👉 TAP TO SAVE 30% WITH CODE NEW
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

#1 Expert Projections
Save 30% Now
Import Your Leagues
Top-Rated Accuracy
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

FanDuel, DraftKings NHL DFS Lineup Picks (4/26/18): Daily Fantasy Hockey Advice

Tom Vecchio's top NHL DFS lineup picks on FanDuel, DraftKings for 4/26/18. Expert daily fantasy hockey advice, sleepers & player recommendations.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are here, and we have a two-game slate. With this smaller slate, you will likely have to eat a bit of chalk in some spots but should be looking to differentiate where you can.

Vegas lines are big when it comes to picking games to target, and that's a good place to start for goalies. When it comes to skaters, goal totals is another main place to start. Usually, 5.5 goals are average, so targets game at six, and can look for goalies in games with a total of five.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 4/26/18. 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 @DFS_Tom. Let's get to it, shall we?

Featured Promo! Save 30% on any Premium Pass using discount code NEW. Win more with our DFS, Betting and Season-Long Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! GAIN ACCESS

 

DFS Forwards to Consider

Alex Ovechkin - W, WAS vs PIT (DK - $7,700, FD - $8,600)

The Capitals are past the Blue Jackets, and now facing down the Penguins, which will make this the third straight season they face them in the playoffs. The Capitals certainly showed their struggles on defense in the first round, but their offense was able to put up three or more goals in each of the six games in the first round. Ovi had eight points himself and took a team-high 33 shots. Only a two-game slate, so look to get him in as many spots as you can.

Dominik Simon - W, PIT @ WAS (DK - $3,800, FD - $3,400)

With Evgeni Malkin set to miss Game 1, Simon will be up on the second forward line and the second power-play. Love him in a stack for GPPs tonight, since he comes so cheap and had two assists in the time he saw in round one. Not sure how long Malkin will be out for, so if Simon is this cheap and has this much playing time in front of him, he makes a great salary saver.

 

DFS Defenders to Consider 

Shea Theodore - D, VGK vs SJ (DK - $4,200, FD - $4,700)

Theodore is a cheaper option at defense and is seeing time on the first power-play unit, so he has some offensive upside, which he isn't always known for. He is up against the Sharks, who have a 51 Corsi against over the past month. This means they give up a ton of shots, which means plenty of chances for points just from shots, along with the upside from the power-play.

Brent Burns - D, SJ @ VGK (DK - $6,600, FD - $7,300)

I've been all over Burns this season, and no slowing down now. He takes shots, blocks shots, on the first power-play, simply doing it all for the Sharks. He is the most expensive defender on both sites, so you will have to pay up to get him, but his production is worth it. Good for all formats tonight, and should be very popular on an only two game slate.

 

DFS Goalies to Consider

Goalies are tough to nail down on a two-game slate. You pick one goalie and then shouldn't be rostering players against him, which can be tough on a smaller slate. There is no easy matchup, as we are in the playoffs, so truly tough to have a "safe" option.

 

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

#1 Expert Projections
Save 30% Now
Import Your Leagues
Top-Rated Accuracy
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tanner Bibee

Shoulder Issue Not Considered Serious
NFL

Nicholas Singleton Relying on Traits Over Tape for Early Draft Capital
J.K. Dobbins

Positioned for Another Strong Season in Denver
NFL

Malachi Fields' Draft Stock Looks to Be Sliding
Barrett Hayton

Out Week-to-Week
Travis Etienne Jr.

