Yahoo DFS Hockey: Monday Picks

Yahoo DFS Hockey: Monday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.

Deadline Day is upon us and players many players could be on the move before day's end. Be sure to double check your lineups before you lock them in, but in the meantime, here are some values for Monday's six-game slate:

Goalie

Pekka Rinne, NSH vs. EDM ($34)

Rinne is coming off a brutal five-goal shellacking at the hands of the Avalanche on Saturday, but that might be a good reason to take him here -- he could be a low-percentage play with many owners turning away, and the veteran keeper makes for a nice play against a lackluster Edmonton offense that averages 2.53 road goals per game. Plus, Rinne and the Predators are proven winners on home ice.

Goalie to Avoid

Frederik Andersen, TOR vs. BUF ($35)

Andersen has had a very fine year backstopping the Maple Leafs, but part of his inherent risk is that he is prone to periods of mediocrity -- the Dane has allowed three goals or more nine of his last 12 starts. This is usually fine if the Toronto offense can support him to a win, but if it cannot keep up with the Sabres on Monday, then that could spell disaster for Andersen.

Center

Bo Horvat, VAN vs. ANH ($18)

Horvat hasn't been a real force on the scoresheet lately, but he's seeing plenty of looks and has a very enticing matchup Monday. The 23-year-old and his team will host a despondent Ducks squad that will likely start the mediocre Ryan Miller in goal in the absence of John Gibson. This should open the door for the opportunistic Horvat, who is averaging 4:30 of power-play ice time and almost three shots on goal per game over the last 10.

Center to Avoid

Ryan Johansen, NSH vs. EDM ($21)

Since Feb. 9, Johansen has not been able to the put the puck in the back of the net, and in the seven games since then, he shows five assists and only 12 shots on goal. This could signal that the Vancouver native is not currently as involved in the offense, so until he starts getting back on track, he won't be a recommended play, especially not at this price point.

Wings

Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA @ COL ($21)

Almost nobody has been hotter than Huberdeau over the last week or so, as he shows four goals and four assists to go with a plus-6 rating in his last four games. The Canadian winger is seeing large quantities of high quality scoring chances, as he's turned 4:35 of average power-play ice time into three power-play points over the same span. Fire him up against a fading Colorado team.

Andrew Shaw, MON @ NJ ($16)

Because he has missed 21 games to injury this year, it's easy to forget that Shaw is having one of the finest seasons of his career and is on track for a new career high in points. The 27-year-old and linemate Max Domi have been quite effective when paired together this season, both at even strength and with the man advantage. Shaw will look to extend his point streak to three games against the hapless Devils.

Wings to Avoid

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM @ NSH ($22)

Bridgestone Arena in Nashville is a tough place to play for visiting sides, but it's an especially difficult place to score on the home team -- the Predators allow just 2.39 home goals per game on average, the second lowest mark in the league. Nugent-Hopkins is not the focal point of the Edmonton offense and he can get burned in the defensive end, as shown by a minus-5 rating in the last six games.

Brendan Gallagher, MON @ NJ ($20)

Gallagher is frighteningly inconsistent on a daily basis, making him undesirable in most fantasy slates even in inviting matchups. Sure, the Edmonton native garnered a hat trick two games ago, but in the five games surrounding that, he put up one goal, no assists and a terrible minus-6 rating. The inconsistency can and will get you burned, so be sure to keep your distance here.

Defensemen

Mattias Ekholm, NSH vs. EDM ($19)

Ekholm has already smashed his career highs for points and assists and will look to continue doing damage against a very poor Edmonton defense. The Swedish d-man is crucial to this strong Predators attack, averaging a heaping 23:15 of ice time and firing 20 shots on net over the last six contests. This is a very nice matchup for the Preds at home, so it stands to reason that the defensemen could thrive here.

Tyson Barrie, COL vs. FLA ($19)

While he hasn't put up the gaudy numbers we've seen in years past, Barrie is still very much a focal point for this Colorado offense that has been among the league's best at times. The 27-year-old blue liner took 19 shots on goals in his last four games, racking up two power-play assists running with a unit that includes Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. This Florida defense can easily be had, so make Barrie a priority.

Defensemen to Avoid

P.K. Subban, NSH vs. EDM ($21)

I'm not sure what Subban is doing to draw price tags like this but they are seriously unwarranted -- the Toronto native shows three points, a goal on 2.0 percent shooting, as well as a minus-6 rating over his last 16 games. Those are far from elite numbers, but you'd never know it from this daily price. Even in this nice matchup, Subban will likely play second fiddle to Ekholm and Roman Josi once again.

Drew Doughty, LA @ TB ($19)

There is really nothing to like in this matchup for Doughty. The veteran defenseman has not scored a goal since Jan. 21, and has just five assists and a minus-7 rating in the 11 games since. The Lightning are outstanding on both ends of the ice, which will likely limit Doughty's ability to score, as well as make him vulnerable to sinking deeper into his plus-minus hole.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Doug Greenberg plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: Draftkings: dcgreenberg, Yahoo DFS: dcgreenberg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Doug Greenberg
Doug Greenberg has been writing about hockey for RotoWire since 2016. He is a diehard Boston sports fan and a proud Wisconsin Badger.
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