Fantasy Hockey: NHL DFS FanDuel Power Plays for March 6

Welcome to NHL DFS FanDuel Power Plays. This is a fantasy hockey post focused on top lineup plays each day. This edition is focused on the Main slate for Wednesday, March 6th 2019.

Saturday was a rough fantasy hockey day for our picks. I could easily just forget it, but it’s worth investigating. Darcy Kuemper was solid with 25.6 FanDuel NHL points, thanks to a 3-1 win over a terrible Red Wings team. And Jake DeBrusk continued to be a solid play, with a power play assist and 10.1 points.

But, the rest of our lineup options, especially in the example lineup, where pretty bad. Jack Eichel had a fairly quiet, 9.6 FanDuel NHL point, game. The Panthers stack was mute, and Radulov had a stinker of a game. In total, most of our plays missed, worst than I could remember all season.

I haven’t had a chance to write about NHL DFS since Saturday, however I continued to play as much as I could on FanDuel. For the most point, I got some of my money back, lost on Saturday, and earned the cash back from my plays getting 110 to 135 points per lineup. For GPP, though, I haven’t been doing as well.

But, we’ve learned a few things since then. I used Frederik Andersen on Monday, a risky play with a 30+ point reward. I also used Zach Hyman ($4,400) as a value play, and his two goals and 30.4 points really set my lineup for the win.

And, while Jack Eichel killed me on Saturday, I know the big horses don’t disappoint often, so he was very likely to bounce back. Bounce back he did, with one power play goal and a second goal for over 34 FanDuel NHL points. For Wednesday, I think we can replicate these more positive results.

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  to catch late breaking lineup news.

Here’s a look at the NHL schedule for the Main slate on Wednesday, March 6th:

Capitals at Flyers 7:30pm ET NBC Sports Network

Maple Leafs at Canucks 9pm ET

Blues at Ducks 10pm ET NBC Sports Network

Flames at Golden Knights 10:30pm ESPN+

As I’ve said before, these smaller slates can be gloom or doom, depending how you play it. Stacking lineups can make more sense in these slates, especially for GPP, because you have limited scoring offensive options and only four winning goalies.

But, you have to be a little aware of the risk there. Putting your chips all in one part of the table can also set yourself up for an easy loss. So, while I like to focus on a couple of teams for Wednesday, like the Maple Leafs and Golden Knights, I’ll also likely spread my chips around to other teams in order to differentiate the lineup.

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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

When I first starting building my lineup for Wednesday night, I immediately grabbed Auston Matthews ($8,100). I was hoping he’d be able to take advantage of a more junior Canucks second line, even on road ice. And Matthews has been fairly successful for fantasy hockey lineups over the last month.

But, upon further inspection, I think I’m going to fade Matthews for a few reasons. First of all, I think most NHL DFS players will do what I just did, so he’s chalky. But also, while Auston’s shot volume is high right now, his scoring has been limited in the last few weeks. Worse, I don’t like Matthew’s match up against a very underrated Elias Pettersson ($6,700).

Matthews is worth a healthy consideration, so don’t count him out complete. He’s makes decent sense in cash lineups as he’s likely to get a goal or assist. But the risk there is fairly evident now. Instead, I like a less-chalky and more consistent fantasy hockey center right now, Sean Couturier ($7,500).

One of the reasons I don’t think that Coots will be highly owned is perception. Even though the Flyers have one of the best records in the NHL for 2019, many FanDuel NHL players and hockey fans still remember the terrible first half of the season the Flyers had. Also, they’re playing the Stanley Cup champions.

However, the Caps have been giving up a high volume of goals this season, saved mostly by a solid offense, and Alex Ovechkin. In the meantime, the Flyers are red-hot on offense, and Sean is a big reason why.

In 15 of his last 17 games, Couturier has provided over 11 FanDuel NHL points each game. That’s thanks mostly to his 14 assists and eight goals, or easily at least one point (goal and/or assist) per game. On Wednesday night, home ice, Coots leads the Flyers top offensive line for over 20 minutes.

I’m going to want some top picks at the winger spot, and Coots isn’t cheap. So my second center pick will likely be a cheaper one. I like Bo Horvat ($5,900) and Mikael Backlund ($5,600), but I think Paul Stastny ($5,300) has the best lineup, and best supporting cast on the Golden Knights second line.

Stastny is also the best value of the group, and should be owned with Matthews, Coots, or whomever you end up with for your top center pick.

Fantasy Hockey: NHL DFS FanDuel Power Plays Top Wingers

One of the other reasons I think I can fade Matthews, is that I can still afford Mitchell Marner ($8,300) in my lineup as my top winger. Mitch has been absolutely on fire lately, with stats resembling the consistent offensive dominance of Couturier.

In the last two games alone, Marner has a goal and two assists in each game. In fact, he’s done that in three of the last four games, totaling three goals and seven assists in that time.

I realize Alex Ovechkin ($9,000) and Vladimir Tarasenko ($8,300) are on the ice tonight in seemingly good match-ups. But I’d argue neither is set up well tonight, playing hot defensive teams right now, and Marner likely gets the most fantasy hockey points at the position.

For a second and third pick, I like Mark Stone ($7,400) and Reilly Smith ($5,8000) on home ice. The Flames have demonstrated some defensive vulnerability lately, and the Gold Knights top offensive players are beginning to gel and surge.

But, I also like the idea of completing the Flyers top line stack with Claude Giroux ($7,100), and potential a dirt-cheap Oskar Lindblom ($4,500). Why is Lindblom so cheap? Well, the Flyers are without Voracek on Wednesday, and Nolan Patrick is still recovering from a hard shot to the head (he may be on the ice but not for a long time). That likely bumps Lindblom to the top Flyers line.

