This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Friday's five-game NHL slate begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time. While there aren't a ton of options to choose from, it's still important to maximize value. This column can help owners do just that, as the players to target and avoid can be found below.
GOALIE
Martin Jones, SJ at CHI ($31): After getting the night off Thursday in Nashville, Jones will get a chance to push his winning streak to four games here. Considering this year's version of the Blackhawks is far inferior to past iterations, chances are Jones will be successful. Chicago's won just four of its past 17 games while scoring more than three goals only twice in that stretch.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at STL ($39): Hellebuyck's team just finished a 10-game homestand, which is bad news for his fantasy value. The young netminder's 9-5-6 record, 2.62 GAA and .918 save percentage on the road are far inferior to his sparkling 22-4-2, 2.18 and .926 marks at Bell MTS Place. Facing a Blues team that's 19-13-0 in St. Louis likely won't help those numbers.
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CENTER
Eric Staal, MIN at NYR ($20): Staal lit the lamp against this opponent 10 days ago, which isn't surprising considering he has eight goals and 13 points in the past 12 games. Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist owns a 4.46 GAA and .873 save percentage over his past 11 starts while regular backup Ondrej Pavelec (knee) remains sidelined, so expect the scalding hot Staal to find further success.
CENTER TO AVOID
Victor Rask, CAR vs. PIT ($17): Rask brings neither a high floor nor a high ceiling here. He's scored just one goal in the last 17 games, and a Penguins offense that's ranked seventh and climbing could put some serious hurt on his rating, especially considering Rask's only finished with a positive mark in that category once over the last nine games.
WINGS
Reilly Smith, VGK vs. VAN ($27): Smith's on an absolute tear right now with eight goals and 17 points over his past 12 games. He may not have the name recognition of the household guys in this price range, but the 26-year-old forward has been outproducing them lately and should continue to do so against a Canucks club that yields the seventh-most goals in the league (3.18 per game).
Conor Sheary, PIT at CAR ($14): Sheary skates in a dream situation on the same line as Sidney Crosby, yet he's priced below nine other Penguins forwards. A 53-point scorer last season, he's also a member of the second power-play unit and has been in decent form of late with three points in the past five games. At this price, that's more than enough to justify a look against a Carolina team that's allowing 2.95 goals per game.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Patrick Kane, CHI vs. SJ ($28): Kane's dangerous in many situations, but a minus-12 rating that's tied for worst on the team coupled with a team-high 17 power-play points suggest success with the extra man is integral to his value. That success is unlikely to come against a league-best Sharks penalty kill that's operating at 84.2 percent.
Brock Boeser, VAN at VGK ($25): Boeser's high ceiling makes owners forget about the low floor created by his minus-6 rating on a Vancouver team that struggles defensively. The latter is much more likely to come into play than the former in this brutal road matchup against an incredible Vegas team that's outscoring opponents 3.45 to 2.68 on average this season.
DEFENSEMEN
Brady Skjei, NYR vs. MIN ($12): At just $12, Skjei's worth a look given his extensive role on New York's injury-depleted blue line. The smooth-skating defenseman is an excellent two-way player, and he's put that ability on display by firing at least two shots on goal in six of the last eight games while also dishing three helpers and recording a five-block performance over that span. Skjei posted 39 points in 80 games as a rookie last season, so he's too skilled to stay this cheap for long.
Colin Miller, VGK vs. VAN ($16): Miller's power-play prowess makes him a strong choice against a 76.8 percent Canucks penalty kill that's the worst in this slate. His 13 points with the extra man are one off the team lead, and Miller's been thriving in all situations of late with 12 points in the last 15 games.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Dustin Byfuglien, WPG at STL ($23): If you thought Hellebuyck's home/road splits were skewed, wait until you hear Byfuglien's. Of Big Buff's 30 points this season, 23 have come at home while he has only four fewer road appearances. St. Louis allows the fourth-fewest goals per game (2.56), so Byfuglien's set up for failure despite his recent success thanks to a home-heavy schedule.
Alex Pietrangelo, STL vs. WPG ($25): Pietrangelo's been in a major rut offensively, producing just one goal and one assist in his past 10 games. Until the streaky scoring defenseman gets back in a groove, it's tough to justify dropping $25 on him.
