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.
Buffalo Sabres at Toronto Maple Leafs
The Sabres are coming off a wild 4-3 loss at home to Philadelphia. Leading with seven minutes left in the third, Philadelphia scored three goals in the final seven minutes to win the game in regulation. That game saw Buffalo do something they haven’t done for nearly two months: give up two power play goals against. It was a game they deserved to lose and Ryan Miller wasn’t in net to steal them this one (though Jhonas Enroth came pretty close).
As far as the Leafs go, they did it: they won their first regulation game on the road since before Halloween. Like Buffalo, it was a game they were wildly outplayed in, but unlike Buffalo, the Leafs managed to capitalize on a couple power plays and then hang on for the win. One big take-away from the game was the Leafs power play, which looked the best it has in a long time in terms of puck movement.
Tonight is the fifth meeting this year between the Leafs and Sabres. In their previous four contests, each team has a regulation win at home and each team has a post-regulation win. The Sabres have scored four power play goals in those games while the Leafs have three. Essentially, these are two fairly evenly-matched teams (at least in their head-to-head matchups).
I’ll have Ryan Miller as my goalie tonight in a few leagues because he’s more than capable of stealing this game (and he’s 2-0-1 against the Leafs already this year). I’ll also have a couple of skaters, mainly from their power plays. My tip for today is that if you want to separate yourself from others who load up on Pittsburgh, I would pick apart the Hodgson line in Buffalo.
**Note: with both teams playing last night, game day skates won’t happen so lineup changes won’t be announced until probably an hour (or less) before game time. The joy of DFS hockey.
|
Top RW Value |
Top LW Value |
Top C Value |
Top D Value |
Bargain Bin |
|
Matt D’Agostini (BUF) $5000 |
(BUF) $10,050 |
Cody Hodgson $6800 |
(TOR) $5800 |
Mason Raymond $6200 |
