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, January 5 of the 2016/2017 NHL season.

Thursday presents us with a medium sized seven-game slate where just one team(DET) will be playing on a back to back. It is possible we have a low scoring night with just four of the Top 10 and two of the Top 5 offenses in action. Looking at the matchup chart, there is also no team with a double-digit differential and only five teams with a positive differential. Let's dig in and look at a few of the top value plays of the night.

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, January 5 

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.

Artem Anisimov (C, CHI)

DraftKings - $6,200, FanDuel - $6,800, FantasyAces - $5,400

The Blackhawks offense has been up and down this year ranking in the middle of the pack but come with a ton of multi-point upside. They have scored three or more goals eight times in the month of December with Anisimov chipping in five goals over his last nine games. He doesn't take enough shots to be considered safe for cash games but skates on an elite line and has the upside for GPP's. He has also been much better on home ice where he averages over a  point per game.

Brandon Saad (W, CBJ)

DraftKings - $6,100, FanDuel - $6,800, FantasyAces - $5,550

It's hard not to roster a Blue Jackets player on this historic run they have been on winning 16 straight games. Saad makes one of the more affordable top six options who has a streak going of his own. He has recorded a point in six straight and eight of his last nine games. He also provides a nice floor for cash games averaging just shy of three shots per game.

Andrej Sekera (D, EDM)

DraftKings - $4,400, FanDuel - $4,300, FantasyAces - $4,750

For a mid $4K price tag, Sekera has been providing a ton fantasy value. He has tallied seven points over his last 10 games including three on the powerplay and even one short-handed assist. The shot volume and shot blocking hasn't been great on a season long level but lately he has been averaging right around two blocks and two shots per game. He is safe in all formats as a salary relief option with some upside.

Stacking Option

Chicago Blackhawks - Artem Anisimov, Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin

Like I mentioned above, the Blackhawks offense has been up and down as they sit in the middle of the pack but come with a ton of upside for tournaments. Stacking all three of these guys will be a contrarian option tonight due to the high combined price.  If you want to save some salary, make multiple lineups with different combinations of two of them.

Premium Cheat Sheets for Daily Fantasy Hockey

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Sample NHL Premium DFS Cheat Sheet

Want to know what the Premium NHL DFS Cheat Sheets looks like? Below is a sample. We go above and beyond standard daily fantasy hockey analysis.

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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.