Should See Feature Role Following Big-Market Deal
Tony DeAngelo

to Miss 1-2 Weeks
Sam Steel

Makes Early Exit Against Islanders
NFL

Ty Simpson Garnering First-Round Buzz
Damon Severson

Exits With Upper-Body Injury Thursday
Joe Pyfer

Set For UFC Seattle Main Event
Yaroslav Askarov

Suffers New Injury Blow
Israel Adesanya

Returns At UFC Seattle
Evan Rodrigues

Breaks Finger Thursday
Maycee Barber

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak To Eight
Sidney Crosby

Suffers Lower-Body Injury Thursday
Alexa Grasso

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Dominic Canzone

a Top Pickup After Two-Homer Game
Niko Price

In Dire Need Of Victory
Michael Chiesa

Set For Retirement Fight
Chase DeLauter

Launches Two Home Runs, Emerges as Top Waiver-Wire Target
Lerryan Douglas

Set For His UFC Debut
Julian Erosa

Looks To Bounce Back
Tanner Bibee

Leaves Opening Day Start Early With Shoulder Inflammation
Tyler Allgeier

Joins a Crowded Backfield in Arizona
Kenneth Gainwell

Can Kenneth Gainwell Maintain PPR Prowess in New Digs in Tampa?
Bilal Coulibaly

Could Miss Friday's Game
Jakub Dobes

Defeats the Blue Jackets on Thursday
NFL

Zachariah Branch a Day 2 Receiver With Game-Changing Speed
Alexandre Sarr

Could Miss Third Straight Game
Cade Otton

Quietly Due for a Bigger Workload?
Noah Cates

has Two-Point Game on Thursday
Tetairoa McMillan

Headed for a Big Year 2?
T.J. Hockenson

Still Trending Down in Dynasty Leagues
Jordan Love

Still Not Back in the QB1 Tier
Kyle Filipowski

Expected Back After Illness
Terrance Ferguson

a Sneaky Dynasty Buy?
Isaiah Collier

to Miss Fifth Straight Game
Cristopher Sánchez

Cristopher Sanchez Makes a Statement on Opening Day With 10 Strikeouts
Deandre Ayton

Off Injury Report Friday
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Questionable Against Brooklyn
Ty Jerome

to Miss Second Straight Game
Anfernee Simons

Unlikely to Play Friday
Jarrett Allen

Iffy for Miami Game
Aaron Nesmith

Expected to Play Friday
Neemias Queta

Questionable for Friday
Derrick White

Iffy Against Hawks
Kevin McGonigle

has Four Hits in Impressive MLB Debut
Killian Hayes

is Returning on Thursday
Tobias Harris

is Active on Thursday
Ausar Thompson

is Cleared for Thursday's Game
Jalen Duren

is Upgraded to Available
Nico Hoerner

Cubs Agree to Six-Year Deal With Nico Hoerner
Trey Murphy III

Ruled Out for Thursday
Precious Achiuwa

is Available on Thursday
Caris LeVert

is Ruled Out for Thursday
Jacob Misiorowski

Shows Off his High-Strikeout Upside in Opening Day Win
Marcus Foligno

Available Against Panthers
Jaylen Brown

Considered Questionable for Friday
Tony DeAngelo

Unavailable Thursday
Anthony Mantha

Good to Go Thursday
Paul Skenes

Greeted Harshly by Mets on Opening Day
Thomas Chabot

Out 4-8 Weeks After Surgery
Jalen Suggs

Available on Thursday
Robert Thomas

Sits Out Thursday's Action
Tyler Toffoli

a Game-Time Call Thursday
Artturi Lehkonen

Returns to Action Thursday
Brandon Lowe

Hits Two Home Runs on Opening Day
Buffalo Bills

Bills Sign Receiver Trent Sherfield
Ketel Marte

Active, Leading Off on Opening Day
Tyler Goodson

Falcons Sign Tyler Goodson for Running Back Depth
Myles Garrett

Browns Won't Trade Myles Garrett
Kevin McGonigle

Batting Sixth in MLB Debut
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Not in the Lineup on Opening Day
Jonathan Greenard

Colts Interested in Jonathan Greenard
JJ Wetherholt

Batting Leadoff in MLB Debut
Micah Parsons

Expected to Miss First Three or Four Games of 2026
Breece Hall

Still a Chance Breece Hall Plays 2026 on Franchise Tag
Myles Garrett

Browns Modify Myles Garrett's Contract
Kyle Pitts Sr.

