If you’re playing NHL DFS on DraftKings or FanDuel, you already know goalies and stacks are high priority. But the secret edge to climbing tournaments is finding those sneaky defensemen who fly under the radar—the Horses & Heroes. In this article, I’ll reveal my favorite undervalued NHL defensemen plays for this slate, explain why they matter for DFS strategy, and show you how to plug these picks into your lineups. Join the DFS Army today and get full access to our Discord, tools, and analysis that back every recommendation.
Horse – A defenseman that is more chalky than others that is a catalyst for their team. These players usually have higher ceilings, and can be used as the glue to bring a stack together. They typically quarterback the top powerplay unit and log a ton of minutes.
Hero – A hero is a cheaper defenseman that will be a role player on their NHL team. They usually kill penalties and are the unsung heroes that block shots for their team. They typically garner low ownership, have high floors, and are the key pieces needed to take down tournaments.
Horses & Heroes: Top NHL Defensemen to Target for DFS Lineups
Zach Werenski – Werenski is a horse and is a top 3 defenseman in the entire NHL. He has the highest floor and ceiling combo in the entire NHL and this isn’t going to change in a pace-up matchup against the Devils. This is the CBJ home opener and the crowd will be buzzing. Werenski is the engine that drives this team, and this is a huge game against a divisional rival that they should be competing in the playoff race all season with. Home opener, important opponent, and a chance to go above 500, Werenski knows the stakes here.
Nov 9, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) shoots against Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) during the third period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
Mikhail Sergachev – Once again making my list of horses on a slate. Sergachev is a beast and even without scoring a single point yet this season, he is averaging nearly 15 fantasy points a game on Draftkings so far. This tells me that he has a very solid floor, with a relatively unknown ceiling. Last year he was getting acclimated to his new team; this year, he is driving the bus in all situations.
Luke Hughes – This is a guy priced in that inbetween horse and hero price range, but I will give him the horse stamp of approval. Luke loves to shoot, runs the NJ powerplay, and has a high ceiling. He is easy to stack with his teammates as well, and is cheap enough to be a viable one-off as well.
Zeev Buium – His price didn’t change after a little 20+ fantasy point explosion the other day, and he is going to be a hero of mine based on the salary. Buium will garner ownership since he quarterbacks the Wild’s powerplay, which means he is a decent fade in tournaments for leverage. Buium and Hughes are probably my cash game defensemen here in all honesty. Buium in Wild stacks or in cash games is kind of how I am approaching this situation.
Ivan Provorov – Provorov is a hero that signed a controversial big extension in Columbus this summer, which I don’t really understand. Provorov is playing enormous minutes (over 25 minutes per game) this season and is always live for the shot block bonus as well as other random fantasy points he may happen to fall in to. The Devils like to shoot, Provorov likes to block pucks, simple as pie.
Brendan Dillion – This hero plays around 20 minutes a night, is on the top penalty kill unit, and is the stone minimum on Draftkings. Seems like a fairly reasonable play if you need someone like that.
Jamie Drysdale – I will tag Drysdale as a hero here due to his salary, but he is playing over 23 minutes a night and runs the Flyers’ top powerplay unit. This is a process over results pick here since Dysdale has done literally nothing so far this season. Nobody wants to play him, everyone hates Philly, and nobody wants to stack against Florida. Well, why not go overweight here with Flyers stacks? Hockey is super volatile and Philly is playing in their home opener I believe.
🏁 Final Thoughts — Ride Your Edge
Every NHL slate is loaded with obvious plays, but it’s the sharp eye for undervalued Horses and Heroes that separates casual players from consistent winners. The best part? You don’t have to do it alone. Our members are crushing NHL DFS every season using the same projections, tools, and strategy chats that fuel this article.
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