Tom Vecchio's top NHL DFS lineup picks on FanDuel, DraftKings for 10/4/18. Expert daily fantasy hockey advice, sleepers & player recommendations.

NHL is back! We have a 10-game slate to start the season. Plenty of options to look at tonight, in what should be a much more well-rounded slate compared to last night which only had four games.

Vegas lines are big when it comes to picking games to target, and that's a good place to start for goalies. When it comes to skaters, goal totals is another main place to start. Usually, 5.5 goals are average, so targets game at six, and can look for goalies in games with a total at five.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 10/4/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @DFS_Tom. Let's get to it, shall we?

DFS Forwards to Consider

Chris Kreider - W, NYR vs NSH (FD - $6,200, DK - $4,500)

Kreider and the Rangers come in with an implied goal total set at 2.8 tonight, so we should be looking at them as a GPP option only. Kreider has a been a mainstay on the Rangers offense for a few seasons now, so we should see him on the top forward line and the top power-play unit. Based on the matchup and his role, he is a GPP option only tonight, not for cash games.

Brad Marchand - W, BOS @ BUF (FD - $8,100, DK - $6,900)

Marchand and the Bruins got absolutely embarrassed last night, as they lost 7-0 versus the Capitals. Simply put, they are far better than what they showed and should be able to bounce back tonight. He is on the top forward line and has multi-point upside, good for either format tonight.

DFS Defenders to Consider 

Dustin Byfuglien - D, WPG @ STL (FD - $6,300, DK - $6,300)

When looking for a defender in NHL DFS, I'm either looking for a player who has some offensive upside or a player who can fill the stat sheet and by fill the stat sheet, I mean add in some shots, some blocked shots and maybe a point here or there. Byfuglien does a bit of both, as he took 2.7 shots per game last season, blocked over one shot per game and is going to be right back on the top power-play unit this year.

Zach Werenski - D, CLS @ DET (FD - $5,600, DK - $5,800)

Werenski might be needing to shoulder the load on defense for a while, as Seth Jones is out with an injury. This means plenty of ice for Werenski, who is already on the top defensive pairing and the top power-play unit. He took nearly three shots per game last season and blocked over one, giving him a nice floor of points.

DFS Goalies to Consider

Cam Ward - G, CHI @ OTT (FD - $ 7,700, DK - $7,800)

A couple of things are true here, Cam Ward is decently cheap tonight and will be in net for the Blackhawks. He is up against a very bad Senators team, who are underdogs on their home ice. Ward is fine for either option since we are dealing with a slate where there is no true cash game lock at goalie, you can spend down a bit.