Each day I will be providing my recommended player picks for your FanDuel daily fantasy hockey lineups.
My FanDuel NHL Plays will be broken down by player positions, and will include picks for cash games (50/50s/double-ups/head-to-head) and GPPs (guaranteed prize pool tournaments).
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Are you new to Daily Fantasy Hockey? Check out these strategies documents first for tips and recommendations to craft your winning FanDuel hockey lineups:
Introduction to Daily Fantasy Hockey: Breaking it Down
Winning Strategies for Cash Games (head-to-head, 50/50s)
Winning Strategies for GPP Tournaments
Advanced Tips for Winning by Utilizing Vegas Odds and Line Combinations
FanDuel Daily Fantasy Hockey Research and Strategy Tools
As December slowly comes to an end, we kick off the week with six games of NHL action. The Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay Lighting are the biggest favorites, and the Colorado Avalanche are the only team playing on the tail end of a back-to-back set.
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders NHL Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning, $8,900 - After a ho-hum month of October, Bishop has settled down nicely the rest of the way, showing off his elite skills in net. He has been rock solid on home ice (1.93 GAA, .928 SV%) and he is in a great spot to produce again tonight. The Montreal Canadiens have been completely lost since Brendan Gallagher and Carey Price went down to injury. They have now lost six consecutive games and ten of their last 11. The Habs are having a very difficult time scoring these days. Despite firing over 32 shots per game in the month of December, they are ranked 29th in goals per game (1.50). Look for 25-plus saves and a win from Bishop in this one.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Braden Holtby, Pekka Rinne, Martin Jones, Pekka Rinne
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Henrik Lundqvist, Mike Condon, Calvin Pickard, Petr Mrazek
CENTERS
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning, $9,400 - Stamkos has been tearing it up of late, with five goals and 20 shots on net in his last four games. The Lightning’s offense has come alive, scoring the fifth-most goals per game this month, thanks in large part to “Stammer”. Look for Stamkos to remain red hot against a Montreal Canadiens team that is not only struggling, but has allowed the fifth-most goals against per game in December.
Other Centers to Target (Cash Games) – Nicklas Backstrom, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau
Other Centers to Target (Tournaments) – Anze Kopitar, Jack Eichel, Henrik Sedin, Nathan MacKinnon
WINGERS
Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks, $9,700 - Pavelski has been lighting it up with five goals and ten points in his past five contests. Pavelski is as consistent as they come (18 G, 36 PTS, 100 SOG, 34 GP) and I love his potential tonight against the league’s worst possession team (Colorado Avalanche). He is not cheap, but he rarely disappoints.
Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators, $8,200 - Forsberg has started to heat up offensively with three goals and four points in his last four games. The New York Rangers have not been playing good hockey this month. They are the third-worst team in terms of possession and they have allowed the second-most goals per game. On the flip side, the Nashville Predators have been the second-best Corsi team in December, which means Forsberg and company should see plenty of scoring opportunities in this game.
Other Wingers to Target (Cash Games) – Alexander Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie, Nikita Kucherov, Zach Parise
Other Wingers to Target (Tournaments) – Gabriel Landeskog, Tyler Toffoli, Evander Kane, Justin Williams, Jannik Hansen
DEFENSEMEN
Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild, $4,700 - Suter is having a great season and is one of very few stud defensemen reasonably priced on FanDuel. The Wild have a strong power play and I expect them breakthrough with the man advantage versus the Detroit Red Wings’ 28th-ranked penalty kill. Suter has multi-point upside at a discount.
Other Defensemen to Target (Cash Games) – Brent Burns, John Carlson, Shea Weber, Anton Stralman
Other Defensemen to Target (Tournaments) – Tyson Barrie, Rasmus Ristolainen, Alexander Edler, Niklas Kronwall, Francois Beauchemin, Jake Muzzin