RADIO
Welcome to the Daily Fantasy Hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks article for February 17th of the 2015/2016 NHL season. Each day we'll be providing you with a handful of forward, defensemen, and goaltender picks for DraftKings and FanDuel GPP and cash games.
There are only three games on the card Wednesday night, all three with playoff implication attached. Two of the Original Six square off at the world's most famous arena while several teams hope to take advantage of those that can't stop the bleeding. I apologize, again, in advance to the Montreal Canadiens. My best friend is a Habs fan. I really am rooting for you guys, it's just really hard to stay away from the team's opponents in Daily Fantasy.
For updated goalie confirmations, you can check out leftwinglock.com. Let's get to it!
Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 10% off using code BALLER! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!
Introducing RotoBaller's Premium Daily Fantasy Hockey Cheat Sheet
Get an edge on your NHL DFS competition with more picks, deeper analysis, and key advanced stats. Our Premium NHL DFS Cheat Sheet, written by yours truly, can help you win your Daily Fantasy Hockey cash games and GPPs:
You can find advanced player stats including Shots Attempted per 60, Points per 60, and more advanced stats, breakdowns of the nightly matchups, and 15 of the top NHL DFS picks for the night's games. Cheat Sheets are released three days a week for full NHL slates:Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
If you've already purchased your NHL DFS Cheat Sheet Subscription, you can access it here.
NHL DFS Picks for Wednesday, February 17th
A couple strategy notes. For cash game construction look for players who can contribute to your score when they are not providing offense. Examples are guys who take a ton of shots, defensemen who block a lot of shots(DraftKings). Also, look for guys who get powerplay time and especially Top 6 forwards. You can find value in players who join a new line due to an injury or just get a promotion and more ice time.
For large field tournaments (GPP's) you want to find payers who have multi point upside and can grab double digit fantasy points. To stack the most upside in your forwards a common strategy is to punt the defense position. This doesn't mean just grab anyone. Try and look for a D man who will be playing more PP time or might get a boost in overall playing time due to an injury.
Let's take a look at some solid plays for today's action.
Semyon Varlamov - Goaltender, Avalanche (DraftKings - $7,900 FanDuel - $9,600)
Despite being yanked from Sunday's Valentine's Day contest against the Buffalo Sabres after allowing two goals on only two shots, Varlamov heads into a great matchup against the struggling Montreal Canadiens. Recently, the Habs lost two in a row to the Sabres and Arizona Coyotes, relinquishing six goals in each. I'd like to believe that Colorado is relatively better than the two previously mentioned teams, and should have no problem handling a Canadiens squad that continues to slip and slip and slip. Varlamov is fairly cheap and has won six of his last ten starts.
Devan Dubnyk - Goaltender, Wild (DraftKings - $7,300 FanDuel - $7,400)
Recently, Devan Dubnyk and the Wild were practically giving goals away, however, Minnesota and their starting netminder finally stopped their eight game losing streak and a majority of shots from lighting the lamp as well. 24 shots to be exact, as Dubnyk stepped up in Minnesota's much needed 5-2 victory against the Vancouver Canucks Monday night. Dubnyk draws another favorable matchup on Wednesday when he takes his place between the pipes against the Calgary Flames. In relief of Karri Ramo, neither Jonas Hiller or Joni Ortio have really been able to hold the damage to a minimum, despite Hiller's three straight wins earlier in the month. Dubnyk is another affordable option for both DFS sites.
Carl Soderberg - Center, Avalanche (DraftKings - $4,800 FanDuel - $6,200)
Soderberg is nearly $2,000 cheaper than Colorado's other two centers, Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon, and has been producing similarly compared to the two of late. Soderberg has posted eight points in his last ten games and contributes to DraftKings with blocked shots, and to both sites with shots on goal. He also sees time on Colorado's second power play unit, beneficial for players of FanDuel. He won't blow you away with his performances but is capable of adding three to six fantasy points consistently to your lineup, valuable for his price.
Derek Stepan - Center, Rangers (DraftKings - $5,200 FanDuel - $6,700)
The New York Rangers, especially now with Rick Nash missing a significant amount of time, are a team with no superstars, besides Henrik Lundqvist. Yet, they make it work, mainly in part to those that help control their offense, like Mats Zuccarello, Derrick Brassard, and Derek Stepan. Stepan going down with injury earlier in the season seemingly spiraled the Rangers away from their hot start, and now with him back consistently, have found their offensive groove again. Stepan has scored three goals in two games, and has posted five points overall in that span. He's also likely to tack on points for shots on goal, and the occasional blocked shot and power play point. Stepan is a solid tournament play for both DFS sites, and the Rangers will need him to continue producing when the scary Chicago Blackhawks visit the Garden.
Artemi Panarin - Winger, Blackhawks (DraftKings - $6,400 FanDuel - $6,700)
It's extremely difficult leaving Patrick Kane out of this lineup, but Panarin's recent production has been just as good as the league's leading scorer, and his price is over $2,000 cheaper. Panarin has collected 11 points in his last ten, seven of which came in the past four games. Panarin has greatly benefited from playing on the same line with the aforementioned Kane and the productive Artem Anisimov, and will look to continue his red hot play against the Rangers.
Jarome Iginla - Winger, Avalanche (DraftKings - $4,200 FanDuel - $5,500)
Iginla has been keeping father time on the bench of his career. Recently, Iginila failed to pick up a point in only one of six games played. He tallied seven points in that span, including two goals via the power play and 20 shots on goal. Iginla is the third Avalanche to make Wednesday's cut, partly because he is facing the highly picked on Montreal Canadiens. Iginla's recent production makes it easy to ignore his minus 17 rating on the season.
Brent Seabrook - Defenseman, Blackhawks (DraftKings - $6,000 FanDuel - $5,200)
Seabrook has strung together a baby scoring streak of his own, lighting the lamp three times in two games, two of which came via the power play. Seabrook is a strong play for both DraftKings and FanDuel but holds more value for DraftKings because of his ability to block shots often. Over the last ten games, Seabrook blocked an impressive 24 shots, while firing 25 shots on net in that span as well. Seabrook is not usually known for his scoring, more so for assisting, but he will continue contributing to Daily Fantasy in multiple ways as he steadily sees over 20 minutes of the ice a game.
Andrei Markov - Defenseman, Canadiens (DraftKings - $4,100 FanDuel - $3,600)
It's about time I throw some love at the Canadiens. If Carey Price was healthy they'd undoubtedly be in much better shape than they are now. They have plenty of talent, on both ends of the ice, including Andrei Markov. Markov benefits from playing on Montreal's top defensive line with the impressive and assist-happy P.K. Subban. Markov sees over 20 minutes of ice time a contest, about six of which are spent on the power play and penalty kill combined. The veteran defenseman has put together a productive season so far with his three goals and 25 assists, and is a consist helper and blocked shot threat.
RotoBaller's Daily Fantasy Hockey Cheat Sheet Subscriptions
Our NHL Cheat Sheets go above and beyond standard daily fantasy hockey analysis to make you a DFS winner. Get access to 15 deeply researched picks per cheat sheet, complete with a slew of advanced NHL stats that are key to unlocking player value and DFS success.
Cheat Sheets are released three days a week for full NHL slates: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
If you're already purchased your NHL DFS Cheat Sheet Subscription, you can access it here.
Sample NHL Premium DFS Cheat Sheet
What's that you say? You want to know know what the NHL DFS Cheat Sheets looks like? Below is a sample, so you can get a clear idea of the cutting edge stats and analysis we use.
