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RotoBallers, welcome back to our daily fantasy hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings. Below you will find our NHL cheat sheet - DFS lineup picks, sleepers and stacks for Thursday, April 13 of the 2016/2017 NHL season.
Night one of the playoffs is now in the books and we move on to the remaining three matchups. It starts with the Leafs taking on the President's Trophy winner Capitals then the Preds visiting the Blackhawks and finally the Flames taking on the Ducks in Anaheim.
On a small slate, we will definitely have to eat some chalk in our lineups but turning to a team's second or third line for a few value nuggets will help put you over the edge. Let's dig in and find a couple.
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NHL Daily League Lineup Picks for Thursday, April 13
For those that are new to this, each day we'll be providing you with a few of our top DFS lineup picks for daily league cash games on FanDuel and DraftKings. We will also provide you with one of our favorite teams to stack for GPPs. You can grab the rest of our Premium DFS lineup picks and stacks through the NHL Cheat Sheet and DFS Premium Pass below.
Ryan Kesler (C, ANH)
DraftKings - $6,000, FanDuel - $6,000
He isn't entirely sneaky on a small slate after back to back 50 point seasons but does come at a nice discount. At $6K on both sites, you will easily be able to get a superstar in your lineup and top goalie. He crushed the Flames in the regular season with nine points in five games. Safe in all formats.
Nick Schmaltz (W, CHI)
DraftKings - $4,400, FanDuel - $4,300
One of the top value plays from an opportunity standpoint. He skates on a line with Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik who had a career year while Schmaltz put up 28 points in his rookie season. His low price gives you the opportunity to stack him with his line and add Patrick Kane for big upside.
Michael Stone (D, CBJ)
DraftKings - $3,200, FanDuel - $3,400
Stone is a punt value tonight and while the ceiling is low, the floor makes him a great play to get some of the top talent in your lineup. Over his last 10 games, Stone has blocked 26 shots and tallied 14 shots on goal with two points.
Stacking Option
Washington Capitals - Evgeny Kuznetsov, Justin Williams, Marcus Johansson
The Capitals will be the obvious stack tonight so I will be leaning on their second line for a slight ownership advantage. It will be tough on the road with first change, but the Leafs will most likely be going all out to stop the top line tonight which will open te door for the very talented second unit. Kuznetsov and Johansson both fell just short 60 points in the regular season while Justin Williams is a proven playoff stud.
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Lineup Optimizer/Generator & Sleepers Tool
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Premium NHL DFS Lineup Picks & Cheat Sheet
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Bonus: General NHL DFS Strategy Notes
For cash games, look at players who can contribute to your score even when they are not providing offense. Some examples are guys who take a ton of shots and defensemen who block a lot of shots. Also, look for guys who get power play time. You can find value in players who join a new line due to an injury, or just get a promotion and more ice time. It is also recommended to spread out your exposure to three or four different lines, and not put all your eggs in one basket.
For large field tournaments (GPPs), find payers who have multi-point upside and can grab double-digit fantasy points. If you want to stack the most upside in your forwards, a common strategy is to punt the defense position. This doesn't mean just grab anyone - try and look for a defenseman who will get power play time, or a playing time boost due to an injury. For a contrarian approach, paying up at the defense position can be a great strategy - but it also comes with more risk. GPPs bring a great opportunity for goaltenders in the value price range - you can look for backups on good teams.