Remains a Risky Tight End Option Despite 2025 Breakout
Jackson Chourio

Placed on Injured List with Fractured Hand
Francisco Lindor

Officially Starting on Opening Day
Mika Zibanejad

Pots Two Goals Versus Toronto
Pavel Zacha

Adds Two More Points Against Buffalo
Nicolas Roy

to Be Out For "a Little Bit"
Anton Lundell

Likely Out for Rest of Regular Season
Anthony Mantha

Day-to-Day With Lower-Body Injury
Sean Murphy

Lands on 10-Day Injured List
Bryce Miller

Placed on 15-Day Injured List With Oblique Strain
Lars Nootbaar

Will Begin the Season on 60-Day Injured List
Jackson Holliday

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena on the Astros Opening Day Roster
Ryan Fox

a High-Upside Value in Houston
Marco Penge

a Boom-or-Bust Option in Houston
Aaron Rai

Looks to Bounce Back in Houston
Jason Day

a Volatile Option at the Texas Children's Houston Open
Harris English

Eyes a Bounce-Back at the Texas Children's Houston Open
Ben Griffin

Looks for Turnaround at the Texas Children's Houston Open
Rickie Fowler

Brings Strong Form Into Texas Children's Houston Open
Ryan Gerard

Can Continue Rolling at Texas Children's Houston Open
Pierceson Coody

Bounces Back at Valspar Championship
Rasmus Hojgaard

Trying to Get Back on Track at Texas Children's Houston Open
Michael Thorbjornsen

Playing Well Heading to Texas Children's Houston Open
Harry Hall

Looking for Consistency at Texas Children's Houston Open
Brooks Koepka

Continues Building Momentum
Scottie Scheffler

Withdraws From Texas Children's Houston Open
Luke Clanton

Might Have a Problem in Houston
Sam Stevens

Happy to See Houston This Week
Keith Mitchell

Tries to Rebound After The Players Championship
Will Zalatoris

Returning This Week at Houston
Wyndham Clark

Trending in the Wrong Direction Heading to Houston
Shane Lowry

Seeking Better Luck in Houston This Weekend
Kurt Kitayama

Poised to Bounce Back at the Houston Open
Lerone Murphy

Suffers His First Loss
Movsar Evloev

Edges Out Lerone Murphy
CFB

Notre Dame Ranks No. 1 in Returning Production for 2026
Michael Aswell

Jr. Drops Decision At UFC London
Michael Aswell

Luke Riley Outclasses Michael Aswell Jr.
Sam Patterson

Suffers Unanimous-Decision Loss
Michael Page

Wins Lackluster Decision
Austen Lane

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
Iwo Baraniewski

Delivers 28-Second TKO
Tyler Reddick

Overcomes Adversity for Fourth Victory of the Season At Darlington
Brad Keselowski

Falls Short of Darlington Victory Despite Domination
Ryan Blaney

Recovers From Pit-Road Struggles to Score Career-Best Darlington Finish
Carson Hocevar

Rallies to Finish Fourth at Darlington
Kyle Larson

Decent Performance Ends with Technical Issues At Darlington
Tyler Reddick

the Clear Favorite at Darlington
Kyle Larson

a High-Risk, High-Reward Driver at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Is Getting Better at Darlington
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not Slowing Down at Darlington
Chris Buescher

Should be a Top-10 Contender at Darlington
Austin Cindric

a Sleeper at Darlington
Erik Jones

Quickest in Practice at Darlington
Denny Hamlin

Qualifies Ninth for this Week's Cup Race at Darlington
Chase Briscoe

Is One of the Top DFS Options of the Week for Darlington
William Byron

Is William Byron A Playable DFS Option for Darlington Lineups?
Christopher Bell

Could Christopher Bell be Considered A Decent DFS Option for Darlington?
Chase Elliott

Is Chase Elliott Worth Rostering At Darlington This Week For DFS?
Joey Logano

May Not Have the Speed to Warrant A Darlington DFS Lineup Spot
Ross Chastain

Should DFS Players Trust Ross Chastain at Darlington?
Kyle Busch

Could Kyle Busch Be A Worthy DFS Option for Darlington?
Brad Keselowski

May be A Contriarian DFS Tournament Option At Darlington
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF