NHL GPP Plays: Tuesday, October 20th
Every Tuesday and Thursday I am going to give you my top tournament plays for all Daily Fantasy Hockey GPPs (guaranteed prize pool). GPPs are a general term used across the industry for your big money tournaments.
GPPs are very different from your cash games and you use a different strategy with them. In our GPPs we are not interested in safe plays, since GPPs are all about UPSIDE. We want players who can explode, as all-or-nothing type players can become GPP gold, and your value players are just as important as your star players. You need your players to have huge nights in order to take down these big tournaments.
My goal is to provide players who will be under-owned and have that big game upside you are looking for. I will also try to find as much value as I possibly can. Now, let’s get to the NHL GPP plays!
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Mike Smith, Arizona Coyotes – Mike Smith has looked terrific in goal for the Desert Dogs so far the season, posting a 1.45 goals against average and a .959 save percentage. The New Jersey Devils were one of the weakest offenses in the National Hockey League during the 2014-15 season and they have continued that trend this season (only three goals in three games). Most fantasy owners will shy away from Smith because of his awful numbers last season and I think that is a mistake in GPPs. Smith and the Coyotes are playing good hockey and they could easily come away with the win tonight.
Roberto Luongo, Florida Panthers – If you are looking for a goalie that will see a ton of shots tonight, Luongo is your guy. The Pittsburgh Penguins are averaging 33.5 shots per game, which is the third most in the league this season. Despite all the shots, the Penguins are having trouble finishing, scoring only seven goals in their first five games (1.40 goals per game). Luongo has been outstanding in goal (1.77 GAA, .948 SV%) for the Florida Panthers, and he could very well stay hot and steal this game.
Other Goalies To Target – Braden Holtby, Steve Mason, Karri Ramo
CENTERS
Jason Spezza, Dallas Stars – The Dallas Stars’ top line (Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Patrick Sharp) will be very popular tonight in large field tournaments and that should allow Jason Spezza to fly under the radar. Spezza has been on fire in his last three games (4 G, 7 PTS, 15 SOG) and he should continue to roll in the City of Brotherly Love.
Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers – Despite their ugly start to the season, I still expect most of the attention to be on the Pittsburgh Penguins in this game, and this means Barkov and company should be highly under-owned in tournaments. The 20-year-old Fin has looked fantastic this season playing on a line with Jaromir Jagr and Jonathan Huberdeau. Barkov is very moderately priced across the industry and he has the upside we require in our GPPs.
Other Centers To Target – Evgeni Malkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alex Galchenyuk, Jori Lehtera
WINGERS
T.J. Oshie, Washington Capitals – Oshie has looked great in his last two games (2 G, 4 PTS, 7 SOG) and as long as he continues to play alongside Alexander Ovechkin, he should continue to produce. The Calgary Flames are struggling defensively and I think Oshie and his linemates take advantage of that tonight in Calgary. Oshie is an inexpensive way to get exposure to the best goal scorer in the game.
Ryan Strome and Anders Lee, New York Islanders – This is a strategy I use quite often in large field tournaments. Rather than pay up for John Tavares, I will get exposure to him through his linemates (Strome and Lee) who happen to be underpriced on most sites. This not only gives me exposure to the Islanders’ explosive top line, but also allows me to load up elsewhere.
Michael Cammalleri, New Jersey Devils – If you don’t believe in Mike Smith, you may want to look at a sniper from the New Jersey Devils. Cammalleri is the Devils’ biggest scoring threat and he should start to heat up while flanking Adam Henrique. Cammalleri is off to a slow start, but he still has “hat trick” upside.
Other Wingers To Target – Kyle Okposo, Jaromir Jagr, Adam Henrique, Nikita Kucherov
DEFENSE
Damon Severson, New Jersey Devils – Severson is one of very few value defensemen who also happens to be their team’s power play quarterback. In a game where the Devils may actually be able to score some goals, Severson is a bargain on defense.
Other Defensemen To Target – Mark Streit, Anton Stralman, Marek Zidlicky