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Welcome back RotoBallers! For those first-time readers, my name is Chris and I write a ton on RotoBaller. The sports universe of writing here spans from NASCAR to football to college sports to of course, hockey. If you have not checked some of those articles out then make sure you do! It is the return of the NHL which means it's time to sharpen our skills and partake in NHL DFS! As always, I'll give you the best tools to succeed and the info you need to build the best lineups possible for your GPP and cash game NHL contests on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Today I'll be bringing you my NHL lineup picks, analysis, and advice for NHL DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel for Saturday, December 11th, 2021 at 7:00 PM. Be sure to also check out our awesome NHL tools including our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, Projections, and DFS Cheat Sheets!
If you have any questions on today's slate, bankroll management, GPP strategy, Cash game strategy, or anything else don’t hesitate to email me at stevens8204@gmail.com or via Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 12/11/21
As I am writing this, the 11-game slate is taking shape. Hopefully, there are not too many more injuries on Friday night that could have a Saturday night impact.
Arizona will take their league’s third-worst goals against (3.59) to Dallas and Colorado will travel to Philadelphia with their league’s best goals for (3.98).
NHL DFS Goalies
Ilya Sorokin- DK $8.0K || FD $8.2K
Opponent - New Jersey Devils
Sorokin has been far better this season under the most trying of circumstances. He has allowed ten goals in his last four starts for the New York Islanders. His record in that span is a mere 1-1-2 as New York is still struggling mightily to score goals consistently. Out of the two New York goalies, Ilya Sorokin is the better of the two and younger. New Jersey is on the back end of a back to back which gives the Islanders and Sorokin a fighting chance for a win.
Jacob Markstrom- DK $7.9K || FD $7.5K
Opponent - Boston Bruins
Markstrom has been excellent in net and 10-5-5 could be more like 13-2 honestly. The Calgary Flames goaltender is sporting a 1.84 goals against average and a save percentage of .936. Yes, playing Boston, even at home, can be a risk. However, the Flames are a team that kind of plays like how Boston used to. With the salary above, DFS players can save a little bit of money here.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Jarry (DK $7.8K || FD $7.7K), Samsonov (DK $8.4K || FD $8.6K), Quick (DK $7.5K || FD $6.9K), Mrazek (DK $8.3K || FD $8.1K)
NHL DFS Centers
Sidney Crosby-DK $7.5K || FD $7.3K
Opponent - Anaheim Ducks
After starting the season in a lull following an extended period of time away from the ice due to wrist surgery, Crosby is now on fire with 11 points in his last six games and averaging well over three scoring chances a game. Yes, losing Jake Guentzel does hurt a little but Danton Heinen is no slouch and Heinen offers a little more salary relief. When stacking, keep this in mind. Also, John Gibson rarely fares well in Pittsburgh which bodes nicely for Crosby.
Tomas Hertl- DK $4.6K || FD $5.8K
Opponent - Dallas Stars
Hertl is starting to find his way again and that is good news for fantasy owners. The center has eight points in his last nine games which happens to include six goals. Yes, his shot volume in this timeframe is just 2.5 shots per game. However, that is not so bad. With a large slate and trying to get away from the Edmonton centers, saving money here allows to attack elsewhere. The San Jose Sharks center becomes an attractive target on Saturday.
Ivan Barbashev- DK $3.0K || FD $4.4K -- W
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
The low floor is quite the risk but Barbashev has five goals and eight points in his last nine games. The forward has 18 points in 26 games for the St. Louis Blues. When he gets points, he is a DFS stud. When he does not, Barbashev is not. It is a roll of the dice but with Montreal just bleeding shots and chances, the Canadiens allow the most DFS points per game to centers, period.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): McDavid(DK $9.6K || FD 9.6K), Kopitar(DK $6.3K || FD $7.1K), Zegras (DK $5.2K || FD $6.0K), Hayes (DK $3.2K || FD $4.3K)
NHL DFS Wings
Wings
Evan Rodrigues- DK $5.2K || FD $5.5K -- C
Opponent - Anaheim Ducks
With Jake Guentzel out, Evan Rodrigues can play with Danton Heinen and even Sidney Crosby to form a formidable top-six that can strike fear into the Anaheim Ducks. Rodriguez has seven points in his last nine games and 18 in 25 contests this season. He has been quite a breakout gem. The only bad thing is his salary does keep inching upward. That is unfortunate but still, Rodrigues is pretty cheap overall.
Cam Atkinson- DK $3.8K || FD $5.5K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
No, you are not seeing double and yes this is the third day in a row where we are talking about Atkinson. It turns out that the Flyers are being a little smarter than what we initially thought of them. They have kept together their best offensive line with Giroux, Couturier and Atkinson. For sub $4K on DraftKings, this is a prime opportunity against an Arizona team that allows the second most DFS points to wingers.
Timo Meier - DK $7.1K || FD $8.3K
Opponent - Dallas Stars
No, Timo Meier has been shooting at more than four shots per game. No, you are not seeing spots before your eyes. He has 26 points in 22 games. Meier has 11 goals and five game-winning goals on the season. When one has 48 shots in their last ten games with more than 50 scoring chances, this just means Meier is in a nice spot against a Dallas team who just is not as good on the road. There are quite a few wingers on Saturday night that are enticing. Meier is a big one.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Ovechkin(DK $9.6K || FD $9.0K), Tkachuk(DK $6.6K || FD $6.8K), Kaprizov(DK $7.5K || FD $8.0K), Nylander(DK $7.3K || FD $7.6K), Keller(DK $4.0K || FD $5.4K), Heinen(DK $2.5K || FD $4.2K)
NHL DFS Defensemen
Defense
Shayne Gostisbehere- DK $5.7K || FD $5.1K
Opponent - Philadelphia Flyers
There may not be any other player on the slate with more to play for than Shayne Gostisbehere, who plays his former team on Saturday night. The Philadelphia Flyers have been awful and losers of their past 11 contests. Gostisbehere is enjoying one of the best seasons in his career. He has 17 points in 25 games this year and has been one of Arizona's few good players consistently. This should be a higher-scoring game. If it was on a smaller slate, that tilt would be game stacked.
Seth Jones- DK $7.5K || FD $6.6K
Opponent - Toronto Maple Leafs
Since we don’t have much information regarding how Petr Mrazek looks heading into his first start in more than six weeks, take a shot at some Chicago Blackhawks players on Saturday night. Everyone and their uncles expect Toronto to come out and wipe the walls with the Blackhawks. They might but Toronto could give up a few goals too. That is where Jones comes in...for the extensive garbage time DFS points of course.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Letang(DK $7.3K || FD $6.9K), Doughty(DK $6.0K || FD $6.2K), Rielly(DK $6.2K || FD $6.2K), Dobson(DK $4.6K || FD $4.4K), Karlsson(DK $5.2K || FD $5.6K), Roy(DK $3.7K || FD $4.5K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- PIT1
- TOR1
- EDM1
- LA1
- SJ1
- NYI1
Chris’s Stack of the Day
PIT: Heinen-Crosby-Rodrigues
Chalk Stack:
WSH: Ovechkin-Wilson-Carlson
Sneaky Stack:
STL: Buchnevich-Barbashev-Tarasenko
NHL Player News and Updates
More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis
