NHL DFS Slate Summary: Saturday, January 6th
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 Saturday, January 6th
Today’s Games
Slate Overview
I’m struggling to come up with a clever intro, so we’ll get right into the good stuff and avoid the fluff. There are ten games on the main slate, which is sizable but not obnoxiously large. There’s probably the “Big 3” teams tonight consisting of the Oilers, Maple Leafs, and Rangers, and then the next tier has either 3 or 4 teams, depending on how you feel about the Avalanche. I expect those six or seven teams to soak up almost all of the ownership, at least for the primary and secondary stacks.
There’s no college football, but worse (for contests), there is NFL sucking up much of the DFS economy’s money. Still, there are some solid contests out there. It’s the beginning of the year, so it’s time to start racking up that taxable income through DFS! We can worry about lowering the amount later in the year through timely donations, but let’s build that bankroll first!
Top Skaters
Connor McDavid
DraftKings $9,500
Let’s start with Auston Matthews. It’s early, but I expect him to come in a good bit higher owned than McDavid and understandably so. He projects as the highest raw point scorer thanks to a great matchup against the Sharks. In cash games, he’s the clear choice. But in tournaments, I’m willing to roll the dice with McDavid.
It feels like it’s been weeks since I’ve written up McDavid. Overall, that’s been a profitable strategy, as he has had DK point totals of 8, 6.5, 6.5, and 4.5 over his last seven games. With that being said, he’s coming off one of his best performances of the year, a five-point outing against the Flyers. Unsurprisingly, it was at home. I know it sounds sacrilegious to say this, but McDavid is borderline unplayable on the road right now, at least at his DK price tag. At home, however, he’s been electric, with 34 points in 16 games.
In addition to being at home, the matchup is favorable for McDavid. The Senators can’t stop anyone from scoring and have allowed 4, 6, and 6 goals in three of their last four, with only Buffalo unable to crack the code. He hasn’t faced them this season, but last year in two appearances he managed to pick up a casual five points. He seems set for another multi-point outing and has the potential to break the slate.