NHL DFS can be simple if you know where to look. Starting with a broader view of the hockey games a slate offers, in general, yields early targets. Diving into scoring lines, correlations, and even using Draftkings Tiers approaches can further simplify your process when you use our NHL Research Station game and skater tabs. See how below…
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March 2nd NHL At A Glance
15 minute video introducing our NHL Research Station suite of stats. Walk through games and skater stats as we survey which players stand out in which tiers, and which might make the best full slate/classic choices as well.
DFS NHL Tiers Choices
Tier 1 – More reasonable NHL options today. As in the video above, I would lean to James Van Riemsdyk (PHI) here, but you can easily make cases for Forsberg (NSH) and even Ehlers or Sheifele (WPG) depending on which numbers you tend to value. I’m targeting more of a scoring environment here, which leads me in a Philadelphia kind of direction.
Tier 2 – Jack Eichel (BUF) just doesn’t have the surrounding cast to excite me for a tiers format. I’m going to focus on Cam Atkinson (CBJ) or Brady Tkachuk (OTT), and I’m leaning on Tkachuk with his pure upside combined with a healthy floor. If playing classic, take a peek at the OTT3 line and see if you can’t find the two other skaters that correlate with Tkachuk on that top power play unit…and give them consideration tonight.
Tier 3 – Another fairly wide open tier with no one in particular really standing out. Roman Josi (NSH) is a cash game staple with his huge shot and block floor. He pairs nicely with Forsberg up on T1, too. But, if you are looking for perhaps the best scoring environment on the slate, look to a Victor Hedman (TB) or Steven Stamkos (TB). You have to make a choice here, but Stamkos does lead the tier in NHL fantasy point production over the last 10 games by just a smidge.
Tier 4 – Dougie Hamilton (CAR) might carry the typical large-sample cash game floor here, but Sidney Crosby (PIT) is playing well and leading the tier in recent scoring. It’s also hard to ignore Kyle Connor (WPG) as a pure upside play that typically carries a decent floor, as well. Tonight is just not going to have clear cut choices for the tiers format from what we have seen in this top half of options.
Tier 5 – Can last year’s staple Mika Zibanejad (NYR) finally spring to life? We’ve been waiting all season, but he’s showing signs as he leads the tier in fantasy points per game. But, it’s also hard to look past Vincent Trocheck (CAR) and his 11 goals this year. It’s also hard to look past the consistency of Joe Pavelski (DAL) in Dallas and his 10 goals in just 16 games. Pavelski provides 69% of his team’s current scoring, and if Dallas can score even 2 goals tonight, Pavelski likely has one giving him the highest ceiling of the tier.
Tier 6 – This entire tier of 8 skaters has really cooled off collectively with no one posting a big game recently. Looking back, however, at slightly larger samples, if you like PHI tonight, Joel Farabee commands some attention. You can’t go terribly wrong, though, if you look to include some New York Islanders tonight and Matthew Barzal. He has also shown some consistency in the past 10-20 NHL games this year. As we dive deeper down the tiers, the mediocrity starts to surface. Correlation becomes important and so does scoring environment.
Tier 7 – Kris Letang (PIT) leads this tier as the most bankable point grabber. But, correlation abounds. If looking at Barzal, Anders Lee (NYI) becomes a nice option. Elias Petterson (VAN) has shown recent life and could be paired with Brock Boeser from an earlier tier. And, you can run a huge PHI stack tonight if you include Ivan Provorov along with the top tier options.
Tier 8 – It’s really hard to trust Buffalo, but Sam Reinhart does pair with Olafsson in what I believe was Tier 6. Reinhart leads this tier in production over both last 10 and last 5 game samples. You also get more VAN to choose from if going back to last night’s well. But, this tier is truly wide open as no player here has even a 50% consistency rating over a larger 20-game sample at generating just 10 points for you. If anything, in this tier, I’d try and tie in with another player from a higher tier and correlate here…even in cash games. You just don’t have much to lose by taking that extra little risk here.
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