Daily Fantasy Hockey DFS Value Update – January 10, 2014

I will mention that I generally do not pick two players playing against each other in the same game for a daily fantasy hockey lineup. The same applies for a goalie and a player from opposite teams. You might see two players among the “value picks” from opposite teams, but that doesn’t mean you should take them both. No matter the value, you’re also likely cannibalizing points, so any gains made below a certain price point – the point where production and cost intersect – can be lost if production declines overall as well.

There are many things that determine value: The player’s history (both short and long-term), the price, recent production, opponent, line matching at even-strength, power play time and injuries are just some of the factors to consider. The “Top Value” doesn’t necessarily mean the cheapest player, either.

Finally, as far as goalies go, it’s the one position I’ll pay through the nose for if I really like the match-up. The same applies for back-ups with good match-ups. In a given night, with a full slate of games, I won’t have more than three different goalies across all my lineups, usually two. I’ll name the goalies I like specifically in the match-ups they appear in.

Here is today’s slate of games (and DraftDay values). Reminder: check Left Wing Lock for up-to-the-minute information on starting goalies.

Games are color-coded as follows:

Green means load up. Yellow means grab a couple of players. Red means value plays only.

Dallas Stars at New York Rangers

The Stars are on a big time slide of late, having lost four straight in regulation by a combined score of 19-8, which includes getting shutout in New Jersey last night, the first time the team has been shut out this season. Panic time is setting in for the Stars, as lines were getting jumbled last night and nothing seemed to be working. It’s not like they’re being blown-out in the actual process – they have only been outshot 132-126 in those four games – but something is up in Dallas and it’s leading to a quick tailspin.

The Rangers are coming off a big 3-2 win in Chicago a couple of nights ago, which temporarily put them in a playoff position. That win gave them the most road wins of any team in the East, with the flipside being they have the third-fewest number of wins at home in the East (8), just ahead of the Islanders (7) and Red Wings (6). There is a glut of teams vying for playoff spots in the East, so easy points (and by easy, I mean a reeling team on the second night of a back-to-back on the road) are a must-have.

This is the second meeting between these two teams, and the Rangers took the first one back in late November 3-2 in Dallas. It was one of Henrik Lundqvist’s best outings of the season, as he saved 41 of 43 shots to preserve the win. In that game, the Benn/Seguin/Nichushkin line had 0 points as coach Lindy Ruff tried all game to get them away from the Stepan line.

I don’t like to rely on the Rangers at home, but this is what some people call a “schedule win”, or getting a team (especially on a slide) on the second of a back-to-back at home. Lundqvist’s price is still reasonable, in case you feel like living dangerously.

Michael Clifford

Michael Clifford was born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada and is a graduate of the Unviersity of New Brunswick. He writes about fantasy hockey and baseball for XNSports and FantasyTrade411.com. He can be reached on Twitter @SlimCliffy for any fantasy hockey questions. Follow @SlimCliffy !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');

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