Welcome back to the NHL DFS FanDuel Power Plays column. We’re a fantasy hockey column focused on your top lineup plays each day. This edition is focused on the Main slate for Sunday, November 11th 2018.
After landing around 180 to 210 FanDuel NHL points from our various Fantasy Hockey lineup combinations on Tuesday, we followed that up with another 165 to 200 points during a bigger than normal Friday night slate.
So our current run has been yielding about 2x to 4x returns on FanDuel this week. Hopefully we see that continue!
Sunday’s Main slate starts with the 5pm ET games, and includes six scheduled games, or a very similar slate to Friday night. We’re going to continue identifying a couple of value plays in some of the positions, but also ride the hot-streaks from a few of our go-to, and top play, skaters for Sunday.
Before we get there, a reminder to never take a NHL DFS optimal lineup as ‘bible’ for your personal lineup each day. Use the suggestions as guidance. Also, make sure you follow final lineup thoughts throughout the day on our twitter account @FantasyCPR or me @MattyMcMatt17 look for late breaking lineup news.
Here’s a look at the NHL schedule for the Main slate on Sunday, November 11th 2018:
Senators at Panthers 5pm ET
Coyotes at Capitals 5pm ET
Golden Knights at Bruins 7pm ET ESPN+
Devils at Jets 7pm ET
Flames at Sharks 9pm ET
Avalanche at Oilers 9:30pm ET
Probably the most appealing of all games on Sunday evening is the Senators and Panthers match-up. Each team has back-up goalies between the pipes, has the potential to score four-plus points in a game like this, and has some hot scorers on the ice tonight. We’re likely going to tap that game for several combinations.
The Caps are in a better spot than they’ve been in a while, but their offense is sputtering lately. While the Coyotes are struggling to find wins in the last several games, they’re still providing a lot of NHL DFS value this week.
The Bruins are a team I want to look at on home ice, especially the goalie situation, and we’ll continue to look at the Jets top line, also at home tonight. The final two games are tough match ups. We may tap a few players from those games, but they’re the events I’m most likely to fade on Sunday night.
So, let’s start building our NHL DFS optimal lineup by looking at the top centers for this slate…
Fantasy Hockey: NHL DFS FanDuel Power Plays Top Centers
We rode Travis Zajac‘s ($4,600) hot streak on Friday night and he rewarded us with another goal, three shots, and 16.8 FanDuel NHL points. While I’m tempted to see how far that streak goes, I’d rather grab a more consistent play from Brad Richardson ($4,200) in Washington, D.C. on Sunday night.
Yes, Zajac has a goal in each of the last three games. But between the Winnipeg Jets and Washington Caps match ups, I favor targeting the Caps defense right now. Also, Richardson isn’t on a points-streak, he’s just been an absolutely beast on the ice the last two weeks.
In six of the last seven games, Brad has 10-20 FanDuel NHL points each game. That’s not only related to his four goals and two assists during that time, but Richardson is getting blocked shots and piling up shots on goal as well.
In Pittsburgh, yesterday, Brad had six shots on goal and a blocked shot for 11.2 points. With a salary this low, and this much consistency, Richardson should be in every lineup you build on Sunday.
Because of the value we get with the Richardson pick, and likely getting another value pick in the winger spot, I’m confident picking a more expensive top center option. Connor McDavid ($9,200) and Nathan MacKinnon ($8,700) are both on the ice Sunday night in Edmonton. They’re both always solid options.
But for whatever reason, when those two are on the ice and Patrice Bergeron ($8,300) and the Bruins are also playing, the B’s can be overlooked and low-owned for DFS NHL. I hope that happens Sunday, because the Bergeron and the Bruins’ top line are facing the Golden Knights back up net-minder.
Patrice has a goal in each of the last two games, but the other reason I always love Bergeron is the additional point-potential from dishing the puck to Marchand or Pastrnak. Also, Bergeron isn’t afraid to block a shot, and typically slaps at least four to six shots on goal per game. This center combination of Bergeron and and Richardson should get us a solid 30 to 50 points.
Fantasy Hockey: NHL DFS FanDuel Power Plays Top Wingers
Similar to the Center position, I want to start building this part of the lineup by looking for value first. I know there are many top winger picks to choose from on Sunday, and if we can find the right value, we have more top-play options to grab.
Fortunately, for some reason, FanDuel still has Brady Tkachuk ($3,900) at a sub-$4K salary. I’ll always take that! If you’ve been following along with this column all season, you know that we used to be very high on the rookie 2nd line winger.
Tkachuk started the season with a bang, scoring three goals and providing three assists in his first four games. Unfortunately, Brady suffered a leg injury and didn’t see ice time from October 15th until November 8th.
Since returning to the ice, Tkachuk scored a goal, provided an assist, took four shots on net, and added another three blocked shots in just two games. This kid is very productive and his NHL DFS salary for FanDuel is bizarre to me.
Speaking of the Senators, remember we wanted to get a big piece of the Sens and Panthers in Florida? Well, there are several more picks I want in this lineup for Sunday, from either team. I’ll start with, now first-liner, Mike Hoffman ($5,500).
Early this season, the Panthers continue to move Hoffman around the lines, and right now it appears he’s back to the cats top line.
A bigger reason to play Mike, after being scoreless in the first two games of the season, Hoffman now has a goal or assist in each of the last eleven-straight Panthers games. He’s riding that hot streak into a favorable match-up for the Panthers offense.
Swinging back over to the Senators side of the ice, we have a similar winger to Hoffman in Mark Stone ($6,400) on the Sens top line. The only difference with Mark’s performance is that he can have a higher ceiling.
