NHL FanDuel Top Picks October 20
By Evan LeBlanc
I am here to help with a nice Friday NHL FanDuel slate. I will provide a few locks and a sample lineup for those of you who would like to take part in this fun, new fantasy format that NHL FanDuel is debuting for hockey, where shots and possession rule and matchups are paramount. Without further ado, I bring you my top NHL FanDuel picks for Oct. 20.
1. Jack Eichel, Sabres ($9200)
A strong fade from Crosby tonight would be Eichel, who scored at almost a point-per-game clip the second half of last year and is averaging over 16 points per game on NHL FanDuel this year. The Sabres have a good matchup against the Canucks at home and have a great chance to put up some goals.
2. Aaron Ekblad, Panthers ($5300)
A good contrarian play would be to throw the obviously active Ekblad, who will be low owned against Crosby and the Penguins, but could have a great chance to score a goal against a Penguin team that does not play defense well. He may also block a few shots against Crosby and the strong attack.
3. John Carlson, Capitals ($5200)
Carlson is a top choice at only $5200 to get powerplay time as well as a good spot with an especially potent Capitals offense against the Red Wings, who have been giving up a number of shots. It goes without saying that Carlson will be very active in this contest, which will probably be wide open for the Capitals.
Here is a full sample lineup for those of you who want to play tonight:
C: Jack Eichel, Sabres ($9200)
C: Rickard Rackell, Ducks ($6700)
W: T.J. Oshie, Capitals ($5900)
W: Jakob Silfverberg, Ducks ($4800)
W: Andrew Cogliano, Ducks ($4200)
W: Evander Kane, Sabres ($6500)
D: Aaron Ekblad, Panthers ($5300)
D: John Carlson, Capitals ($5200)
G: John Gibson, Ducks ($8300)
In addition to the above plays, I have included a Ducks stack against the Montreal Canadiens, with Rakell, Silfverberg and Cogliano ready to go against a team that has poor possession numbers. The Canadiens give up a ton of shots and the Ducks tend to try to create rebounds and deflections in a way that could see them breakthrough in a major way.
T.J. Oshie is a Capital who not many people are playing tonight but for ($5900) against the Red Wings, he might be a better option than higher owned teammates on the first line. He can definitely score and the second line for Washington is even better than the first on some nights.
Evander Kane put up 37 NHL FanDuel points on Tuesday and might be in for another big night against the Canucks. Don’t hesitate to play him again. He already has 10 points in 7 games, which is better than a lot of top players (including Crosby).
Note: This is a recommended lineup after discussing our top options for the week. You should use this as a guide, and provide your own input when building NHL FanDuel lineups. We are not telling you, or selling you, to use this lineup.
Best of luck in your NHL FanDuel contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all your DFS news and analysis across NHL, NBA, EPL, and NFL this fall!