March 4, 2016

Barry Leonard breaks down the best Daily Fantasy Hockey Lineup Picks and sleepers for FanDuel & DraftKings NHL DFS cash games and GPPs for 3/04/16

Welcome to the Daily Fantasy Hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks article for March 4th 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.

Tonight will present a challenge to those filling out Daily Fantasy Hockey lineups, as there are just six teams in action. A premium will be placed on not missing out on the sleeper picks that everyone else will overlook.

As for the teams in action, two of the most fantasy-rich teams in the NHL, Washington and Dallas are both playing, so expect players from those clubs to garner a lot of attention.

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NHL DFS Picks for Friday, March 4th

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 defenseman 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.

Laurent Brossoit - Goaltender, Oilers (DraftKings - $6,500 FanDuel - $6,500)

With so much offensive firepower in action tonight, picking the right goalie could be extremely difficult. The best route to take could be to select someone from the game featuring two of the worst offenses in the league. Enter Brossoit.  The 22-year-old netminder will be making just his second start this season for the Oilers. He was between the pipes on February 13 and stopped 32 of the 33 shots he faced in a shootout loss to Winnipeg. Tonight, Brossoit gets to face Columbus, a team ranked 20th in the NHL with an average of 2.53 goals per game.

Evgeny Kuznetsov - Center, Capitals  (DraftKings - $6,700 FanDuel - $7,200)

Kuznetsov remained hot Wednesday when he recorded an assist in the win over Toronto. He now has a four-game point streak and 12 points over the last 10 games. The young Russian leads the talented Washington team with 66 points and has become a top fantasy target each night he's on the ice for both DFS sites. Tonight he'll go up against Eastern Conference rival New York, a team that he has a goal and four assists against this season.

Connor McDavid - Center, Oilers   (DraftKings - $7,000 FanDuel - $7,200)

The star rookie missed significant time this season with a broken clavicle, but is now fully healthy and playing like the No. 1 pick of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He dished out a helper Thursday night and now has a three-game point streak. With eight points in his last nine games, McDavid is a solid fantasy play each night he's on the ice. Tonight he gets to go up against Columbus, a team that has really struggled against opposing centers this season. A young center who logs solid ice time and isn't afraid to shoot, McDavid is a valuable asset in all fantasy formats.

Antoine Roussel - Winger, Stars  (DraftKings - $3,000 FanDuel - $4,200)

On a night in which the options are very limited, you need to find a diamond in the rough. That guy tonight could be Antoine Roussel. Although he logs just over 13 minutes of ice time for the Stars, he had a huge game his last time out on Tuesday, picking up a goal and an assist in the loss to Nashville. He also fired four shots on goal, blocked a shot, finished plus-1, and was whistled for four penalty minutes. With eight penalty minutes in the last four games, and seven shots in the last two, Roussel makes for the perfect sleeper pick. Given his very low price tag, taking a chance on Roussel isn't a huge risk.

T.J. Oshie - Winger, Capitals  (DraftKings - $5,600 FanDuel - $5,500)

Oshie had a monster game Wednesday with three assists, including one on the power play, in the win over Toronto. He also blocked a shot and took a penalty. That performance followed a power-play goal in Tuesday's game. The 29-year-old winger has enjoyed his move to a very talented Washington team this season, putting up 18 goals and 21 assists. Oshie is particularly valuable on FanDuel thanks to the minutes he logs on the power play.

Cam Atkinson - Winger, Blue Jackets  (DraftKings - $5,000 FanDuel - $5,700)

Atkinson is another player who can get overlooked, but he can be an excellent play on a night with such a light schedule. The 26-year-old winger picked up his 20th goal of the season in Monday's loss to the Rangers. He took five shots on goal and finished with a rating of plus-1 in 21:44 of ice time. Atkinson has two points in his last five games and gets a very favorable matchup with Edmonton tonight. He likely won't stuff the stat sheet, but can certainly be very useful as a value pick for DFS lineups.

Ryan McDonagh - Defenseman, Rangers  (DraftKings - $5,100 FanDuel - $5,700)

McDonagh has a point in each of his last three games and is a solid target at defenseman tonight. Although Washington presents a tough matchup, McDonagh has actually fared well against the Caps, racking up three assists in the last two games against them. Tonight he'll enter with a goal and and two assists over his last three games. The blueliner doesn't shoot a lot, or see much time of the power play, but he will block shots and visit the sin bin from time to time.

Matt Niskanen - Defenseman, Capitals  (DraftKings - $5,200 FanDuel - $4,400)

Niskanen scored a second-straight goal Wednesday in the win over Toronto. Both of his recent tallies have come on the power play, something that makes him even more valuable for users on FanDuel. He's got three points in the last four games, all on the man advantage. Even without scoring, the blueliner can be valuable to fantasy players thanks to the blocked shots and penalty minutes he'll record. The goals have been a nice bonus recently, but don't count on it, as he has just four this season. Still, Niskanen is hot and is a strong play for DFS lineups.

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