This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
It's another busy Thursday in the NHL with 10 games on tap. Edmonton and St. Louis are the only teams that are playing the second game of back-to-back contests as the Oilers are in Chicago while the Blues visit Nashville. Be careful in rostering tired players. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIE
Marc-Andre Fleury, MIN at OTT ($23): Fleury got off to a horrible start this season as he gave up 18 goals in his first four games, but he was sharp in his last outing against Montreal, giving up only one goal on 27 shots in a 3-1 win. Fleury is 2-1-1 this season despite a 4.30 GAA and .869 save percentage, but he could be on the upswing.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Alex Stalock, CHI vs. EDM ($28): Stalock has actually played quite well this season, going 3-1-0 with a 2.09 GAA and a .938 save percentage, but he will face the high-flying Oilers on Thursday. While Edmonton has struggled at times to find the back of the net, they are capable of scoring six or seven goals in any game.
CENTER
Auston Matthews, TOR at SJ ($35): You have to figure that Matthews will break out sometime, and this could be the night. He has led the NHL in goals in each of the last two seasons but has only one goal in seven games to start the 2022-23 campaign. He's still shooting the puck as he has 33 shots on goal, close to his average over the last two seasons, and he still has Mitch Marner on his right side.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sam Bennett, FLA at PHI ($19): Bennett has a goal and three assists in seven games but has not picked up a point in his last three games. He has had his name on the scoresheet in only two games this season and faces a Philadelphia team that is playing much better under new head coach John Tortorella.
WING
Brady Tkachuk, OTT vs. MIN ($23): Tkachuk is off to a great start with five goals and 10 points in six games. The 23-year-old anchors the first line as well as the first power play and has become one of the best players in the NHL. He will face a Wild squad that has given up 28 goals in six games this season.
Mitch Marner, TOR at SJ ($32): If you are taking Matthews, then stacking your lineup with Marner as well could pay off. Marner has a goal and four assists this season but has only one assist in his last three contests. He had his best year to date with 35 goals and 97 points in 72 games last season as he was a first-team All-Star for the second year in a row. Marner will see first line action alongside Matthews and Alex Kerfoot as well as first-unit power-play time.
WINGS TO AVOID
Kyle Okposo, BUF vs. MON ($17): Okposo is off to a slow start with only two assists in his first six games. He had 21 goals and 45 points last season, but his playing time is down over two minutes per game. He is on the fourth line but does see second-unit power-play time.
Alex Ovechkin, WAS at DAL ($30): Could this be the season that Ovechkin finally loses a lot of his fantasy value? He has three goals and six points in seven games but has only an empty-net goal in his last three contests. His shots on goal are down a tick but it is too early to make a judgement based on seven games. He is 37, and more than one star player in the past has fallen when reaching that age. Gretzky started his final NHL season at the age of 37 and managed nine goals and 53 assists in 70 games, the only season in his NHL career that he averaged less than a point a game. It has happened before.
DEFENSE
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF vs. MON ($22): There is no defenseman in the NHL hotter than Dahlin, who had found the back of the net in each of his first five games before the Kraken finally stopped him Tuesday. He still managed to pick up an assist, giving him a six-game point streak with five goals and nine points. The No. 1 selection in the 2018 draft had a tough 2020-21 campaign with only 23 points in 56 games, but he regained his confidence last season with 13 goals and 53 points.
Darnell Nurse, EDM at CHI ($19): Nurse has two goals and five points in seven games this season. His best season was two years ago in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign when he had 16 goals and 36 points in 56 games, and this season he's seeing second-unit power-play time.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Roman Josi, NAS vs. STL ($30): Josi had a career year last season with 23 goals and 73 assists in 80 games as he came close to becoming the first defenseman to reach 100 points since Brian Leetch in 1991-92. This season it's a different story as he has only one assist in seven games. Perhaps it was starting the season in Europe, but whatever the reason is, don't put Josi back in your lineup until he gets going. One positive metric is that he is getting shots on net, as he's put seven shots on goal in two of his last three games, but that's still not enough given his current salary.
Jared Spurgeon, MIN at OTT ($19): Spurgeon had a two-point night Saturday but otherwise has been shut down this season, as he has a goal and two assists in six games. He had the best season of his career in 2021-22, picking up 40 points in 65 games with a plus-32 rating, but at the age of 32, it could be downhill from here. He underwent core muscle surgery in the offseason and while he is fully recovered, it may have taken a toll on his body.
