Advertisement

Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Values and players to avoid for Tuesday


By Sasha Yodashkin

The NHL opens December with a 10-game slate highlighted by a Western Conference rematch between the Wild and Blackhawks. Many of the league's top teams have the night off, but the division-leading Canadiens and Kings still offer mismatches with home tilts against lesser foes. We're starting to get a good idea of the league's hierarchy with more than a quarter of the season in the books, and that information will be key to figuring out value plays. These are the players with the best combination of price, role and opponent Tuesday.

GOALIE

Mike Smith, ARI at NSH ($30) - 
The Predators have scored just six goals in their last six games combined, so they won't be happy to face the streaking Smith. Arizona's goaltender has won three consecutive starts and five of his last six, yet is still available for a reasonable $30. Don't overthink this one; roll with the cheap, hot goaltender against a struggling offense.

Goalie to Avoid:

Marc-Andre Fleury ($36) - 
The Penguins have dropped three of their last four while the Sharks have won seven of eight. Those aren't the numbers you want to see when you're about to drop $36 on a goaltender, especially one who allowed three goals while taking a loss against this same opponent Nov. 21. 

CENTER

Patrik Elias, NJD vs. COL ($13) - 
Elias has two points in three games since his season debut Nov. 25, but his price isn't reflective of his productivity. The veteran winger has played at a 53-point pace when healthy the last two seasons, and he's been put in position to replicate that output on New Jersey's second line. Expect Elias to run his point streak to three games in a home bout with the cellar-dwelling Avalanche. 

Center to Avoid: 

Mikko Koivu, MIN at CHI ($19) - 
Koivu only has 24 shots on goal in his last 17 contests, so the Wild captain needs to get on the scoresheet or have a good plus/minus to return value. Chicago's dominance of the Wild last season (7-2, including playoffs) suggests Koivu will have a difficult time racking up stats against the Blackhawks. 

WING

Vladimir Tarasenko, STL vs. FLA ($25) - 
Tarasenko is as hot as anyone in the league, finding the back of the net seven times the last nine games. The Russian sniper has been especially impressive at home, with a Gretzky-like six goals and four assists in his last five games at the Scottrade Center. He won't come cheap, but Tarasenko is the surest bet to score of any player Tuesday.

Wayne Simmonds, PHI at OTT ($18) - 
Simmonds is coming off a massive game against the Rangers in which he contributed on all three Flyers goals, scoring two. If he can do that against the stingiest defense in the NHL, there's no reason to think the winger can't replicate those results against Ottawa's bottom-10 defense. Even after Saturday's breakout, Simmonds' shooting percentage is still a paltry 7.9 percent. He will find the back of the net more frequently as that number climbs closer to his career average of 12.7 percent, making him a bit underpriced compared to his projected value.

Wings to Avoid:

Mikkel Boedker, ARI at NSH ($20) - 
Boedker's price is inflated after his hat trick Saturday, and his year-to-date stats suggest he will have a hard time living up to his new valuation. The Danish winger had managed just three points in his last eight games prior to Saturday, and the Predators' superior defense and goaltending make them much tougher to score on than the Senators were in Boedker's last game.

DEFENSEMEN

John Klingberg, DAL at CGY ($24) - 
Klingberg is tied with Tyler Seguin for the team lead in power-play points with 11, making him hard to pass up against what has been by far the league's worst penalty kill. Calgary's opponents are scoring on almost 30 percent of their opportunities, and Dallas has the league's second-best man-up conversion rate as it is. If early season trends hold true, expect Dallas to score quite a few goals, and for the league's leading scorer among defenseman to play a big hand in that success.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SJ vs. PIT ($17) - 
Vlasic has played big minutes for the Sharks all season and is finally starting to reward the coaching staff's trust in him with solid recent production. After picking up just one goal and four assists in his first 16 appearances of 2015-16, Vlasic has really started to put opponents in a pickle with two goals and four assists in his last seven games. The veteran was already enjoying a solid season in terms of blocks and plus/minus prior to this recent surge, so he won't be available for cheap much longer if he keeps getting on the scoresheet.

Defensemen to Avoid:

Colton Parayko, STL vs. FLA ($19) - 
Parayko was bumped down to St. Louis' third defensive pairing with the return of Kevin Shattenkirk, and it seems the reduction in role has come with fewer offensive responsibilities. The rookie has no goals and just two assists in his last eight games, as Shattenkirk has taken over the blue-line scoring responsibilities with 10 points in that span. Avoid Parayko until he rediscovers his early season offensive game.

Michael Del Zotto, PHI at OTT ($16) - 
Del Zotto's price has rocketed back up from the minimum, as the supposedly offensively gifted defenseman finally managed the elusive feat of scoring a goal Friday, and now has a whole five points in 24 games this season. He's playing a career-high 23:44 per game, but the increased playing time has merely given the defensively irresponsible Del Zotto more opportunities to make costly turnovers and defensive zone errors. Look for an offensively talented Senators team to further lower his already putrid minus-9 rating.

Get a FREE RotoWire 10-day trial (no credit card required) at RotoWire.com

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY: