Ryan Ellis Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Craig Smith, Kyle Turris, and Calle Jarnkrok come in as a very cheap line stack on a night where there is a lot of high priced line stacks to pay up for. Injuries have plagued the Nashville Predators all season, creating slightly more ice time and opportunities for Nashville’s second line. On top of that, on home ice this line is typically matched up against the opposition’s weaker lines, and gets the most offensive zone faceoff’s. With Kyle Turris back last game, you get two-thirds of the team’s top power play unit. Adding either defensemen Roman Josi, or Ryan Ellis gives you power-play correlation, and multiple ways to differentiate your lineup. Josi is my preferred option if salary is available.

Ryan Ellis checks in as one of the best values of the night at a modest $4,800 on DraftKings and $4,700 on FanDuel. Ellis skates on the team's top pairing with Swedish stud Roman Josi, and it looks like Ellis will move up to the team's top power play unit alongside Josi as well. The matchup against an Ottawa team which has been pounded on the road (5.08 GA/G) is one to exploit. Choosing the right Predators' forwards is challenging, but Ellis & Josi are as stable as they come. Ellis hasn't had a multi-point game in three weeks, but of anyone under $5,000 on either site, Ryan has the best chance of recording one.

In P.K. Subban's absence, Ryan Ellis has elevated his game in an effort to replace #76's production. He's logged 25+ minutes of ice time in nine straight games, and he's been productive with the time too. Lately, he's been getting more pucks to the net with 4+ shots in two of his last three. He has just one goal on 48 shots on goal, which shows that some positive regression is coming. It could begin tonight at home against the Avalanche, a team known for struggling more on the road.

For whatever reason, Derrick Pouliot's price has plunged from $4,300 on 11/13 to $2,700 tonight on DraftKings. Perhaps it's his six consecutive games without a point, all of which came on the road, that is the reason for the price drop. Whatever the reason may be, such a price tag on a defenseman seeing top power play minutes with super talent Elias Pettersson has to be taken advantage of. Pouliot is still reasonable on FanDuel ($3,700), but there are other guys roughly $1,000 more (e.g. Thomas Chabot, Ryan Ellis, Oscar Klefbom, Seth Jones) that rate as better plays. Vancouver is surprisingly averaging 3.57 goals per game on home ice and will get a crack at Carey Price, who despite turning in a gem last time out, has really struggled on the season. As always with someone like Pouliot, temper your expectations, but his price is really attractive now that he's back on home ice against a beatable opponent.

The Nashville Predators will host the New York Islanders tonight. The Pred’s second line is almost free, and provide huge upside in this matchup. The Islanders were one of our favorite teams to pick on last year, and they lost superstar John Tavares in free agency. Nashville’s second line featuring Craig Smith, Kyle Turris, and Kevin Fiala has a HDCF%(Percentage of high danger scoring chances) of 61.54 when they are on the ice together. This suggests that their one goal as a line so far is a result of bad luck. They also get a large percentage of the teams offensive zone face-offs. Look for this line to go under the radar tonight, and at their low salaries, they can be paired with other high priced lines. You can pair them with defensemen Roman Josi or Ryan Ellis. Josi being my preferred option is salary is available.

It's not a secret, the Nashville Predators are stacked on the blue-line. However, most DFS'ers still flock to either Roman Josi or P.K. Subban (and for good reason), but it's actually been Ryan Ellis who has been putting up the better offensive numbers down the stretch. Ellis owns five goals and eight assists in 15 games this month and is fresh off of a two point performance against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. Fully healthy, Ellis is routinely seeing north of 25 mintues of ice-time each night and shares the duties on the point of the second power-play unit with Roman Josi. With Buffalo owning a sub-par 78.3% penalty kill, Ellis can be rostered with confidence in all formats.

If you're looking for an under the radar stack tonight, consider Nashville's second line which features Craig Smith, Kevin Fiala, and newly acquired Kyle Turris. Back home where they play their best hockey, this trio draws a sneaky good matchup against a Winnipeg Jets team that will be playing on tired legs following a tough loss to Washington last night. Despite shoring up their penalty kill this year, Winnipeg continues to take too many penalties for their own good. This bodes well for the second line of Nashville, who have combined for 25 power play points at home this season and won't be tasked with shutting down Blake Wheeler or Patrik Laine with home ice advantage on their side.

After a rough road trip , Nashville's second line which features Craig Smith, Kevin Fiala, and newly acquired Kyle Turris are primed for a major bounce back game tonight against the Stars. Back home where they play their best hockey, this trio draws a sneaky good matchup against a banged up Dallas Stars team that will be playing on tired legs following a disappointing loss to Ottawa last night. This bodes well for the second line of Nashville who have combined for 25 power play points at home this season and won't be tasked with shutting down Tyler Seguin with home ice advantage on their side.

The Edmonton Oilers are not only playing poor defensive hockey, they have also struggled mightily while short-handed, ranking dead-last in the National Hockey League on the penalty kill, which opens the door for the Nashville Predators three-headed monster. With a very favorable matchup on deck, all three of the Nashville Predators power play quarterbacks (P.K. Subban, Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis) are in play across the board tonight, with Subban and Josi leading the way. Keep in mind that if you are stacking the Predators tonight, Subban rolls with the Predators number one line on the top power play unit, while Josi and Ellis skate with the second line on the second power play unit.

We have a double edged sword in Nashville tonight. On one side of the sword, we know the Panthers are a team to target with opposing defensemen as they allow a good volume of shot attempts at 5v5 and they have one of the worst penalty kills in the league. On the other, narrowing or figuring out which Predator defenseman to hone in on is not easy. The Predators use all of Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis, and even Mattias Ekholm liberally on the power play. Most recently, Josi and Ellis have been seeing a tick more time on the advantage. Florida allows the third, fifth, and most shot attempts, scoring chances, and high-danger shot attempts per hour shorthanded (respectively). All of Josi, Ellis, and Subban play a good two-way game. Josi comes with the highest floor of the group, but Ellis (his 5v5 partner) offers a nice blend of upside and cost savings. Subban is Subban and can make highlight reel plays any game. Depending on your salary needs, the Predators offer blueliners for all budgets and formats.