Chris Durell's NHL DFS advice for 1/3/17 - daily fantasy hockey FanDuel and DraftKings cheat sheets. His lineup picks, sleepers and stacks for cash games and GPPs.

RotoBallers, welcome back to our daily fantasy hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and FantasyAces. Below you will find our NHL cheat sheet - DFS lineup picks, sleepers and stacks for Tuesday, January 3 of the 2016/2017 NHL season.

Welcome to 2017 my daily fantasy hockey friends. It's a new year but the process remains the same. Smart lineup building, bankroll management and a ton of fun along the way.

Tonight we have a fairly big seven-game slate with only the New Jersey Devils playing on a back to back. Let's dig in!

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on Fantasy Aces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive our full season NHL Premium Pass (DFS Cheat Sheets) for free, a $99.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium pass.

NHL Daily League Lineup Picks for Tuesday, January 3 

For those that are new to this, each day we'll be providing you with a few of our top DFS lineup picks for daily league cash games on FanDuel, DraftKings, and FantasyAces. We will also provide you with one of our favorite teams to stack for GPPs. You can grab the rest of our Premium DFS lineup picks and stacks through the NHL Cheat Sheet and DFS Premium Pass below.

Auston Matthews (C, TOR)

DraftKings - $7,600, FanDuel - $7,400, FantasyAces - $5,650

Matthews has been one of the hottest players in the league lately with 12 points over his last 10 games. During that stretch, he has scored eight goals not only putting him in the rookie lead but ties him for second in the entire league behind only Crosby. To add to it, Matthews is one of only 57 players in history to score 20 goals in their first season and he has around 35 games to play. He is definitely safe in all formats.

Cam Atkinson (W, CBJ)

DraftKings - $7,200, FanDuel - $7,000, FantasyAces - $5,750

We can't talk about red hot without talking about the Columbus Blue Jackets. They have now won 15 straight games, not losing a game since back in late November, and sit atop the NHL with 56 points. During the streak, Cam Atkinson has been leading the way with 18 points on the top line and powerplay unit. He is safe in all formats as he also provides a safe floor with just under three shots on goal per game.

Ryan McDonagh (D, NYR)

DraftKings - $5,400, FanDuel - $5,600, FantasyAces - $5,200

It is a tough night to pay up for D men, especially Burns in a tough mathcup. The best way to attack the position tonight is value and topping the list is Ryan McDonagh. He has been red hot offensively lately tallying 10 points over his last 10 games and now has 25 on the season. He also provides a high floor averaging over two shots and two blocks per game.

Stacking Option

Columbus Blue Jackets - Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg, Sam Gagner, Brandon Saad

The Blue Jackets are one of my favorite teams to target in cash games as they rank #1 in offense and have a very balanced attack. You can safely combine multiple players from their top three lines to get the most exposure in plus matchups like tonight. The best combo is the group above who all play together on the top powerplay unit.

Premium Cheat Sheets for Daily Fantasy Hockey

Get an edge on your NHL DFS competition with our Premium cheat sheets -- more lineup picks, deeper analysis, and advanced stats to unlock DFS player value.

Premium access to 15 deeply researched lineup picks including stats like Shots Attempted per 60, Points per 60, and more. Come see for yourself:

• Weekly Premium Pass - includes playoffs
• Monthly Premium Pass - includes playoffs
• Year-Long Premium Pass - includes playoffs

Sample NHL Premium DFS Cheat Sheet

Want to know what the Premium NHL DFS Cheat Sheets looks like? Below is a sample. We go above and beyond standard daily fantasy hockey analysis.

Click image to enlarge

 
Bonus: General NHL DFS Strategy Notes

For cash games, look at players who can contribute to your score even when they are not providing offense. Some examples are guys who take a ton of shots and defensemen who block a lot of shots. Also, look for guys who get power play time. You can find value in players who join a new line due to an injury, or just get a promotion and more ice time. It is also recommended to spread out your exposure to three or four different lines, and not put all your eggs in one basket.

For large field tournaments (GPPs), find payers who have multi-point upside and can grab double-digit fantasy points. If you want 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 defenseman who will get power play time, or a playing time boost due to an injury. For a contrarian approach, paying up at the defense position can be a great strategy - but it also comes with more risk. GPPs bring a great opportunity for goaltenders in the value price range - you can look for backups on good teams.