Each day I will be providing my recommended player picks for your FanDuel daily fantasy hockey lineups. The goal is to help you build the optimal cash game (50/50s/double-ups/head-to-head) lineup.
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After an outstanding Tuesday night of National Hockey League action, we slow things down a little on this Wednesday evening with only four teams hitting the ice. The New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets are both decent sized favorites and none of the four teams are playing on back-to-back nights.
GOALTENDER
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders NHL Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers, $9,100 – King Henrik is not only the most talented goalie in action tonight, but he is also the biggest favorite. In a game where I expect the New York Rangers to dominate, Lundqvist should cruise to an easy victory, taking the all-important 12 fantasy points with him. No need to get cute on this short slate, lock and load Lundqvist and build from there.
Top Value Play: Connor Hellebuyck or Michael Hutchinson, Winnipeg Jets
CENTER
Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets, $7,100 – The Winnipeg Jets' offense now runs through Mark Scheifele and the 23-year-old young gun looks like he is up for the challenge. The Toronto Maple Leafs should continue to have defensive growing pains as this young team works to mature and improve their defensive zone coverage. Without a true shutdown duo, Toronto should struggle on the road against the other team’s number one lines. Look for Jets head coach Paul Maurice to get his lethal number one line out there against Toronto’s weaker lines and defensive pairings, which should lead to a big game for Scheifele and his linemates.
Top Mid-Tier Plays: Mika Zibanejad (NYR), Auston Matthews (TOR)
Top Value Plays: Kevin Hayes (NYR), Mathieu Perreault (WPG)
WINGERS
Chris Kreider, New York Rangers, $6,500 – After dropping their first two games of the season and allowing 10 goals against in the process, the Detroit Red Wings finally got in the win column, beating Ottawa 5-1. Despite winning their last game, the Red Wings have looked slow and weak defensively (allowing over 35 shots against per game), and I think Chris Kreider and company can exploit that tonight in New York. Playing on the New York Rangers’ top line and number one power play unit, Kreider has been a beast to kick off the 2016-17 season. The 25-year-old power forward has registered three goals, six points and 18 shots on goal so far this season and I think we see another multi-point performance from him tonight.
Top Overall Play: Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets, $7,500
Top Value Play: Patrik Laine and Drew Stafford, Winnipeg Jets
DEFENSE
Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers, $5,100 - Dustin Byfuglien is the top dog on the blue line tonight, but he is quite pricey, so I shifted my attention to Ryan McDonagh. The New York Rangers' captain contributes across the board with his ability to score and block shots. McDonagh is the Blue Shirts' power play quarterback and he sees over 26 minutes of ice time per game. McDonagh is moderately priced and he has a high floor for cash games.
Top Overall Play: Dustin Byfuglien, Winnipeg Jets, $6,500
Top Value Plays: Nikita Zaitsev, (TOR), Tyler Myers (WPG)