FanDuel NHL: Wednesday Picks

FanDuel NHL: Wednesday Picks

This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.

SLATE PREVIEW

There are three games on the docket Wednesday evening, starting with the Maple Leafs traveling to Philadelphia for a 7:30 p.m. EST puck drop. John Tavares (undisclosed) is questionable, and the Maple Leafs (-137) are road favorites in a game with a 6.5 O/U, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. 

The Stars (-150) are favored with the Predators coming to town. Both teams are sound defensively, which is reflected by the 5.5 O/U. The final game of the evening is between the Wild and the Coyotes. The Wild (-215) are the biggest favorites of the evening against the 1-10-1 Coyotes. 

All advanced statistics are courtesy of Natural Stat Trick. 

GOALIES

Jack Campbell, TOR at PHI ($8,600): Campbell is the chalky play this evening as he goes up against the Flyers. The 29-year-old carries a .929 save percentage and a 6-3-1 record into this contest. The Flyers rank 14th in the league with 2.34 xGF/60 at even strength through 10 games. 

Braden Holtby, DAL vs. NSH ($7,300): Holtby is winless in his last three starts, but he has overall enjoyed a resurgence with his third team in three years, registering a .924 save percentage and a 2.46 GAA. He hasn't been confirmed for the home start, though he's projected to get the nod after sitting out the last two games. The Predators travel to Dallas with 2.13 xGF/60 at even strength, ranking 26th in the league. 

Karel Vejmelka, ARI vs. MIN ($6,900): Vejmelka will probably have the lowest roster percentage in this slate because he's backstopping a 1-10-1 Coyotes team. He's a contrarian option that carries a ton of risk, but there is plenty of potential against a Minnesota team that leads the league with 35.92 shots/60 at even strength. He's been playing quite well in his own right with a .913 save percentage while facing an average of 31.1 shots per game over the last seven contests. 

VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS

Travis Konecny, PHI vs. TOR ($5,500): Konecny has a point in seven of 10 outings this season with just two points on the power play, so his value doesn't take a hit against Toronto's eighth-ranked PK (85.0 percent). He's skating on the top line while averaging 2.9 shots per contest. Konecny is a decent contrarian play as a result. 

Jason Robertson, DAL vs. NSH ($5,500): Since making his season debut following an upper-body injury, Robertson leads the Stars with 3.65 xGF/60 at even strength. The 22-year-old is producing for fantasy purposes, recording a goal, three assists and 15 shots on net while operating on the top power-play unit.

Clayton Keller, ARI vs. MIN ($4,100): Three of Keller's five points this season have been with the man advantage. The Coyotes are going to be overlooked a lot this year for good reason, but we can still extract some value under the right circumstances. Keller has one here, as Minnesota is 23rd in the league with a 75.6 penalty-kill percentage. 

LINE STACKS

Auston Matthews (C - $9,500), William Nylander (W - $7,300), Michael Bunting (W - $4,100)

The lines could get mixed around if John Tavares, who is a game-time decision with an undisclosed injury, ends up sitting out, so make sure to check on the lines before puck drop. If Tavares sits out, Matthews could handle a slight uptick in playing time. The matchup is ideal regardless, as the Flyers rank 30th in the league with 2.62 xGA/60 at even strength while Matthews averages 4.3 shots on goal per contest.

Joel Eriksson Ek (C - $4,700), Kevin Fiala (W - $5,600), Marcus Foligno (W - $4,000)

You wouldn't expect it after last season, but Fiala ranks third on this line in points with five points through 11 games. However, he's still getting his chances while averaging 19:02 of ice time, and he has fired 33 shots on net while scoring just once (3.0 percent). Considering he found the back of the net on 12.3 percent of shots last season, we should see some upward regression soon. Even with Vejmelka playing well, this could be the spot because the Coyotes rank 30th in the league with a 65.8 penalty-kill percentage. 

DEFENSE

Roman Josi, NSH at DAL ($7,000): Josi has produced four goals and 12 points -- seven on the power play -- through 12 games while averaging 3.3 shots per contest. With three multi-point games so far this season, Josi has an extremely high ceiling against the Stars' 24th-ranked PK (74.6 percent), though you don't want to start him in lineups where you're also starting Holtby.

Morgan Rielly, TOR at PHI ($6,200): Fresh off an eight-year, $60 million contract extension, Rielly continues to prove he's among the top puck-moving defensemen in the league with eight helpers -- two with the man advantage -- and 29 shots on goal through 13 games. If you're firing up Matthews in this format, you'll want Rielly -- the PP1 quarterback -- in your lineup as well. 

Jared Spurgeon, MIN at ARI ($4,700): Spurgeon quarterbacks PP1 with Eriksson Ek and Fiala from the aforementioned Wild stack. They're going up against a brutal PK, so Spurgeon has a decent opportunity to build on the five points he has accrued through 11 games. 

Ryan Suter, DAL vs. NSH ($4,300): Suter has a low floor on a nightly basis, but he's an intriguing tournament option nonetheless at a far cheaper salary than Miro Heiskanen ($6,300). The 36-year-old is still handling more than 23 minutes of ice time per night while skating on the second power-play unit. The Predators' PK (81.4 percent) ranks 18th in the league.

Shayne Gostisbehere, ARI vs. MIN ($4,200): Gostisbehere is heating up right now with five points and 11 shots on net over the last four games while handling a spot on PP1. He actually provides a decent floor with his shot volume, but his power-play work could make him an appealing stack with Keller. 

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. Jordan Mazzara plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Mazz30 Yahoo: Mazz30 DraftKings: Mazz30.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jordan Mazzara
Jordan has produced NFL and NHL content for RotoWire since 2017. He's the beat writer for the St. Louis Blues and Seattle Seahawks.
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