Facing the Coyotes on Saturday, the Sharks are a great team to invest in for daily fantasy leagues.

Top Budget Plays

Centers

Carter Rowney $2800 – The center is a crazy punt play at the least. However, playing with Pittsburgh is a bit of a boost and even if it is the back end of a back-to-back, he won’t see top-six minutes. It will be about making the most of his opportunities. St. Louis looked like more like themselves on Thursday, but Pittsburgh has a way of making things more entertaining.

Wingers

Miles Wood $3400 – There is just a theme here that we must risk more. Wood and even Joseph Blandisi could be used against Columbus. It is well known that both forwards are stubborn pests with a good amount of speed. The ice time may be a bit of a drawback towards Blandisi, but Wood is still a decent value choice at the price. The reason why Mike Cammalleri may not be producing is Cammalleri himself. Wood’s defensive shortcomings can be masked and so can Blandisi’s against a Blue Jackets team that can give up chances in bunches.

Defensemen

Ian Cole $3500 – Hey, why not! Cole can block nearly three shots a night and gets a shot or so on goal a night. If he does anything else, that exceeds value. Not all production is created equal, but Cole is a tertiary option on Pittsburgh. The key is all about finding value and this is more of a safer pick.      

Goalies

Mike Condon $7600 – This is an extremely dangerous GPP play because Buffalo is capable of high-event outcomes and goal production at times. The problem is trying to guess when they execute. Condon has been up and down but stopped all but two shots against Tampa Bay on Thursday night. If he faces 30-35 shots, this could be a good value due to dynamic pricing.           

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.

Enter the DRAFTKINGS $40,000 forecheck…just $4 to enter or FREE if you deposit today!

Centers

John Tavares $7300 – People will run to this as it is likely to be chalk err chalky. That just means Tavares will be owned at an elevated rate. He has 13 points in the last nine games and has wings which are lower priced. This will help one stack the Islanders more easily on Saturday night. The last time Carolina played New York, it was a crazy affair with many goals combined. Do not expect that outrageous of an amount, but the over is likely to hit. Roll with the heater as they say.

Wingers

Vladimir Tarasenko $7400 – Though we may be going all in, Tarasenko had a much better night on Thursday in the Blues’ 5-1 victory over Toronto. He had a goal but five shots and several scoring chances. Expect more of the same on Saturday, as Pittsburgh is just a team that is bottom five on the road when it comes to chances allowed per sixty. He has goals in his last three contests now and a hot Tarasenko is a good play.        

Defenseman

Brent Burns $8400 – 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 1.4 points a game in that span. Burns has six goals on his previous 38 shots. Blocks have come up to nearly two a game. Burns expects to be the highest-owned defenseman easily on Saturday. Arizona has had an awful time matching up with teams with top defensemen. They allow the second-most fantasy points to blueliners in daily fantasy. Erik Karlsson may be a viable pivot, but he does not have the perfect matchup.   

Goalies

Martin Jones $8400 – The choices out there may appear to be better, but it is hard to go away from an obvious cash goalie. Jones stopped all but one shot against Vancouver and figures to be a decent bet against an Arizona team that struggles to get to two goals a night on the road. He has had quality starts in six of his last seven outings. That is enough of a reason to try and play him in cash lineups at least. GPP plays will not be better settled come closer to Saturday afternoon.

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 ten 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. Also, remember there are no teams on bye weeks until next week. Thanks for reading and enjoy the big slate, daily fantasy hockey fans!