Also, the Flyers captain, Giroux, has been outstanding with scoring regardless of the match up. Against the Penguins, Sabres, Blue Jackets, and Islanders (in New York), G has two goals and seven assists, also including a match-up against the Devils in New Jersey. Claude has some fire in his game right now, and I will always pay up for that in NHL DFS.

Finally, some more value at the winger position is needed. And my favorite option is someone who helped me out, big time, on Monday. Zach Hyman ($4,400), as you may recall, at two goals on Monday.

That didn’t surprise me, because I realized his ice time and shot volume seems to be steadily increasing. Also, n the last six games, Zach now has five goals and one assist. Hyman can be inconsistent, so this play is hit or miss. But when he’s hot, he usually rides it out for a while.

Alright, let’s finally look at a few top picks on defense…

Fantasy Hockey: NHL DFS FanDuel Power Plays Top Defenders

Like the goalie position, defense can be a little easier for fantasy hockey when there’s a smaller four-game slate. That’s sort of the case for Wednesday night. The challenge is, do you pay up for some top defenders or are you likely to do just as well with value plays.

Mark Giordano ($6,700), Morgan Rielly ($6,500), and John Carlson ($6,400) should each get you about ten to 15 FanDuel NHL points. But is that worth over $6K in salary? I don’t believe so. Yes, they’re consistent point-getters, but we have equally as good options on the table, giving up significantly less salary.

My top pick from that group is Nate Schmidt ($5,000). Unfortunately Nate isn’t the best value, but the top-line Golden Knights defender is surging with the rest of the Knights offense and he’s providing about the same amount of points, consistently, as Giordano, Rielly, and Carlson.

But, even better value, Shea Theodore ($4,400) and Travis Sanheim ($4,400) are also driving up their average points-per-game with consistent double-digit returns. Theodore is a similar play to Schmidt, but on the Knights second line.

I’ve seen Sanheim’s salary climb recently, yes, it was that low before. But his salary now still doesn’t make sense. I’m not entirely sure what FanDuel is waiting for, but this kid has been one of the best fantasy hockey defensive-man in the last two months. In the last five games, Travis has a point in each game, totaling four goals and two assists.

Fantasy Hockey: NHL DFS FanDuel Power Plays Top Goalies

OK, goalie. So we know we can only have four winning goalies on Wednesday night. But who gets the win? That’s the problem. At first glance, I’m sure many fantasy hockey players are going to jump on guys like Jordan Binnington ($9,400) and Braden Holtby ($8,800). But, I think that’s a trap!

Holtby has been great over the last four, of five, starts. But some of those wins were against easier opponents. I realize it’s hard to believe this after their horrendous start, but I’m not confident playing any goalie against the Flyers offense right now.

I don’t know that can even explain what’s happening, other than their young players all clearly have confidence now. They’re actually making a push for a playoff spot. In December, that idea was laughable.

But, as we also addressed, Holtby is hot right now too. So Brian Elliott ($7,600) is equally as dicey of a play. That being said, he’s a fantastic GPP play. Elliott is actually having a great season marred by injuries. Right now, the injury issues appear to be over, and Elliott has been an outstanding fantasy hockey option in the cage. He’s worth the risk in some lineups.

I won’t go into all of the same detail, but for the same reason, I’m concerned about paying up for the Calder Cup candidate Binnington against the Ducks. This one is harder to see, but this could also be a trap.

Yes, the Ducks are dreadful over the past several months, but they’ve had some surprising success over the last couple of weeks, and a now healthy John Gibson ($7,300) is another sneaky GPP play at the position.

Between Marc-Andre Fleury ($8,200) and Mike Smith ($8,500), assuming they’re the starters in Vegas on Wednesday night, I’m leaning toward the Knights continuing to play way and get Fleury the win. That being said, I’m only taking this game if I don’t want to play the Gibson and Elliott risk, and can’t find a more obvious win.

Fortunately, Frederik Andersen ($8,900) gives me the most confidence for a win on Wednesday. Also, Andersen also happens to pile up more saves than anyone else on the ice this season. There’s even a decent shot at a shutout from the Leafs on Wednesday. It’s road ice, so that’s a tough ask, but I still like 25 to 30 points from this play.

Fantasy Hockey: FanDuel Power Plays March 6th Main Slate Summary

Well, we like Andersen the most in goal for Wednesday’s slate. If, for some reason, you’re fading Frederik, you should grab Fleury. For sneaky value plays at the position, especially GPP lineups, I love Gibson and Elliott.

At the defense position, I’m either grabbing Schmidt with Sanheim and Theodore. Or, I’m playing Sanheim and Theodore together for better value. That allows me to pay up for some expensive winger and center picks, and still afford Andersen in goal.

We loved Hyman on Monday, and I think he can continue to roll on Wednesday night. My next two wingers will be some combination of Stone, Giroux, Reilly, or Lindblom. But it’s likely I’ll have Lindblom with one of the more expensive top three.

At center, I love the idea of continuing to roll with Matthews, but I also think Couturier can get us as many (likely more) points as Auston and leave more salary on the table. That allows me to go with more expensive plays at winger, while also getting a decent mid-salary play at center like Paul Stastny ($5,300).

With that summary in mind, here’s a look at a sample lineup for the NHL DFS FanDuel Main slate on Wednesday, March 6th 2019:

C       Sean Couturier ($7,500)

C       Paul Stastny ($5,300)

W     Mitch Marner ($8,300)

W     Claude Giroux ($7,100)

W     Oskar Lindblom ($4,500)

W     Zach Hyman ($4,400)

D      Shea Theodore ($4,400)

D      Travis Sanheim ($4,400)

G      Frederik Andersen ($8,900)

Remaining Salary: $200

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 winter!