DraftKings NHL: Wednesday Picks

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Updated on December 19, 2018 1:54PM EST

GOALIE

Braden Holtby, WAS vs. PIT ($7,800): I like Holtby because he's cheaper than Philip Grubauer (and his .897 save percentage) and has a better chance of winning than Carey Price and the struggling Matt Murray. Holtby has won three straight and has been much better at home this season.

CENTER

Nathan MacKinnon, COL vs. MON ($8,000): It may not be a bad idea to stack the Avs' top line with so few options tonight. MacKinnon comes at a huge premium, but facing Price has never fazed him, as he has nine points in nine career games against the Habs. The Avs are fourth in the league in goals scored per game with MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen accounting for 29 percent of them.

Evgeny Kuznetsov, WAS vs. PIT ($5,600): With Kuznetsov, you get a guy who's on an eight-game point streak playing on the league's second-best offense for a really good price. Nicklas Backstrom may get more ice time, but Kuznetsov is the flashier risk-taker on offense, and against the Pens, it's unlikely to be a low-scoring, defensive game. Kuznetsov averaged 24 minutes in two games against the Pens this season, collecting two assists.

WING

Mikko Rantanen, COL vs. MON ($7,300): Rantanen continues to lead the league with 56 points, three ahead of linemate MacKinnon, and both have dominated on the power play with 38 combined points. Special teams have been a concern for the Habs all season, who have the league's 25th-ranked power play.

Brendan Gallagher, MON at COL ($5,200): You'll find fewer players more driven than Gallagher, who called out his own performance after a 4-0 loss to the rival Bruins. The Habs operate by committee on offense without a go-to elite offensive weapon, but Gallagher is a low-risk option because of the amount of shots he puts on net. He should have a strong bounce-back game against a team that doesn't defend very well.

Bryan Rust, PIT at WAS ($4,300): This is pretty good value for a middle-six winger who is playing first-line minutes next to Sidney Crosby. He's the last option on that line behind Sid and Jake Guentzel, but over the past 10 games, Rust's ice time has crept up, with the highlight being a hat trick on eight shots against Chicago last Wednesday. Zach Aston-Reese ($3,300), playing with Evgeni Malkin, is also an option.

DEFENSE

Kris Letang, PIT at WAS ($5,800): Letang returned and played 26 minutes against Anaheim after a one-game absence, and when healthy, he remains one of the league's premier offensive defenseman. He will be relied on heavily against the Caps, who he has scored three points in two games against this season. He's the only Pens defenseman really worth picking in this matchup.

Victor Mete, MON at COL ($2,500): He was called up Monday to replace Noah Juulsen and will likely skate alongside Jeff Petry on the second pairing. In past games, Claude Julien hasn't given Mete much ice time, but at least plays to Mete's strengths and occasionally gives him some power-play time. Mete is cheap for a reason, but he also comes with significant upside.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.