NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 10/18
Top Goalies Martin Jones The only issue I have with Jones tonight is that he probably won’t see a ton of shots against him and is bound to allow a goal or two. I think the Sharks win this game
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 10/17
Top Goalies Jake Allen (STL) Early on, Allen has looked like shit and his opponent, the Canadiens have looked good in all facets of the game except for the power play and faceoffs. They’re averaging 3.4 goals per game along
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 10/16
UPDATES HIGHLIGHTED IN RED Top Goalies Louis Domingue (TB) Domingue gets the nod tonight at a good value for the Lightning in a high-upside matchup. The Hurricanes are averaging the most shots per game giving Domingue plenty of chances to
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 10/15
Top Goalies Ben Bishop (DAL) Outside of an ugly performance against the Maple Leafs, the team that has been scoring goals all over the place, Bishop has been good allowing one goal in his other two starts combined with 30
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 10/11
Top Goalies Frederik Andersen (TOR) Toronto’s wide open style has allowed for a ton of scoring chances against through their first four games. Andersen is coming off of a rocky start in which he allowed four goals against on 34 shots. That’s just it, though. He’s seen 34 or more shots in two of his three starts thus far and we can expect that same kind of workload tonight. Andersen is an upside play that also offers a solid floor as I would expect Toronto to do enough offensively to earn him a victory. Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB) If you’re looking to pay up and not worry in net tonight, I don’t see any way that Tampa doesn’t beat Vancouver in what is just their second game of the season. The Lightning netminder stopped 42 of 43 shots against the Panthers his last time out and should rack up enough saves to justify the salary. Devan Dubnyk (MIN) Dubnyk leads the Wild at home tonight against the Blackhawks, a team he has had good success against recently. In his last two starts against Chicago, Dubnyk has allowed just one goal while stopping 78 of 79 shots faced. Through two starts this season, Dubnyk has seen an average of 40 shots and allowed just three goals. He’s a better value on DK but I don’t mind his salary on FD as I expect him to see at least 32 shots and walk away with a win. Others to Consider: Jonathan Quick or Jack Campbell (LAK), Aaron Dell (SJ) Key Three Skaters Evgeni Malkin (PIT) Malkin’s salary, especially on DK tonight is outrageously cheap. He centers the second line for the Penguins with Carl Hagelin and Phil Kessel (who is also underpriced) and they face a good matchup against Vegas who have struggled defensively thus far. Geno is a game breaker anytime he hits the ice and incredibly hard to pass up in this spot at his value. David Pastrnak (BOS) Pasta has been all over the scoresheet thus far with 15 shots, three goals, and two assists in three games. The Bruins are always a team to look at playing at home and especially one against a team that is suspect defensively. He brings speed and a lethal shot to the first line whereas Bergeron is the do-it-all center and Marchand is the gritty, aggressive winger down low. Look for Pasta to have plenty of shooting opportunities tonight at even strength and on the power play. Taylor Hall (NJ) Hall took his game to a whole other level last season in winning the Hart Trophy as the leagues MVP. The Devils have played just one game thus far and Hall was limited to four shots but I like this spot for him tonight against the Caps. Washington is likely to start their backup tonight after playing last night and Hall had two goals and an assist in three games against the Caps last season. He’s a completely different player now than he was with Edmonton and is blossoming, finally, into one of the most dynamic forwards in the league. Top Teams to Target Toronto Maple Leafs at Detroit Red Wings The Leafs have been on fire offensively thus far with 20 goals in their first four games. The Auston Matthews, Patrick Marleau, and Kasperi Kapanen line skated well in their last game together. This was Kapanen’s first game on the line with Matthews and Marleau who have both been gelling early on this season. John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and Zach Hyman have looked comfortable together, especially last time out when JT had two goals and Marner has a goal and three assists. On defense, Morgan Rielly has been on fire and Jake Gardiner is a worthwhile pivot off of Rielly at a lower salary. Favorite one-off: Marner Favorite defenseman: Rielly Tampa Bay Lightning vs Vancouver Canucks The Lightning have played just one game thus far, oddly enough, while Vancouver has played three. The Canucks have allowed 12 goals in their last two games, both road games in fact. The top Lightning line of Ondrej Palat, Steven Stamkos, and Nikita Kucherov is one that figures to be extremely productive. Stamkos and Kucherov are mainstays on the top power-play unit while Palat sees his man-advantage ice time on the second unit. Brayden Point centers the second line with Yanni Gourde and Tyler Johnson, a trio that present good value and are familiar with each other. Victor Hedman is the top dollar play on the blue line with value options like Ryan McDonagh and Mikhail Sergachev serving as pivot options. Favorite one-off: Kucherov Favorite defensemen: Hedman, Sergachev Pittsburgh Penguins vs Vegas Golden Knights The Pens were a major let down the other night at home against Montreal but I would expect them to bounce back tonight against the Golden Knights who just played last night in Washington. Vegas has allowed at least four goals in three of their first four games this season and I would expect this to be a high scoring back and forth game. Jake Guentzel, Sidney Crosby, and Patric Hornqvist make up a very strong top line with Crosby and Hornqvist seeing power play minutes on the top unit. The second line and my preferred line has Carl Hagelin, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel. I like the idea of pivoting off of Crosby and on to Malkin and pairing him up with Kessel as those two have shown great chemistry. You can complete this stack if you need a value piece with Hagelin finding himself often involved on this line. Malkin and Kessel also skate on the Pens top power-play unit. On the back end, Kris Letang is all offense as he couldn’t care less about the defensive side of the game. He has two goals, two assists, and five shots in his first two games and quarterbacks the top power-play unit. The other defensemen for Pittsburgh are value plays that don’t get involved enough in the offense
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 10/10
Top Goalies John Gibson (ANA) Gibson faces the Coyotes for the second time already this season as he posted a 41 save shutout against them in his last time out. The Ducks’ netminder has beaten the Coyotes each of the
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 10/9
Top Goalies Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ) Bobrovsky has made one start this season, a 32-save loss against the Hurricanes. The Avalanche come to Columbus to visit the Blue Jackets in a building in which Bobrovsky had a .929 save percentage and
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 10/8
*The slate, with it being Columbus Day, has a 1:00 P.M. lock time. There are three games on the slate with the late game not included. Top Goalies Tuukka Rask (BOS) Rask should be the clear chalk in a home matchup against the Ottawa Senators. With the Bruins being heavy favorites most people playing will gravitate towards him and his more-than-affordable salary on both sites. In most cases, I am all for fading a chalky Tuukka Rask who is known to have some horrific games in decent spots. He looked like absolute dog shit on opening night but with the tough road matchup, banner raising nonsense, and a charged up Capitals team I’m willing to give him a pass. Rask was 3-0 with a .959 save percentage and a 1.00 GAA in three starts against the Senators. This is a rare spot where I’m ok eating Rask chalk. Martin Jones (SJ) Jones has made two starts already and I would expect him to start today against the Islanders as well. Jones hasn’t looked particularly good in his first two starts seeing limited work against the Ducks and Kings. Today, though, he should see some more action and shots in front of him facing a team that is going to want to push the envelope with the puck up and down the ice. Jones should get into a rhythm early and keeps the Isles at bay. Key Three Skaters David Pastrnak (BOS) Pasta has nine shots and a goal in his first two games of the season and had a goal and two assists against the Ottawa Senators in four games last season. Since the beginning of last season, the Sens have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to right-wingers. Skating on a dynamic line and seeing top power-play minutes against a poor defensive team, Pasta will produce big-time today. Jack Eichel (BUF) Jack was active last night, much more active than the Sabres’ opening night performance against the Bruins. The Sabres captain had a goal (empty net), an assist (on a beautiful power-play), four shots on goal, and two blocks in 25 minutes of ice-time. Since the beginning of last season, the Golden Knights have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing centers. Buffalo should look to push the issue in this game with Vegas playing their second road game in the last three days, again keep in mind that this is an afternoon game and that the Knights flew West coast to East coast to battle the Wild, had an off-day, now play here against Buffalo. Erik Karlsson (SJ) It’s not often that you’ll see me include a defenseman in this section, but on a short slate in this matchup, I have a tough time not locking in EK65. The Islanders have been absolutely putrid since the beginning of last season against the defense position allowing the third-most fantasy points to blue-liners, including 54 goals and 171 assists. EK has six goals, 16 assists, and 64 shots in 25 games against the Islanders. He’ll make his presence felt today against the vulnerable Isles. Favorite Line Stacks Boston Bruins First Line Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak At time this trio was broken up last season, which I could never understand, but they are together for now at even strength as well as on the power play. This is as close to a perfect hockey line as you can find. Marchand is the gritty, aggressive, pain in the ass on the defensive and offensive zones that no one seems to like. Bergeron is the playmaking center that isn’t afraid to shoot while regularly shutting down opposing top-line centers with his incredible defense. Pastrnak is the young, 22-year-old kid with all of the speed and talent in the world with an incredible shot that he can get off in any situation from anywhere on the ice. These three will be popular, but they should give the Sens fits today. Buffalo Sabres First Line Sheary – Eichel – Reinhart This line presents a ton of value and shouldn’t be as popular as the Bruins top trio. With that said, it’s possible to get both lines into the same lineup. This line was put together after the Sabres’ embarrassing home effort in their opener against the Bruins. They responded with a productive showing against the Rangers as they combined for three goals and two assists and all three contributed to a power-play