DraftStreet NHL Thursday $400 GPP - Three Lineups
Draftstreet has upped the pot on their weekly Thursday hockey contest to $400. Today I’m going to experiment with three different approaches to fielding a roster on Draftstreet and try and determine which method gives you the best chance of cashing in. To back it up, I’ll be putting three separate entries into the game tonight to see which one prevails.
Strategy 1 – Two Extremes
This strategy involves front loading on as many high-end stars as possible and filling in the gaps with the best value picks you can afford. The idea here is that your top stars, such as Perry, the Sedins, Ovechkin, etc. are almost guaranteed to bring you some points each night. Anything you get from the rest is gravy. Inevitably, you get nothing out of defense here.
Strategy 2 – Mediocrity
Using this approach, you avoid the high rollers and the bottom feeders and fill up your roster with middle-priced options across the board.
Strategy 3 – Balance it out
This is the approach I tend to take, but wanted to verify that it makes the most sense. That is, take a couple superstars, fill up on mid-range players and possibly squeeze in a value pick or two with what’s left.
Here’s how it’s playing out for tonight’s rosters:
Strategy 1 – Two Extremes
Here, I’m loading up with Sedin, Ovechkin, and St. Louis as the easy star picks. I’m also spending extra on Rinne, as he’s got an easy matchup against Colorado. Add in Ryan Kesler up front, and I’ve spent $70k out of a $100k on half my roster. That leaves me scrambling to find value with the final five spots. Still, I like my chances with this lineup:
| Position | Player | Salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalie | Pekka Rinne | $19.3k | Rinne is worthy of Vezina consideration this season with his numbers. He faces the lowly Avs tonight. |
| Center | Ryan Kesler | $11.7k | Kesler has been a beast all season. He faces the Kings tonight. |
| Center | Jordan Staal | $8.1k | Staal is Pittsburgh’s best player and the Lightning have little defense to speak of. |
| Left Wing | Daniel Sedin | $13.9k | Sedin delivers more points per game than any other skater |
| Left Wing | Alex Ovechkin | $12.9k | Ovie just returned from a week of rest and relaxation. Expect him to feast on the Jackets. |
| Right Wing | Martin St. Louis | $11.5k | St. Louis has climbed into a tie for 2nd in scoring |
| Right Wing | Claude Giroux | $8.8k | Giroux remains vastly undervalued under $9k |
| Defense | Kevin Bieksa | $5.5k | Bieksa comes fairly cheap and can provide points |
| Defense | Sami Salo | $3.3k | Salo is my bargain priced defenseman. He’s got a powerful shot and can score. |
| Flex | Ville Leino | $5.6k | Not much room to spend on the flex, but Leino can provide offense in spurts. Coming off a 3-point game in Pittsburgh. |
Strategy 2 – Mediocrity
With this lineup, all my skaters sit between 8k and 11k, with the exception of one defenseman. I plugged in Bobrovsky, assuming he’s getting the start against Atlanta. If Boucher starts, I’ll free up a few more bucks to upgrade on defense.
| Position | Player | Salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalie | Sergei Bobrovsky | $16.5k | Bobrovsky should have a good shot at winning against Atlanta. Comes at a fair price. |
| Center | Steven Stamkos | $11k | Stamkos hasn’t been the same over the past month, thus the slid in price to fit this category. |
| Center | Henrik Sedin | $10.4k | Surprising to find the league’s 2nd leading scorer in this price range. Lack of goals may explain that. |
| Left Wing | Milan Lucic | $9.9k | Lucic is the Cam Neely of this decade. He’s a find under $10k. |
| Left Wing | Jamie Benn | $9.8k | Benn has been one of the hottest forwards in the league this month. |
| Right Wing | Nathan Horton | $8.9k | Horton has 4 goals in his last 4 games. |
| Right Wing | Claude Giroux | $8.8k | (see above) |
| Defense | Shea Weber | $8.1k | I don’t usually have this much cap to spend on defense. Weber is one of the best. |
| Defense | Tomas Kaberle | $6k | Kaberle gets a shot at his former team tonight. |
| Flex | Alex Semin | $10.1k | Semin is coming off back to back 2-point games. |
Strategy 3 – Balance it Out
This is the type of roster I tend to play on Draftstreet. A few stars (Ovechkin and both Sedins), some quality mid-range selections (Horton, Giroux) and some value picks (Staal, Neal), along with a respectable defense. I’m going with Fleury here, as he rarely puts in back to back bad games, and he’s coming off a stinker against Philly.
| Position | Player | Salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalie | Marc-Andre Fleury | $17k | Fleury has a track record of fine performances following a loss. He faces Tampa tonight, so expect lots of saves. |
| Center | Henrik Sedin | $10.4k | (see above) |
| Center | Jordan Staal | $8.1k | (see above) |
| Left Wing | Alex Ovechkin | $12.9k | (see above) |
| Left Wing | Daniel Sedin | $13.4k | (see above) |
| Right Wing | Nathan Horton | $8.9k | (see above) |
| Right Wing | Claude Giroux | $8.8k | (see above) |
| Defense | Ryan Suter | $7.5k | Suter faces the Avs, who aren’t known for defense. He has 7 points in his last 7 games. |
| Defense | John Carlson | $5.7k | Carlson remains in the running for the Calder trophy. He had 8 shots on goal last game. |
| Flex | James Neal | $7.4k | Neal hasn’t done much since arriving in Pittsburgh. He’s got to break through soon. |
So what do you think? If you had to bet, which of my rosters will finish highest in the $400 contest tonight?
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About the Writer: ‘Chewy’ aka Gary Wilson, operates LandShark Hockey, and has been helping others dominate Fantasy Hockey Leagues for almost 20 years now. Landshark Hockey provides fantasy hockey fans with daily news, updates, and draft strategy including the LandShark Hockey War Room for Daily Fantasy Hockey Lineup Help.