Cheap plays for Daily Fantasy Hockey, February 11, 2017.

Top Budget Plays

Centers

Christian Dvorak $3,300 – The center is a play at the least. However, playing against Pittsburgh is a bit of a challenge for any rookie. He has multiple points in two of his last three games and keeps seeing more and more ice time. The unusual evening schedule is going to stretch the bounds of what is considered a budget play on Saturday night. Split slates mean taking different risks.

Wingers

Kenny Agostino $3,100 – There is just a theme here that we must risk more. Agostino and even Magnus Paajarvi may be used on Saturday. The Blues have a tough match-up in Montreal but the Canadiens have been around .500 for the last 35-40 games. The young Morristown, New Jersey native has two points in three games for St. Louis with 12 shots on net. His ice time is a bit limited at 13:39 per game so far but his possession and chance rates are through the roof. Strike while the iron is hot!

Defensemen

Brandon Montour $2,700 – Hey, why not! Montour has nine shots in three games after this latest call up. The defenseman has a goal and an assist. His penchant for being quick with puck decisions has sparked a little talk of how some Ducks may be expendable. Anaheim’s coaching staff could not praise the young defender enough. As long as he stays at a budget price, his contributions will continue to exceed or reach value.       

Goalie

Calvin Pickard $6,600 – This is an extremely dangerous GPP play because Colorado is the worst team in the league for a reason. Colorado has won two of their last three and does play a little better on the road. The expectation is that the Avalanche allow 30+ shots against the New York Rangers. Given the struggles of the Rangers at times at home, this may not be as nutty of a play as one would think. While no one expects a shutout, Pickard could potentially surprise here.            

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 $8,000 – People will run to this as it is likely to be chalk err chalky. That just means McDavid will be owned at an elevated rate. He has three points in his last five games while just coming off Edmonton’s bye week. Chicago has a bottom three penalty kill and has had some nightmarish meetings in Edmonton. Some will have bias with McDavid seeing the slight recent struggles but the allure of playing the Blackhawks will mitigate that.

Wingers

Phil Kessel $6,400 – Though we may be going all in, Kessel can have some doughnut nights but this year, he is right at just about a point a game (52 points in 53 games). This includes six points in his last five contests. Arizona is a good match-up for the right winger as he will face young forwards and depth defenders. The Coyotes penalty kill is a hair better at home but still bottom third in the league. If Evgeni Malkin does not go, that only boosts Kessel’s playability.         

Defenseman

Shea Weber $5,900 – Again this should be a considerable risk but Weber at home is usually a better bet than on the road. Yes, the first game back from a road trip can be sluggish but St. Louis allows more than three goals a game away from the home. Their penalty kill also suffers which means Weber can unleash his shot more. He only has seven shots and no points in his last five games. Defensemen like Weber go in these slumps and this may be enough to jolt him out of it.

Goalie

Braden Holtby $8,200 – The choices out there may appear to be better but it is hard to go away from an obvious cash goalie. Holtby has a great chance at a win and could face quite a few shots as Anaheim topped 40 shots on goal twice in the last week. There is the risk they may lay an egg but Holtby did not look pleased after allowing three goals to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. He is expected to be the highest or second highest priced goalie on Saturday night.

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 seven-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!