FanDuel NHL Value Plays: Saturday (12/30)

With only twelve teams on the main slate tonight we may have to get creative, but there’s always a way to produce a great FanDuel lineup! As always, the difference between winning and boozing can be the value plays, and we’ll take a look at some in this article. These options will free up some more cap space to snag a stud or two and should reward you with their under-the-radar production. Using all of them tonight would increase your average salary per player from $6,111 to $7,375.

Center

Calle Jarnkrok (NSH): $4,200 vs. MIN

I liked Jarnkrok a couple of weeks ago against Dallas (one goal, plus one, atta boy!), when he was listed as a winger. I feel he is a solid play again against an average defensive team (Minnesota is 16th in the league in goals allowed). The Wild are projected to start their backup goalie, and while Alex Stalock has been solid (2.72 GAA / 0.915 save percentage), those aren’t great stats in today’s NHL. Jarnkrok has six points in his last eight games (five goals) and is a solid plus four. He may not win you the game but should contribute.

Wing

Danton Heinen (BOS): $4,800 vs. OTT

In the who’s-this-guy category, I am starting to see this player as a legitimate prospect. Boston is quietly getting some serious return on investment from their recent drafts and this fourth rounder is a prime example. He scored 45 points in his first year in college, which is no small feat, and followed that up with a 48 point campaign. He’s currently the third leading scorer on the Bruins and has twelve points in his last ten games. Playing Ottawa (21st in defense) doesn’t hurt and he’s logging a solid 15:53 in ice time (2:20 on the power play).

Jesper Bratt (NJ): $4,700 vs. WAS

With Kyle Palmieri back, Bratt is currently slated to play on New Jersey’s top line with two former first overall picks (Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier). With 24 points in 35 games, he is more than holding his own with those two (has one more point than Hischier), and is logging solid ice time for a rookie (16:12 with 2:21 on the power play). Braden Holtby is slated to start, but that isn’t the terrible news it would have been last year, as Holtby is posting modest numbers (2.66 GAA and 0.918 save percentage) by his standards.

Defense

Charlie McAvoy (BOS): $4,300 vs. OTT

This price seems a little low for a rookie of the year candidate. It may be due to a bit of a cooling off period (4 points in the last 10 games). I typically like going with a hot hand, but feel McAvoy may be due, and his 19 points to date (only one less than Tory Krug) speak to his offensive ability and consistency. Craig Anderson has really been struggling lately in the Senator’s net (0.896 save percentage), and Ottawa looks like a fragile team right now with trade rumors running rampant. If Boston has a feeding frenzy tonight, you won’t want to miss out.

Goalie

Juuse Saros (NSH): $7,500 vs. MIN

Saros came on strong last year and proved he could contribute in the win column for the Preds as a backup goalie. His play this year would be more aptly described as solid (3-3-2, 2.64 GAA, 0.918 save percentage), but he has the advantage of playing behind an excellent Nashville team. The Predators are an impressive 11-4-2 at home while Minnesota is less than stellar on the road (8-11-1). This is the second game in a back to back with the Wild, so Saros should get the nod (Rinne played the first game), but as always make sure you verify the starting goalie before entering your lineup.

Sheldon Curtis is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Sheldon, check out his archive.