NHL DFS Slate Summary: Friday, December 29th
Welcome to the RotoGrinders NHL DFS Slate Summary. In this article, we’ll concentrate on the key elements of DFS success while delivering analysis on the upcoming slate of NHL games for DraftKings and FanDuel. We’ll discuss today’s NHL DFS player projections, player correlations and NHL stacking, NHL starting lineups, differentiation tactics using NHL projected ownership, and recommendations on ways to create lineup diversity if entering multiple lineups using LineupHQ.
NHL DFS Picks: Slate Summary for Friday, December 29th
Today’s Games
Slate Overview
Does anyone else have no clue what day it’s been all week? OK, just me? I’ve definitely been off a day and thought yesterday was Wednesday (shoutout to Boggs for covering the Expert Survey that I didn’t do because my days were wrong). The good news is that it’s Friday so we can pretend to be working for one more day before another long weekend. Props to DK for some solid offerings, including a $80k prize pool, $20k to first contest for the $400. It’s not quite the $100k prize pool, $25k to first, but still pretty solid.
There are nine games on the slate, and while it’s not devoid of star power by any stretch, it’s not quite as loaded as we’ve seen on many of the most recent large slates. Yes, we have Matthews, MacKinnon, and Hughes, but are missing the likes of Kucherov, Pastrnak, McDavid, and company. Once again, I think people will try to get both MacKinnon and Matthews into their lineups (especially in cash), but as of now, the value options seem pretty limited so it could lead to similar lineups. There’s also the flu bug going around, especially in St. Louis, but I wouldn’t be surprised if other teams are impacted. So it’s even more important than usual to pay attention to the news, and especially the Discord channel.
Top Skaters
Auston Matthews
DraftKings $10,100
The other night, Matthews “scored” early and appeared on his way to a complete smash. The goal got changed to an assist and he was held off the scoresheet the rest of the way. Still, we won’t be deterred as he has an even better matchup tonight. He’s almost up to a goal per game pace and is now even money to win the Rocket Richard award for the most regular season goals. He has 12 goals in his last 8 games. In the two previous meetings against the Blue Jackets, his numbers are videogame-like. And by videogame-like, I mean NHL turned on “Rookie” mode. In two games, he has 4 goals, 2 assists, and 14 shots on goal. That’s an average of 41 DK points per game. It’s nearly impossible to match that pace, but another multi-point outing and the 5+ SOG bonus feel well within reach.