RADIO
Thursday features a nine-game evening slate with a spotlight on games like Chicago and Boston, Colorado and Montreal, plus even Buffalo and Calgary.
Remember, when looking around for plays, an over/under of 6 dictates offense, but an over/under of 5 or sometimes 5.5 tilts towards the goalies. There are several games at 6.5, as that has become the new norm in hockey now.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 12/5/19. 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 @ChrisWasselDFS. Let's get to it, shall we?
DFS Forwards to Consider
Nathan MacKinnon - C, COL vs MTL (FD - $9,200, DK - $8,500)
MacKinnon keeps on rolling as he piled on another goal and assist against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night. Montreal allows the third-most points to centers in DFS so naturally, it makes sense to plug and play. Montreal's special teams are one of the worst in the league and their penalty kill functions at just 74.1%. Colorado is on the back-end of a back to back but with a top-line completely operational, that spells even worse news for Montreal.
Nikita Kucherov - W, TAM vs MIN (FD - $8,600, DK - $7,400)
The winger finally has gotten things moving in the right direction. He has 18 points in his last ten games on five goals. Also, he is shooting the puck more (3.1 shots on net per game). Attempts are up past five a contest as well. Minnesota is a below-average road team but capable of trading goals which are good for Kucherov and the Lightning. Tampa Bay scores at a rate of 4.09 goals per contest at home and Kucherov is playing a larger role in that now.
Also, Consider:
- Jack Eichel, Mika Zibanejad, and even Mathew Barzal are excellent plays on Thursday night.
- David Pastrnak and Max Pacioretty are solid options on Thursday from the wing position.
DFS Defenders to Consider
Victor Hedman - D, TAM vs MIN (FD - $6,500, DK - $5,800)
We are picking on the Minnesota Wild a little because of their lack of ability to slow down top defensemen from the opposition. They give up the second-most points in DFS to defensemen. Part of this was their horrible start but part of it is the pace that other teams play against Minnesota. With Jared Spurgeon now out, Minnesota's team defense takes a huge hit. Hedman has two goals and 12 points over his last ten games while averaging nearly three shots a contest. Hedman is a good tournament play.
Shea Weber - D, MTL vs COL (FD - $6,800, DK - $6,500)
Weber's price has steadied and the one good thing is that Montreal faces a non-rested Colorado team on Thursday night. If they were to thrive and end their eight-game losing streak, this might be an ideal time. Weber's rocket shot on the man advantage could be extremely useful. Also, Colorado allows the fifth-most DFS points to defensemen. Weber averages nearly four shots a game lately along with almost two blocked shots per outing.
Also, Consider:
- Cale Makar still benefits on FanDuel due to a lower price. Also, do not forget to look at Ryan Graves for value from Colorado as well.
- Torey Krug against Chicago is a good way to go and Miro Heiskanen against Winnipeg could be a surprise.
DFS Goalie to Consider
Brian Elliott - G, PHI vs ARZ (FD - $7,600, DK - $8,100)
The idea was to take a shot with a goalie who is slightly lower-priced. Elliott has been on a nice roll of late while facing more than 32 shots per 60 in the process. The fact that he faces a few more shots and goes up against an Arizona team that fires more shots on the road is helpful. Always watch for confirmations but in this case, Elliott was already planned to start here. So, take a look with this especially on a FanDuel slant.
Also, Consider:
- The other good GPP choices on Thursday night include whoever starts for Boston plus maybe Semyon Varlamov against Vegas at home for shot count.
