Dustin Byfuglien Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

The loss of Dustin Bfuglien for an extended period of time has led to Josh Morrissey taking on more responsibilities for the Jets, including the role of quarterback on a lethal number one power play unit. Morrissey has been seeing 25+ minutes per game lately, up significantly from his usual 20-21 minutes. Over his last two games, he's registered 8 shots on goal, and I expect that trend to continue. A home matchup with the Avalanche should feature plenty of goals, and Morrissey should find the scoresheet.

With Dustin Byfuglien out, minutes open up on the team's top power play unit. While we have yet to get something firm on who will take Dustin's spot, it is likely to be Josh Morrissey who saw a good run earlier this season when Byfuglien was nursing an injury. Morrissey is far too cheap across the industry given the heavier workload he will see tonight. The same goes for Jacob Trouba who will continue to see power play time on either unit. No matter where Morrissey or Trouba skate on the power play, they draw a wonderful matchup against a generous Chicago defense allowing 3.56 goals per game on the road.

The Montreal Canadiens have been able to score a few goals this season which has helped the team jump out to a 5-2-2 record. Another thing that has helped Montreal has been the play of defenseman Jeff Petry as he is not only filling in for the injured Shea Weber he has been productive while doing so. Petry has seen four of his nine points come with the extra attacker while firing off 16 shots on net. Unless you want to pay up for Kris Letang, Dustin Byfuglien or Morgan Rielly you are probably better off going with the cheaper Petry this evening.

If you have some extra salary to work with tonight, consider taking Winnipeg's second line which features Laine, Ehlers, and the newly acquired Paul Stastny. With a whopping 36 combined points over their last 10 games, this line has found instant chemistry for the streaking Jets. They draw a fantastic matchup against a struggling Blackhawks team that has allowed the third most high danger scoring chances over their past 25 road games on the slate. In a game that could go overlooked in favor of higher projected scoring games, look for this trio to use their talent and speed to create prime scoring opportunities and easily pay off their steep price tags.

Sundays are for the Jets, apparently. This is a favorable matchup all around for Winnipeg, but Byfuglien gets the nod on the blueline over his peers thanks to the best power play draw of the lot. Florida enters this matchup allowing the fourth most overall shot attempts per hour while shorthanded, opening the door for Winnipeg to pile up shots. These are unlikely to be empty attempts, too, as the Panthers have the third highest rate of high-danger shot attempts allowed. Byfuglien, for his part, has put multiple pucks on the net in each of his last five games while also seeing well over 20 minutes on the ice in all situations (when he is not picking up game misconducts).

In his four games since returning from injury, Dustin Byfuglien has scored two goals. He has not been otherworldly or anything, but getting Byfuglien back in the lineup is certainly a good thing for a Jets team that looks like one of the best in the NHL. He has averaged 23:19 of ice time per season which is actually four minutes less per game than last season which is a bit concerning, but he leads the team in power play ice time averaging 3:29 per game, which is definitely a great thing to see. The Jets have the second best power play in the NHL converting on 25.6 percent of their opportunities, and while the Blackhawks have the 11th best penalty kill, the Jets should be able to flourish with the man advantage.

He's still yet to score his first goal of the season, but that doesn't prevent Byfuglien from being one of the top options on the blue-line this evening. Big Buff will lace up his skates tonight having handed out four assists in the last four games and is locked into as many minutes as he can handle (24:08 average TOI/G this season). He's a dangerous weapon from the point of the Jet's top power-play unit which should bode well for him tonight as the Coyotes have not only allowed a Western Conference worst 3.89 GA/G this season, but also happen to sport an ugly 76.5% penalty kill.

Facing the Montreal Canadiens tends to scare many fantasy owners away, but tonight it most certainly shouldn't. Not only will Carey Price not be between the pipes (Al Montoya will start), but the Canadiens have allowed a troubling 3.92 goals against per game this season. It's been a somewhat slow start for Big Buff, but all seven of his points this season have come on home-ice and he's averaging over 24 minutes of playing time per game. He can rack up fantasy points in every category which not only provides a high floor, but also leaves massive GPP upside.