FanDuel Friday NHL and $1,000 Shootout Lineups
LandShark Hockey
FanDuel Friday NHL Shootout
I have been playing daily hockey on Fanduel religiously since the season began (with decent success), so it’s about time I got around to writing about it here. In addition, it’s Friday – so that means the $10 buy-in, $1,000 NHL Shootout is going on tomorrow! This week, I’ll break down my target picks by position to highlight who’s giving you the best value this season. First prize is $320 in the Shootout on Saturday, so if you’re not on FanDuel yet, make sure to check out our exclusive FanDuel Promocode and Sign-Up Bonus ! Let’s start up front:
Center
Obviously, once Crosby returns to health, he’s a must-start, despite his hefty salary of $9900. Until then, the go-to guy remains Steven Stamkos. Stamkos is the only other forward producing 6 FPPG or more. Here are some more economic options that give you good value:
- Patrick Sharp (CHI – $7600) – Sharp is still in the top 5 of goal scorers this season, and is giving 4.35 fppg.
- Mikhail Grabovski (TOR – $6600) – about 3.8 fppg is high for his price range
- John Tavares (NYI – $6200) – Tavares has been getting stronger as the season progresses, as he did last year. Expect his salary to be on the rise.
- Logan Couture (SJ – $5800) – Couture has hit a bit of a wall in recent weeks, but still exceeds his worth at that price.
Left Wing
It’s only a matter of time before Daniel Sedin overtakes Ovechkin as the highest price left winger. He’s been on of the top fantasy options on Fanduel all season at nearly 5.5 fppg. Plenty of good options at under $7k to consider:
- Ryan Clowe (SJ – $6900) – only active player under 7k getting you 4 fppg
- James Neal (DAL – $6800) – Neal’s pricetag has slowly risen all season long. That trend should continue. For now, he’s still a find.
- Milan Lucic (BOS – $6100) – Lucic jump out at his price. He delivers in all stat categories, totaling about 3.8 fppg
- Ville Leino (PHI – $5400) – if you’re needing a cheap, steady option, go with Leino
Right Wing
You’re going to need to spend between $6500 to $8000 for a solid player on right wing. Corey Perry is your most consistent producer, but he’ll cost you $8200. I had been playing Claude Giroux all season long, but his stock price has finally exceeded his value. Here are some others to target:
- Rick Nash (COB – $7300) – Nash has been playing strong lately and is up to 4.28 fppg
- Loui Eriksson (DAL – $7100) – another favorite option of mine, averaging 3.94 fppg
- Johan Franzen (DET – $6500) – after his 5-goal performance on Wednesday, he’s surpassed 4 fppg
- Jeff Skinner (CAR – $5600) – no winger comes close to Skinner’s value in that price range.
Defense
Cap space on Fanduel is far too tight to be spending it on defense. That’s why as a rule, I never draft a defenseman over $6k. In fact, anything over $5k is pushing it. The top dogs at this position haven’t been delivering lately anyway. Byfuglien is in a huge slump. Mike Green gives you rough 3 fppg, while costing you the same as a top-notch center. Particularly on defense, Fanduel seems to undervalue rookies, so should target these young guns all season long:
- P.K. Subban (MON) – $4900 gives you decent value for $4900, averaging almost 3 fppg.
- John Carlson (WAS) – $4800 – 2.25 fppg
- Alex Pietrangelo (STL) – $4400 – 2.4 fppg
- Kevin Shattenkirk (COL) – $4400 – 2.46 fppg
- Cam Fowler (ANA) – $4200 – 2 fppg
Goalies
As with all leagues, you really have to base your goaltender selection more on matchups and whose starting, than on what it’s going to cost you cap-wise. That said, you’re often faced with 2 or 3 equally favorable option, and that’s when it’s time to look for the value. Here are some guys to keep in mind when those decisions come along:
- Kari Lehtonen (DAL – $7300) – at 5.25 fppg, he’s one of the best, and considerably cheaper than many.
- Semyon Varlamov (WAS – $7100) – only gets 1/2 the starts in Washington, but has a good return at 5.14 fppg
- Brent Johnson (PIT – $6200) – he’s money when he gets the rare start.
- Sergei Bobrovsky (PHI – $6100) – Bobrovsky may be the MVP on Fanduel so far this year. His salary has gradually climbed all year, but he’s still nowhere near his true worth.
- Corey Crawford (CHI – $5600) – Crawford has assumed the #1 job for the defending champs and averages 5+ fppg.
- Cory Schneider (VAN – $4800) – Schneider has been the ace in the hole all season long. If you get confirmation he’s in net, he should typically be your first choice, as all he does is win for the Canucks.
My Roster
Here’s my roster for tonight’s action on Fanduel:
| Position | Player | Salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalie | Martin Brodeur | $7,500 | Brodeur can’t stop winning. He faces the Panthers who are slumping. |
| Center | Jordan Staal | $6,300 | Staal will continue to get top minutes on the power play until Crosby returns. |
| Center | Derick Brassard | $5,800 | Brassard’s a good value, giving 3.1 fppg for under $6k. |
| Left Wing | Henrik Zetterberg | $8,100 | Hank is one of the top producers and he’s consistent. |
| Left Wing | Taylor Hall | $5,000 | I needed a discount option, and Hall always has potential to score. |
| Right Wing | Johan Franzen | $6,600 | Can Franzen keep it rolling after his 5-goal game? Columbus gives him a good target. |
| Right Wing | Brad Boyes | $6,000 | Boyes has been hot, with 12 points in his last 11 games. |
| Defense | Niklas Kronwall | $5,100 | Kronwall can typically be counted on for a couple fantasy points. |
| Defense | Alex Pietrangelo | $4,600 | One of the top rookie defensmen in the game. Can’t beat that price. |
$1k Shootout
Fanduel is once again offering the $1000 shootout on Saturday. While I’ll revisit this tomorrow when the starting goalie situation becomes clearer, I’m penciling in Rick DiPietro against the Sens at a mere ($5200) cap hit. If Poulin gets the start, even better ($3500). It seems crazy to run with the Isles, but they’re playing good hockey right now and face the Senators, who have been the worst team in the NHL so far in 2011.
| Position | Player | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Goalie | Rick DiPietro | $5,200 |
| Center | John Tavares | $6,400 |
| Center | Jeff Skinner | $5,600 |
| Left Wing | Henrik Zetterberg | $8,100 |
| Left Wing | James Neal | $6,800 |
| Right Wing | Johan Franzen | $6,600 |
| Right Wing | Rick Nash | $7,600 |
| Defense | Anton Babchuk | $4,400 |
| Defense | Grant Clitsome | $4,000 |
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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.