Daily Fantasy Hockey DFS Value Update – March 31

Anze Kopitar
Anze Kopitar
Bruce Fedyck USA TODAY Sports

I will mention that I generally do not pick two players playing against each other in the same game for a daily fantasy hockey lineup. The same applies for a goalie and a player from opposite teams. You might see two players among the “value picks” from opposite teams, but that doesn’t mean you should take them both. No matter the value, you’re also likely cannibalizing points, so any gains made below a certain price point – the point where production and cost intersect – can be lost if production declines overall as well.

There are many things that determine value: The player’s history (both short and long-term), the price, recent production, opponent, line matching at even-strength, power play time and injuries are just some of the factors to consider. The “Top Value” doesn’t necessarily mean the cheapest player, either.

Finally, as far as goalies go, it’s the one position I’ll pay through the nose for if I really like the match-up. The same applies for back-ups with good match-ups. In a given night, with a full slate of games, I won’t have more than three different goalies across all my lineups, usually two. I’ll name the goalies I like specifically in the match-ups they appear in.

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Here is today’s slate of games (and DraftStreet values). Reminder: check Left Wing Lock for up-to-the-minute information on starting goalies.

Games are color-coded as follows:

Green means stack for GPPs. Yellow means targets for cash games. Red means value plays only.

Carolina Hurricanes at Ottawa Senators

The Hurricanes have the hallmark of an inconsistent team: alternating wins and losses for their last six games. It’s a bit of a different story in DFS as the team has they have scored 17 goals in those six games and haven’t scored fewer than two in any. That means even a bad night for the team can mean a decent night for some skaters. After going pointless for four straight games, Jeff Skinner has points in four straight, goals in three straight, and has taken 20 shots in total in this four-game point streak. His outburst gives good bottom-of-the-barrel value to his linemates Riley Nash and Elias Lindholm.

This is the third game in four days for the Senators (they won 5-3 against Chicago on Friday and 6-3 against Calgary on Sunday) and it’s just a wonder how much this team has left in the tank. They produced well in DFS on the weekend, but they also shot 16.7-percent over the weekend. Streaks like that tend to fizzle out very quickly. On the flipside, this team has allowed at least 40 shots against in four of their last five games and in 7-of-14 games this month. Scoring they may be for now, this team is woefully awful defensively.

Carolina has taken two games already this year from Ottawa and they have scored 10 goals while doing it. Tonight seems like a great night for Ottawa to not show up and allow at least 40 shots again. For those looking for an unlikely stack, Carolina isn’t a bad idea (though Skinner is on the second power play unit, and that sucks for continuity in DFS lineups).

Top RW Value

Top LW Value

Top C Value

Top D Value

Bargain Bin

Jeff Skinner

(CAR)

$10,399

Milan Michalek

(OTT)

$7760

Jason Spezza

(OTT)

$10,473

Andrej Sekera

(CAR)

$7772

Elias Lindholm

(CAR)

$3394