if he pops, it could happen fast.
Top D Value
EDM or CAR defensemen. All of them.
I mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating: this pricing is absurd. Every Hurricanes defenseman is sitting between 2.5k and 3.4k DK, and they’re all viable—some of the best plays on the slate.
Meanwhile, Edmonton is dressing seven defensemen, and Mattias Ekholm, Walman, Darnell Nurse, or Evan Bouchard could all break the slate. Those three sit between 3.7k and 4.3k DK, while Bouchard has arguably the highest ceiling of any defenseman not named Zach Werenski, at nearly $2,000 cheaper.
These guys are mispriced. We should be attacking that.
Top G Value
Cam Talbot – Detroit Red Wings (7.3k DK)
Well, my goalie recommendation on Tuesday got pulled early last night with what the team called an illness—and I have questions. But that’s DFS goaltending for you: it can make or break you in the dumbest ways imaginable.
Tonight’s goalie pool isn’t great, so I’d recommend building your skater core first and filling goalie last based on what salary you have left. One spot that stands out is Talbot at 7.3k, sitting as only a +120 road dog. If Detroit gets the win, this could be a sneaky-good outcome.