Jaden Schwartz Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Remember all the talk about Vladimir Tarasenko playing poorly and even the idea that the St. Louis Blues would look in to trading him? Well how things have changed. Since January 1st, he is 5th in the NHL with 29 points and 3rd in the NHL with 15 goals. The Blues are in the midst of an 11 game win streak that has brought them up into third in their division. The Blues visit the Dallas Stars — a team in the middle of a three-game losing skid. They are expected to roll with Anton Khudobin between the pipes tonight and while he has played well this season, there is no reason to believe the Blues — who are putting on a clinic in most of their games — will be slowed down by him. This line remains together on the top power play unit which gives them full-game correlation and elite upside.

The struggles this season have been documented in-depth for Vladimir Tarasenko, but it was really just the month of December that was a nightmare for him. He had an abysmal 2 points (both goals) in 13 December games. Other than that, he has a respectable — but not great — 13 goals and 27 points in 31 games. With four goals and seven points in seven January games, there is hope that Tarasenko can have a hot second half to the season. There is likely to be a bit of positive regression to the mean in the goal-scoring department as his 9.4 percent shooting percentage is down over 3 percentage points from his career 12.7 percent shooting percentage. If he gets that back up, along with the St. Louis Blues simply playing better as of late, than he could have a big second half.

The St. Louis Blues visit the Washington Capitals tonight — a team that has been struggling a bit as of late at least from a possession standpoint. Over the Caps last 10 games, they have a 47.24 CF% which ranks 25th and are giving up the third-most CA/60 at a 62.21 clip. On the other hand, the Blues possession numbers are elite with a 56.31 CF% over their last 10 games which is the 2nd best mark in the NHL. Vladimir Tarasenko is having a season to forget with just 27 points in 44 games including an abysmal 2 points in 13 December games. However, his 3 goals and 5 points in 5 January games look like they could be a bit of a corner being turned and tonight's matchup could help get him back on the scoresheet again.

I seem to write this guy up every single slate, but his price seems to be fixed, so he'll be a staple in my lineups. In three prior games against the Blackhawks this season, O'Reilly has six points (one goal, five assists) and 13 shots on goal, good for an average of 6.8 DK points per contest. That's well above his season average of 5.2 FPPG. The move to the top line with Vladimir Tarasenko has been a great one, and O'Reilly is riding a ridiculous ten game point streak. I see no reason it won't continue tonight.

Jaden Schwartz had a slump-busting performance last Friday, netting a goal and an assist as the Blues silenced the Sharks 4-0. Last time out, Schwartz did not have a shot on goal, but he did find an assist while logging a season-high of ice time (20:45). Chicago's defensive ineptitude is no secret (3.72 GA/G is the worst mark in the Western Conference), and Schwartz is a skilled forward who can take advantage. Last season he burned the Blackhawks for four goals and an assist in just four meetings. With a depressed price point across the industry, Schwartz is a great option in all formats.

Will the real Jaden Schwartz please stand up? Last season Jaden Schwartz sat in the National Hockey League's top five for scoring chances per 60 minutes (34.04 SCF/60) at 5-on-5 among skaters who logged at least 600 minutes of ice time. This season he has yet to produce like he is capable of, recording zero multi-point games. A matchup with the Sharks does not stand out, but their goaltending has been poor, and they did play last night in Dallas. Schwartz is skating on the team's top line and power play with red-hot offseason acquisition Ryan O'Reilly who has picked up at least a point in eight consecutive games. Jaden's moderate price tag across the industry makes him a building block in cash games and tournaments if looking to gain exposure to the Blues, who have scored four or more goals in six of their last seven contests.

Jaden Schwartz was recommended the other night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Schwartz easily paid off his moderate salary, scoring a goal on four shots. Again tonight Schwartz checks in as an excellent value as he is $5,100 on DraftKings and $5,500 on FanDuel. Schwartz bombarded the Blackhawks in four meetings last season, potting four goals on 17 shots to go along with an assist. With the Blues off a pathetic performance, count on Schwartz and Tarasenko to bounce back against a Chicago team allowing the second-most high danger chances per 60 minutes in the National Hockey League.

The oft-injured Jaden Schwartz checks in at a discounted price of $5,000 on DraftKings and $5,500 on FanDuel. Jaden's slow start to the season offers a nice buy low opportunity, especially in tournaments as Sergei Bobrovsky is not a goalie people like to target against. However, Sergei has allowed 23 goals in just six starts. Schwartz was operating at a point per game pace last season and sported a team-best 34.04 scoring chances per 60 minutes at 5v5 with linemates Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn right behind him. To put Jaden's SCF/60 into perspective, Connor McDavid's mark last season was 34.61. Schwartz and company make for a tantalizing target in tournaments.

**Edit @ 12:30 - Sergei Bobrovsky will get the night off as backup Joonas Korpisalo, who managed a miserable .897 save percentage in 18 appearances last season, gets the nod. Even better for the Blues.**

If you're looking for a complete line stack in a great spot at home with everything to play for, turn to the top line of the Blues which features Tarasenko, Schwartz, and Schenn . Despite their recent struggles, Tarasenko has quietly put together another fantastic offensive season for the Blues. A matchup against a potent Washington team may seem risky, but the Capitals will be playing on the tail end of back to back games on the road after clinching their division in Pittsburgh last night and have surrendered the most high danger scoring chances over their last 25 road games. With home ice advantage on their side, look for head coach Mike Yeo to get his most talented line in prime offensive zone faceoffs and matched up against one of the weaker lines of Washington throughout tonight's contest.

With Vladimir Tarasenko returning to the lineup tonight, the St. Louis Blues lethal top line sits at the top of my list tonight in all formats. The Vancouver Canucks are not only playing their second game in as many nights, they have been abysmal of late (losing 10 of their last 12 games, while surrendering more goals against per game than any other team on this slate since the All-Star break), and think we see St. Louis light them up tonight on home ice. In cash games, I plan to roster both Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz, and I will do my best to add power play quarterback Alex Pietrangelo who has been red hot of late, racking up three goals, seven points and 14 shots on goal in his last three contests. Tarasenko is certainly cash game worthy, but he is coming back from an injury and his linemates are less expensive. As far as tourneys go, you could argue that this deadly trio is the top line to target, and adding Pietrangelo to the mix whenever possible.