goal early in the game. I expect these three to push the issue with their speed and ability to get to the net against Marc-Andre Fleury who’s looked shaky allowing six goals on 46 shots against in two games. Top Positional Plays Not including players mentioned in “Key Three” or “Favorite Line Stacks” sections Center Logan Couture (SJ) – Should step in on the top line with Joe Thornton heading to I.R. William Karlsson (VGK) – Never discount Wild Bill’s talent centering a very good top line. I, personally just think Vegas as a whole underwhelm’s tonight, but their top line can’t be ignored. David Krejci (BOS) – Cheaper exposure to Boston who I think score at least four tonight. Krejci centers the second line. Matt Duchene (OTT) – Ottawa’s best player and a way to combat Rask chalk if you decide to fade. Wing Joe Pavelski (SJ) – Hasn’t been the goal scorer we’re accustomed to seeing but Pavelski is still a very good player on the first line of a dynamic offensive team. Evander Kane (SJ) – His speed and shot volume always present upside. Jeff Skinner (BUF) – Skating on the second even-strength line but top power-play unit. Generates a lot of high-danger scoring chances and shoots a ton. Jonathan Marchessault (VGK) – Part of that Vegas line that’s centered by Wild Bill. Kyle Okposo (BUF) – Great value skating on the second line and top power-play unit . Ryan Donato (BOS) – Moved up to the second line and is positioned in front of the net on the top
NFL DFS: Week 5 Top Stacks
Detroit Lions Matthew Stafford, Golden Tate, Kenny Golladay Stafford and the Lions should take advantage of a Packers secondary that has been plagued by injury and poor play through the first four weeks of the season. Kenny Golladay saw just four targets last week but converted all of them into catches against a tough Dallas secondary. In his previous three games, the emerging receiver saw seven, nine, and 12 targets respectively and brings good size in a matchup against the undersized Packer secondary. Golden Tate has seen eight, eight, 13, and 15 targets over his last four games with at least six catches and 69 yards in each contest. Last week Tate broke out in a big way catching all eight of his targets for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He presents good upside with his run after catch ability while being a dependable target in a high-volume passing offense. Leading the charge of this high-volume passing attack is Matt Stafford who has attempted at least 30 passes in each game this season while completing at least 24 of those attempts in each contest. Stafford has had two games (week 1 27 completions on 46 attempts) and (week 2 34 completions on 53 attempts.) I expect a similar workload here in a game that should be high-scoring and close throughout. Pittsburgh Steelers Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Vance McDonald In the game with the highest total on the board, exposure to this game will be heavy throughout all contests which I’m fine within a game featuring two poor defenses. The Falcons defense has been losing players due to injury left and right and Ben is looking to bounce back after a poor home performance last week against Baltimore. Antonio Brown is yet to have one of his typical monster games through the first four weeks of the season but I think that we are in for that this week. He’s seen 11, 9, 17, and 16 targets over the last four weeks and has found the end zone on three occasions. Look for Ben to get AB involved early and often. Vance McDonald presents good value at the tight end spot this week with not much clarity at the position. With that said, expect McDonald to be a popular play but one that should pay off as he did last week catching all five of his targets for 62 yards. This stack presents value with McDonald and Ben, especially on DK allowing you to run it back with Julio Jones from the Falcons passing attack. Philadelphia Eagles Carson Wentz, Alshon Jeffrey, Zach Ertz With most looking to the 1 p.m games for exposure this week, this game should fly under the radar and has the making of a potential shootout. The Vikings defense is solid but they have shown to be vulnerable at times, specifically against the Bills and Rams. Wentz is in his third week back and is looking more and more like the player we saw last season. Coming off of good week against a solid Titans defense on the road (33.50, 348, 2), Wentz is in the driver’s seat again this week at home. One of those Wentz touchdowns went to the returning Alshon Jeffery who missed the first three games of the season recovering from surgery on his rotator cuff. Jeffery had eight receptions on nine targets for 105 yards and that score. There’s a chance that he sees some Xavier Rhodes in this spot which should scare some people off of him. I spoke on the tight end scarcity this week when talking about Vance McDonald as a value play. On the opposite side of the spectrum, paying up for Zach Ertz could pay off in a big way. Ertz has seen 10 and 14 targets in the two games since Wentz returned with 15 catches and 185 yards. He should be a heavy target in the middle of the field. To run this Eagles stack back, the clear-cut option that I’m looking at is the rock-solid Adam Thielen. He’s seen 12, 19, 13, and 12 targets respectively over the first four weeks of the season with 8, 14, 12, and six catches. Kirk Cousins has shown over the years that he loves to distribute the ball to the middle of the field and Thielen has shown last season and so far this season to be one of the more dependable targets in that area in the league. GOOD LUCK!!
NHL DFS: The Point Shot – 10/5
Top Goalies Jonathan Quick (LAK) People seem to forget that Quick was on top of the world a few years back as one of the best goaltenders, if not the best goaltender in the NHL. After getting hurt two years