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NHL Plays will highlight the best and the most underrated daily fantasy options among forwards, defensemen and goaltenders.
Please note, these players were chosen early in the day, so make sure to check NBC Sports EDGE’s player news for any lineup changes, injuries and potential changes in the crease for starting goaltenders.
Additionally, it is worth reminding everyone that FanDuel allows you to roster nine players (2C, 2W, 2D, 2UTIL 1G) with a salary cap of $55,000, while DraftKings has a cap of $50,000 for nine players (2C, 3W, 2D, 1G, 1UTIL) and Yahoo has a $200 budget for nine players (2C, 3W, 2D, 2G).
There are seven games scheduled for Friday.
Forwards:
Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado) – W - $9,200 FanDuel, $6,900 DraftKings, $30 Yahoo
Landeskog isn’t the absolute best forward scheduled to play tonight, but he’s cheaper than the highest end options and is especially good value on DraftKings. Plus you aren’t sacrificing much by taking him over the more expensive options. Landeskog is having a fantastic season with nine goals and 26 points in 21 games and he has been on a roll lately with at least a point in each of his last nine contests.
Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida) – W - $8,200 FanDuel, $7,400 DraftKings, $29 Yahoo
Huberdeau is going into Friday’s contest with a four-game point streak. He’s having a fantastic campaign with nine goals and 30 points in 25 contests. Compared to Landeskog, if you can only have one, Huberdeau is the better choice on FanDuel while Landeskog is preferrable on DraftKings based on their prices.
Mark Stone (Vegas) – W - $7,400 FanDuel, $5,500 DraftKings, $26 Yahoo
Stone scored two goals and registered an assist on Wednesday, which made it his sixth consecutive game with at least a point. He’s only been able to play in 13 contests this season, but he’s been great when healthy with three goals and 15 points over that span.
Ryan Strome (NY Rangers) – C - $6,000 FanDuel, $4,800 DraftKings, $18 Yahoo
Strome hasn’t been one of the league’s top forwards, but he has been a consistent contributor. His longest slump all season was just two games long and he’s chipped in at least a point in 11 of his last 13 contests. He’s up to five goals and 18 points in 21 contests, making him well worth his moderate price.
Bargain Bin: Jeff Carter (PIT) - $5,900 FanDuel/$4,900 DraftKings/$17 Yahoo, Blake Wheeler (WPG) - $5,600 FanDuel/$5,300 DraftKings/$18 Yahoo, Jesper Bratt (NJD) - $5,500 FanDuel/$5,000 DraftKings/$19 Yahoo, Chandler Stephenson (VGK) - $5,500 FanDuel/$5,100 DraftKings/$17 Yahoo, Clayton Keller (ARI) - $5,400 FanDuel/$3,900 DraftKings/$17 Yahoo, Reilly Smith (VGK) - $5,300 FanDuel/$4,700 DraftKings/$18 Yahoo
Defensemen:
Cale Makar (Colorado) - $7,100 FanDuel, $7,400 DraftKings, $27 Yahoo
Makar is having a superb season for a defenseman with 11 goals and 23 points in 20 contests. In terms of points, he’s in a four-way tie for fifth place among blueliners, which is great by itself, especially given that he’s played in fewer contests than most of the defensemen on the leaderboard. However, where he really stands out is in goals. With 11 markers already this season, he’s easily leading all defensemen in that category and is already just one goal away from his career high.
Kris Letang (Pittsburgh) - $6,800 FanDuel, $6,800 DraftKings, $22 Yahoo
Letang recorded an assist on Monday to extend his point streak to four games. He’s contributed a goal and 17 points in 21 contests. Even at the age of 34, he’s a high-end offensive defenseman. He’s worth considering while he’s hot in all leagues, but his Yahoo price stands out as being particularly good today.
Bargain Bin: Alex Pietrangelo (VGK) - $6,600 FanDuel/$6,600 DraftKings/$20 Yahoo, Shea Theodore (VGK) - $6,400 FanDuel/$6,200 DraftKings/$20 Yahoo, Devon Toews (COL) - $5,800 FanDuel/$5,600 DraftKings/$21 Yahoo, Jacob Trouba (NYR) - $5,600 FanDuel/$5,500 DraftKings/$18 Yahoo, MacKenzie Weegar (FLA) - $5,500 FanDuel/$5,800 DraftKings/$19 Yahoo
Goaltenders:
Thatcher Demko (Vancouver) - $7,700 FanDuel, $8,000 DraftKings, $26 Yahoo
The Canucks have turned a corner since Bruce Boudreau took over as head coach and Demko has been one of the biggest benefactors so far. He’s won his last two starts while stopping 66 of 67 shots over that span. He’s had an okay, but not amazing season so far with a 10-11-1 record, 2.73 GAA, and .915 save percentage in 22 games, but he’s also priced competitively, which makes him a nice option in goal.
Bargain Bin: Mackenzie Blackwood (NJD) - $7,100 FanDuel/$7,800 DraftKings/$30 Yahoo