Stone has a goal or assist in each of the last six senators games, and 12 of the 17 games played this season. In Ottawa last week against the Devils, Stone had two goals and three assists for a jaw-dropping 59.7 FanDuel NHL points. I’d love that again on Sunday, although that’s a high feat to reach. Still, this could be another two-point day for Mark.
These moves at the winger position, along with our value and top center picks, affords us plenty of salary to make a big move for a top winger spot on Sunday night. Considering who we’ll eventually grab at defense and goalie, I’m likely going with a sub-$8K winger.
Within that group, I like Brad Marchand ($7,700), Mikko Rantanen ($7,500), or Blake Wheeler ($7,500). David Pastrnak ($8,300) is a better stacking option with Bergeron because of Pasta’s goal-scoring this season. But Marchand is still a solid shot at 20+ points.
Rantanen is quietly one of the most offensively productive skaters this season, likely making him lower owned on Sunday. And I like Mikko’s match up. But, I am likely going with Wheeler as the top winger pick.
Blake is also on a goal or assist streak, nine straight and 12 of the first 15 games. But over the last week, Wheeler’s production has been incredible. In the last three games, Blake has a goal an nine assist. That’s right…NINE…or three per game. With this match-up on home ice, I love Wheeler again.
Alright, let’s look at a few top picks on defense…
Fantasy Hockey: NHL DFS FanDuel Power Plays Top Defenders
Before we get into the top play options at the defense position, we need to talk about Thomas Chabot ($4,900). How on earthy is Chabot still below $5K, or even below $6K for that matter on FanDuel NHL? I can’t understand the logic.
Why the outrage? Chabot isn’t only leading the Senators in scoring this season, but he currently has 22 points, tied for 4th in the NHL. To give you a better idea of how that compares, he’s tied with Nathan MacKinnon, and Claude Giroux, two of the NHL’s most productive offensive leaders each season.
So we have no choice but to have Chabot in our lineup. He not only getting multiple points per game, but he adds points with several shots on goal and he piles up as many as six blocked shots in a game. Thomas also has two goals and seven assists in the last six games.
With that obvious, and likely chalky, play plugged into all of our lineups, we have a pick from one of several top defensive picks. My favorites are Flames top lineman veteran Mark Giordano ($5,800), Dustin Byfuglien ($5,800), or Keith Yandle ($5,500).
Of those three, Buf and Yandle are my top two favorites. Giordano is still a great play, but Keith and Dustin have a higher ceiling and have been more consistently dominate for NHL DFS lately. Given Wheeler and the Jets top lines production lately, I’m probably leaning toward Byfuglien as the leader of this group.
Fantasy Hockey: NHL DFS FanDuel Power Plays Top Goalies
I can’t figure Braden Holtby ($9,000) out this season. Actually, his inconsistent play this year reminds me of how maddening he was to plug into NHL DFS lineups last winter and spring. It got to the point that I would no longer roster him as a rule. For that reason, even with this match up, I’m fading Braden again Sunday night.
Martin Jones ($8,600) seems like a great play on home ice, but I don’t like the match up against a good Flames team. Especially considering some of the top scorers in their top line. No, thanks.
That leads us to three clear best picks, Jaroslav Halak ($8,200), Connor Hellebuyck ($8,100) and Semyon Varlamov ($8,00). Of this group, Halak and Hellebuyck are most likely to get wins. I like Varly in many spots this season, but not in Edmonton with McJesus on ice there.
Connor should get the win against the Devils, but between the Devils and Golden Knights on road ice, I’d rather face the former Stanley Cup runners up in Boston.
Aside from a dreadful five-goal no decision against the Canucks last week, Halak has been outstanding this season. In eight of his ten starts this year, Jaroslav has only given up two or less goals, including a shutout of the Flayers and Sabres. And with the wins, Halak is piling up 30 to 40 saves, a number we could see against the Golden Knight tonight as well. I love that pick for Sunday.
Fantasy Hockey: FanDuel Power Plays November 11th 2018 Summary
Some of the salary tags applied to FanDuel NHL on Sunday really makes value easy to find. We start the value grabs with Richardson at the center position, which allows us to afford someone like Bergeron as a top center play.
For some reason, rookie Tkachuk is dirt-cheap and still seems productive, so we’re starting our winger picks with the young Sens winger Brady. From there, we build up to our top pick with the Panthers Hoffman and Senators Stone at winger. That gives us plenty of options for a top winger pick, and we’re favoring Wheeler the most of that group.
At the two defense spots, I can’t believe Chabot is still under $5K, so he’s in every lineup combination I use on Sunday. I’ll likely add Yandle, Giordano, or Byfuglien as the top defensive spot. And at goaltender, I love Halak on home ice against the Golden Knights.
With that summary in mind, here’s a look at a sample lineup for the NHL DFS FanDuel Main slate on Sunday, November 11th 2018:
C Patrice Bergeron ($8,300)
C Brad Richardson ($4,200)
W Blake Wheeler ($7,500)
W Mark Stone ($6,400)
W Mike Hoffman ($5,500)
W Brady Tkachuk ($3,900)
D Dustin Byfuglien ($5,800)
D Thomas Chabot ($4,900)
G Jaroslav Halak ($8,200)
Remaining Salary: $300
Note: This is a recommended lineup after discussing our top options for the slate. You should use this as a guide, and provide your own input when building NHL DFS FanDuel lineups. We are not telling you, or selling you, to use this lineup.
Best of luck in your NHL DFS FanDuel contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all your DFS news and analysis across College Football, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, EPL, PGA, and NASCAR this fall!
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