RotoBallers, welcome back to our daily fantasy hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and FantasyAces. Below you will find our NHL cheat sheet - DFS lineup picks, sleepers and stacks for Thursday, December 15 of the 2016/2017 NHL season.

The week rolls on with another big eight game slate on Thursday with just one team(BOS) playing on a back to back. The top end goalies don't come at an elite price tonight so a more balanced appraoch can be taken in cash games, especially with your defense. Let's take a look at some of the top value plays.

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on Fantasy Aces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive our full season NHL Premium Pass (DFS Cheat Sheets) for free, a $99.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium pass.

NHL Daily League Lineup Picks for Thursday, December 15 

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, DraftKings, and FantasyAces. 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.

Devan Dubnyk (G, MIN)

DraftKings - $7,800, FanDuel - $9,300, FantasyAces - $7,800

He has helped the Wild win five straight games and during the streak hasn't allowed more than two goals in any game. He has been slowly building on his league leading GAA(1.60) and save %(.947) and has already recorded 14 wins on the season. While the record has been better at home, he has actually been better on the road with a .949 save % and two shutouts. The matchup isn't the best but with limited options and no clarity on starters he offers safety in all formats.

Jeff Carter (C, LAK)

DraftKings - $6,800, FanDuel - $7,400, FantasyAces - $5,500

You can't have a conversation about players that are red hot without mentioning Jeff Carter. He is coming off two goals on eight shots in Buffalo and now has 11 points over his last 10 games with a whopping 41 shots. He now gets to face a struggling Red Wings team that has lost three straight allowing four goals in two of them.  He is safe in all formats.

Rickard Rakell (W, ANH)

DraftKings - $6,400, FanDuel - $5,800, FantasyAces - $5,500

For cash games, targeting the secondary options on a team's top line is a great strategy that gets you exposure to elite players at a lower cost. Rakell is a perfect example of this as he skates on the top line with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf and also gets close to two minutes on the powerplay. It also helps that he has been very productive lastely with points in three straight and seven of his last 10 games. He is also safe in all formats.

Aaron Ekblad (D, FLA)

DraftKings - $4,800, FanDuel - $5,600, FantasyAces - $4,900

His salary continues to float under $5K on both DraftKings and FantasyAces making him an elite play tonight. Despite only recording four points in his last 10 games he is providing a very safe floor averaging over four shots on goal per contest. With that kind of volume and usage over three minutes per game on the powerplay, he is safe in all formats.

Stacking Option

Toronto Maple Leafs - Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Zach Hyman, Nazem Kadri(PP)

The Leafs have been much better on home ice(8-5-1) this season and get one of the best matchups on the slate. The Coyotes come to town with their 29th ranked offense and brutal 4-9-3 road record. The Matthews line has been one of the top lines across the league lately and adding Kadri gives you some additional upside on the powerplay. Picking out one or two of these players is optimal in cash games tonight while stacking all four is a very high upside tournament play.

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Sample NHL Premium DFS 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.