Target Burns and the Sharks for daily fantasy hockey success this weekend.

Top Budget Plays

Centers

William Karlsson $3400 – The center is a risky play but Columbus can roll four forward lines and may look to send a message following the ending of their 16-game winning streak. Even on this nine-game slate, values are tough to come by so some may choose Torrey Mitchell. However, something about guys like Karlsson against the Rangers give some hope for a value night.

Wingers

Kevin Labanc $3600 – There is just a theme here that the risks must get crazier. Labanc has six points in six games and very quietly at that. The shot volume is not the most consistent with him but he is taking advantage of opportunities. Detroit will be on the third game in four nights which will make the winger a little more attractive of a proposition on Saturday night. The Red Wings will see more depth guys like Labanc that can put fear in their hearts.

Defensemen

Matthew Benning $3100 – Hey, why not! Benning is a low risk defenseman who will see a little more time than most expect. He is a punt play of punt plays with three assists in nine games. The Edmonton player averages a little over a shot and blocked shot a game. New Jersey will not have Andy Greene again and Toronto defensemen were having their way at will on Friday night so Benning might be a decent idea.   

Goalie

Henrik Lundqvist $7500 – This is an extremely dangerous GPP play because of how good Columbus has been. They did have their 16-game winning streak snapped against Washington and will want to come out firing against the Rangers. Lundqvist should start in net and had an excellent performance against the Flyers on Wednesday. The Rangers are one of the few teams that can score at or above the level of Columbus and the goalie has been better on the penalty kill compared to the last two seasons. That is important as Columbus has that number one power play.         

Since we saved some money on the budget plays let’s look at the few of the pricey options that are worth paying up for today.

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Centers

Connor McDavid $8000 – People will run to the chalk but McDavid is just a plug and automatic play at this juncture. It almost does not matter whether it is tournament, cash, etc. New Jersey’s defense is just too futile without their captain. The center has been a bit cold by his standards but had two assists against Boston. He only has two goals in his last ten games so goal potential should be elevated at the very least.

Wingers

Vladimir Tarasenko $8100 – Though we may be going all in, Tarasenko is arguably worth it. He has three goals in the last two games and ten points in the last ten. At any time, the winger can go over five shots on net with a multiple point night. Dallas gives up a ton of goals on the road. The Blues will want to atone for their awful performance against Carolina. Even Tarasenko was a bit off despite the goal he scored. Dallas gives up the fifth most daily fantasy points to wingers.       

Defenseman

Brent Burns $8100 – Again San Jose should be a ridiculous favorite on Saturday. Burns has seen his shot volume decrease by a good bit over the last ten or eleven games but still has a point a game pace in that span. Burns has three goals on his previous 30 shots. Blocks have come up to nearly two a game. He has had to do a little more with Marc-Edouard Vlasic out and so far he has delivered. Burns expects to be the highest owned defenseman easily on Saturday.  

Goalie

Martin Jones $8100 – The choices out there may appear to be better but it is hard to go away from a goalie who is playing against Detroit especially in cash games. We will have a few GPP options for Saturday night but this is a solid cash choice. Jones will want to atone for that clunker against Minnesota where he gave up five goals on very few shots. A home collapse like that can strengthen a team and Detroit may be a team coming in at the worst possible time.

Chris Wassel has been playing DFS for the past couple years and has played Fantasy Hockey for over two decades. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS. Please note that this is a mega Saturday slate. We are targeting the nine-game evening slate to give readers more of a range on what to go on. Finally, please note that Saturday’s slate has several options and smaller Late options. Thanks for reading and enjoy the big slate daily fantasy hockey fans!