Thursday features ten games in all with a spotlight on games like Montreal and San Jose, Florida and Calgary, and even Washington and Edmonton.
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 October now.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 10/24/19. 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?
DFS Forwards to Consider
Jack Eichel - C, BUF vs NYR (FD - $8,400, DK - $7,900)
Eichel pulled off a huge four-point effort against San Jose in what felt like a span of 15 minutes. One pattern that has been noticed this season is the fact that the center, like many others, has seen a downturn in shots per game. However, that has meant as many chances and more points per contest. Eichel faces a New York team that is the worst in possession numbers (42% CF), shots per 60 at over 37, and scoring chances yielded at 41 per 60 over the past five games. Also, the Buffalo power play is connecting at nearly 31% against a penalty kill heading toward the bottom third of the league.
Filip Forsberg - W, NSH vs MIN (FD - $7,500, DK - $7,300)
The winger is looking more and more likely to play on Thursday night against the Minnesota Wild. Forsberg has five goals in six games on 27 shots and 20+ scoring chances. That average of 4.5 shots per game is more like 5+ which puts him in contention for the shot bonus. If for some reason, the left-winger cannot go, then Kyle Turris is a cheaper option for Nashville and Victor Arvidsson a more expensive one.
Also, Consider:
- Mika Zibanejad, Connor McDavid, and even Matt Duchene could be viable plays on Thursday night.
- Matthew Tkachuk, Alex Ovechkin, and Patrick Kane are also in plus-matchup situations on this large slate.
DFS Defenders to Consider
John Carlson - D, WSH vs EDM (FD - $7,100, DK - $7,200)
Carlson is this year's Morgan Rielly and arguably even better. He has 20 points in 11 games on the season. Carlson produced points in every game but one so far and is going up versus Edmonton who expects to give up some goals on Thursday night. This game expects to be one of the three highest-scoring of the night according to projections. Until some team slows Carlson and company down, it is too difficult not to roster him somewhere.
Dougie Hamilton - D, CAR vs CLB (FD - $6,400, DK - $6,600)
Hamilton enjoys a nice floor on Thursday and that is expected to continue. He averages three shots a game and around two blocks a night. Also, the ten real-world points in nine contests help a lot. Again, the power-play balance has been big but even though Carolina has cooled off, Hamilton is still producing from a daily fantasy standpoint. The $400 per point rule means elite and anyone even close to that is more than value.
Also, Consider:
- Darnell Nurse and Ryan Ellis enjoy plus-matchups but are now coming up in price.
- Sean Walker is still priced too low and is a value play on Thursday night.
DFS Goalie to Consider
Semyon Varlamov - G, NYI vs ARZ (FD - $7,700, DK - $8,000)
The New York Islanders are among the worst (30th overall) in possession rates which means teams will fire more pucks on the net along with scoring chances. Varlamov has only started four games and the second start was an undoubted disaster. Since then, the past two appearances have seen Varlamov post two quality starts and wins to boot. Arizona does have problems scoring and at least on FanDuel, Varlamov is more than reasonably priced.
Also, Consider:
- The other good GPP choice on Tuesday is higher-risk but that would be Jonathan Quick who is cheap and could see lots of shots from the St. Louis Blues.