RADIO
Welcome, RotoBallers! If you do not know me, my name is Brandon and I write both The First-Serve and The Kick-Off for Tennis and Soccer respectively. If you have not checked those out, make sure you do! It is the return of the NHL season which means it's time to sharpen our MLB 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 Tuesday, January 4th, 2022 at 7:00 PM EST. 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 [email protected] or via Twitter @df_solutions or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 1/4/22
COVID continues to wreak havoc on all sports and unfortunately, that has taken away our love of the Olympics. However, that keeps all of our favorite names with us for the season and I will help you analyze the best of the best. We have eight games starting at 7 p.m. EST with many teams in prime matchups.
We will not have any teams on a back-to-back after one game was played last night. The Coyotes enter with the league's worst goals against (3.76) hosting the stealthy Jets, while the Avalanche will weaponize their league-best (4.2) goals for against the lowly Blackhawks.
DISCLOSURE: The slate may not be the same at puck drop as it is during the writeup due to COVID-19. Make sure to monitor the news feed and play at your own risk.
NHL DFS Goalies
Connor Hellebuyck- DK $8.2K || FD $8.1K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes continue to fall further and further back in the crowd with a league-worst 2.08 goals per game. That is 0.02 goals less than the next worst team and 0.11 less than the third-worst team. The Jets sit comfortably in the middle of the table when it comes to goals against as well (2.8). However, with the Jets’ engines turning full throttle, it will be hard for the visitors to stop them. This is a capable spot for a Hellebuyck shutout.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Kuemper (DK $8.3K || FD $7.9K), Nedeljkovic (DK $7.6K || FD $7.1K), Markstrom (DK $7.4K || FD $7.7K), Hart (DK $7.3K || FD $7.8K)
NHL DFS Centers
Nathan MacKinnon-DK $9.3K || FD $10.4K
Opponent - Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks are abysmal and it is only a matter of time until the firesale begins. After getting smothered 5-1 by the Flames, they will have another tall task against the streaking Avalanche. MacKinnon continues to spearhead both sides of the puck and in his last five matches, he has a 1-8-9 line with 25.0 shots. Even if his salary is the highest-priced by $1.7K, it is for a reason.
Anton Lundell- DK $3.8K || FD $5.2K
Opponent - Calgary Flames
Too many high-priced players to fit into your lineup? Not sure where or who to punt? Enter Lundell. The Panthers will be shorthanded down the pipe when they host the Flames thanks to Bennett’s suspension and Reinhart entering COVID Protocols. This leaves Lundell to shoulder as many minutes as he can with the likes of Huberdeau and Duclair. At a solid salary of $3.8K on DraftKings and $5.2K On FanDuel, it only takes a few shots or a bounce of the puck to hit value. Over his last five appearances, he has a 2-3-5 line with 11.0 shots.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Kadri (DK $6.7K || FD $9.8K), Point (DK $7.7K || FD $6.3K), Dubois (DK $6.5K || FD $6.2K), Larkin (DK $6.2K || FD $7.3K), Giroux (DK $5K || FD $5.9K)
NHL DFS Wings
Jansen Harkins- DK $2.5K || FD $3.5K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
There is no reason that Harkins should have been as little owned as he was in the Jets’ comeback win over Vegas two days ago. The winger is still at the bottom of the salary pool and all he needs is a few shots that he should easily be able to manage against the lackluster Coyotes defense.
Taylor Hall- DK $4.9K || FD $5.8K
Opponent - New Jersey Devils
Hall seems to be finally clicking with some added skill to his line. If you do not know who Erik Haula is, he was once a secondary producer for the Minnesota Wild until he was bounced around between a few teams before ultimately making his way to Boston. Now he is healthy and he has David Pastrnak and Taylor Hall for linemates. This is exactly what Taylor Hall needed. The added skill has instantly brought the best out of him with a 1-2-3 line and 17.0 shots in his last five appearances. The matchup with the Devils will be fast-paced and Hall should hit value with shots alone.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Rantanen (DK $8.3K || FD $9.9K), Connor (DK $7.8K || FD $9.1K), Forsberg (DK $6.5K || FD $7.5K), Tkachuk (DK $6.3K || FD $7.6K), Atkinson (DK $5.5K || FD $6.3K), Raymond (DK $4.8K || FD $5.5K), Cirelli (DK $3.9K || FD $4.9K)
NHL DFS Defensemen
Adam Boqvist- DK $2.7K || FD $4.7K
Opponent - Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning are finally in too far over their head and a “mostly-healthy” Jackets team is primed to take advantage. The Lightning have been poor defensively lately, losing three of their last five games and conceding as many as they have scored – 26 goals –. Now teammate Zach Werenski is in COVID Protocol and will make way for Boqvist who just returned to take over the top power-play responsibilities. In his two games since his return, he has a 1-1-2 line along with 2.0 shots and 2.0 blocked shots.
Romans Josi- DK $6.8K || FD $7.3K
Opponent - Vegas Golden Knights
Josi sits the fourth-highest salaried defender on the slate with some of the best production. In his return against Chicago, he managed a 1-0-1 line with 5.0 shots and 1.0 blocked shots. However, in his four appearances prior to the injury, he had a solid 2-2-4 line along with 22.0 shots and 8.0 blocked shots. Josi typically produces value with shots alone and in a high-paced matchup against an average defense, this spells fantasy goodness.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Hedman (DK $6.7K || FD $7K), Karlsson (DK $5.8K || FD $6.2K), Andersson (DK $4.9K || FD $4.4K), Severson (DK $3.6K || FD $4.7K), Yandle (DK $3.3K || FD $4.5K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- COL1
- DET1
- PHI2
- WPG1
Brandon’s Stack of the Day
DET: Bertuzzi-Larkin-Raymond
Chalk Stack:
COL: Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen
Sneaky Stack:
PHI: van-Riemsdyk-Giroux-Atkinson
