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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 11 games scheduled for Thursday.
Forwards:
Brad Marchand (Boston) – W - $9,700 FanDuel, $7,100 DraftKings, $31 Yahoo
Marchand is a star player under normal circumstances, but he’s been unreal lately. He has seven goals and eight points in his last three games alone. That brings him up to 19 goals and 39 points in 28 contests. He’s worth taking on FanDuel and Yahoo, but he’s an especially good deal on DraftKings today.
Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay) – W - $8,800 FanDuel, $7,500 DraftKings, $34 Yahoo
Kucherov has only played in six games this season due to a lower-body injury and he didn’t play at all in the 2020-21 regular season, but when he’s been healthy, he’s been one of the league’s top players. He was as good as he’s ever been during the 2021 playoffs, and he’s contributed four goals and nine points in his six contests this season. He’s priced competitively too, making him a great option in daily leagues.
Alex DeBrincat (Chicago) – W - $8,100 FanDuel, $6,900 DraftKings, $22 Yahoo
DeBrincat has been scoring at a regular pace lately with an incredible nine goals over his last nine contests. Thanks to his recent hot streak, he’s up to 23 goals and 29 points in 36 contests. Leon Draisaitl, Alex Ovechkin, and Auston Matthews are the only players with more goals than him.
Brayden Point (Tampa Bay) – C - $8,000 FanDuel, $7,400 DraftKings, $28 Yahoo
Point is on a four-game point streak and has chipped in at least a point in seven of his last eight contests. He’s been limited to 24 games this season, but when he’s played, he’s been at the top of his game with 13 goals and 24 points.
Jordan Kyrou (St. Louis) – W - $7,500 FanDuel, $6,600 DraftKings, $21 Yahoo
Kyrou has recorded at least a point in each of his last five games and he’s been incredible over that span. He’s contributed five goals and 11 points during his latest hot streak. He has 14 goals and 36 points in 32 contests in 2021-22, making him a great player at his existing price point.
Bargain Bin: Pavel Buchnevich (STL) - $7,300 FanDuel/$6,500 DraftKings/$23 Yahoo, Mark Scheifele (WPG) - $7,100 FanDuel/$6,000 DraftKings/$21 Yahoo, Tyler Bertuzzi (DET) - $6,900 FanDuel/$6,400 DraftKings/$20 Yahoo, Mathew Barzal (NYI) - $6,900 FanDuel/$6,300 DraftKings/$19 Yahoo, Logan Couture (SJS) - $6,700 FanDuel/$5,900 DraftKings/$20 Yahoo, Teuvo Teravainen (CAR) - $6,600 FanDuel/$6,100 DraftKings/$20 Yahoo, Taylor Hall (BOS) - $6,200 FanDuel/$4,300 DraftKings/$18 Yahoo, Anders Lee (NYI) - $6,200 FanDuel/$5,300 DraftKings/$18 Yahoo, Jordan Eberle (SEA) - $6,000 FanDuel/$4,900 DraftKings/$16 Yahoo, Alex Killorn (TBL) - $5,900 FanDuel/$4,400 DraftKings/$20 Yahoo, Adrian Kempe (LAK) - $5,500 FanDuel/$4,400 DraftKings/$18 Yahoo, Mikael Granlund (NAS) - $5,300 FanDuel/$5,600 DraftKings/$18 Yahoo
Defensemen:
Roman Josi (Nashville) - $7,500 FanDuel, $8,000 DraftKings, $26 Yahoo
Josi is one of the league’s standout offensive defensemen and he’s been playing some of his best hockey lately. Over his last 12 games, he’s scored five goals and 17 points, putting him on a scoring pace that any forward in the league would love to have. He has 12 goals and 37 points in 35 contests this season.
Kris Letang (Pittsburgh) - $7,300 FanDuel, $7,000 DraftKings, $25 Yahoo
Letang has chipped in at least a point in each of his last five contests and seven of his last eight games. With that, he has a goal and 29 points in 31 contests in 2021-22. He’s tied for seventh place in the defensemen scoring race.
Drew Doughty (Los Angeles) - $6,800 FanDuel, $5,400 DraftKings, $21 Yahoo
Doughty missed time due to a knee injury and also was in the COVID-19 protocol earlier this season, but he has played, he’s been a pretty safe bet. His longest point slump this season has been just two contests. Through 17 games in 2021-22, he has four goals and 18 points.
Bargain Bin: Brent Burns (SJS) - $6,700 FanDuel/$6,500 DraftKings/$20 Yahoo, Zach Werenski (CBJ) - $6,100 FanDuel/$6,000 DraftKings/$19 Yahoo, Noah Dobson (NYI) - $5,800 FanDuel/$5,200 DraftKings/$18 Yahoo
Goaltenders:
Juuse Saros (Nashville) - $8,400 FanDuel, $8,700 DraftKings, $43 Yahoo
Saros has won his last five games, bringing him up to 20-9-1 with a 2.27 GAA and .928 save percentage in 30 contests. The Predators are set to face Buffalo tonight, which should be a favorable matchup given that the Sabres are slumping and has been hit hard by injuries and players on the COVID-19 protocol.
Frederik Andersen (Carolina) - $8,300 FanDuel, $8,400 DraftKings, $38 Yahoo
Andersen is shaping up to be a serious candidate for the Vezina Trophy with an 18-5-0 record, 1.96 GAA, and .929 save percentage in 23 games. Of his last six starts, he’s held the competition to just a single goal in four of those games.
Bargain Bin: Tristan Jarry (PIT) - $8,100 FanDuel/$7,900 DraftKings/$36 Yahoo, Alexandar Georgiev (NYR) - $7,700 FanDuel/$7,700 DraftKings/$32 Yahoo, Marc-Andre Fleury (CHI) - $7,100 FanDuel/$8,000 DraftKings/$33 Yahoo, Adin Hill (SJS) - $6,900 FanDuel/$7,600 DraftKings/$26 Yahoo
