RADIO
Saturday features a three-game slate which starts at 3:00 pm ET for DraftKings with Colorado and Arizona on the back end of a back to back while Tampa and Columbus then Vegas and Chicago close out the hockey night. FanDuel counters with a four-game slate starting at Noon ET.
Remember, when looking around for plays, an over/under of 6 dictates offense, but an over/under of 5 or sometimes 5.5 tilts towards the goalies. There are several games at 6.5, as that has become the new norm in hockey now. Also, note that FanDuel and DraftKings have split options for those who do not want to play the all-day slate.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/15/20. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS. Let's get to it, shall we?
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DFS Forwards to Consider
Nathan MacKinnon - C, COL vs ARZ (FD - $8,800, DK - $8,500)
Let's make this easier. MacKinnon scored right off the bat (err off the post and in). That makes five straight double digit point efforts on DraftKings for the center and there is little reason to expect anything less this afternoon against Arizona. The Coyotes have not come up with an answer to fully contain MacKinnon and honestly there are few. On that goal, MacKinnon rushed end to end plowing through Coyotes like they were bowling pins. Here we go again.
Some other choices might include Nazem Kadri. Sebastian Aho is a FanDuel only play due to their all-day slate. Also. do note to look at David Krejci once more on FanDuel as well.
Patrick Kane - W, CHI vs VGK (FD - $7,800, DK - $7,000)
The forward remains the most important in Chicago's quest to take a game in this series against Vegas. Again, which line the Kane line faces is one to target as well. Reilly Smith was against this line a good bit in Games 1 and 2 and the result was goals. Kane will get his chances but him and his teammates have to execute. The Chicago winger had five scoring chances in Game 2 alone. His price did creep down a bit which makes him a more attractive play. On FanDuel, one will not have to wait for the game-day status of David Pastrnak for example.
Also, Consider:
It is a prudent idea to go exploring for more secondary scoring on Saturday. With five games, there is more than enough variety to go around. The Arizona and Colorado game is one to look at because of the back to back nature. Will as many goals be scored as on Friday afternoon? That is an unknown but expect lots of scoring chances at the very least.
Exploring the second and third lines (see Conor Garland of Arizona) this time of year has to be done more than the top power-play units, etc. Typically, games feature less penalties on average as the playoffs move along. Even strength play develops more and more importance. Liam Foudy from Columbus is getting top-six ice time and is dirt cheap. Punt plays litter the landscape today.
Finally, Clayton Keller is just $4.200 on DraftKings. How? No one understands pricing algorithms. Just take advantage of this while you can along with some other unusual values.
DFS Defenders to Consider
Erik Johnson - D, COL vs ARZ (FD - $4,000, DK - $4,400)
This is a consistent value play only because Johnson seems to find ways to produce this playoff -- especially against Arizona. At some point, one just has to embrace the reality and his lower price lends to playing him to spend upward elsewhere. He proved to be a better play than Ryan Graves even which was a surprise.
He only finds ways to get points and will tend to shoot a lot when things break down. For Colorado, they did look a little vulnerable yesterday for the first time this postseason. it will be intriguing to see how guys like Johnson and MacKinnon come out today. A higher priced FanDuel only option would by Torey Krug especially if David Pastrnak cannot go.
David Savard - D, CLB vs TAM (FD - $3,900, DK - $4,000)
Easily, this all comes down to keeping things simple. Savard keeps getting blocks and boosting his floor. AS long as he hits the net, he hits value. It is that easy. If a player is averaging 3.5 blocks per game and 2+ shots per contest then, he has to be worth a play when price at $4,000 or below on both major platforms. It would be foolish not to take a shot somewhere with Savard. Also, find which lines are matching against Savard because one can pick on Columbus that way as well.
Other choices for Saturday may include Ryan Graves, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Dougie Hamilton for Fanduel ONLY. It is the kind of slate that will drive many batty.
DFS Goalie to Consider
Joonas Korpisalo - G, CLB vs TAM (FD - $7,700, DK - $7,600)
This is all about taking a pick with nice upside and a low price. The expectation is that Korpisalo should see 30-35+ shots on Saturday against one angry Tampa Bay team.
Korpisalo's risk is low because his price has stayed low because of the team he is playing. Now, isn't that something? His numbers are ridiculous this postseason (9 goals allowed on 239 shots). He may not hit the DraftKings bonus but may make enough saves to offset a potential loss.
For FanDuel, some may take a shot at Tuukka Rask who may be a little motivated this afternoon coming off his Game 2 comments on Thursday night. As for DraftKings and maybe FanDuel too, is this the game Corey Crawford steals a win? It is more possible than one thinks. Crawford is a high-risk play on Saturday nonetheless.
We will be in the RotoBaller Premium Slack Chat throughout the afternoon and evening. Also, if there are any other questions, the expert chat will be open through Saturday. Good luck today.
