FanDuel NHL: Sunday Picks

FanDuel NHL: Sunday Picks

This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.

By this point, several teams have clinched playoff spots, and several others have been eliminated from the race for the postseason. Both of those things can change plans, goals, lineups, etc. It's good to keep that in mind when setting DFS lineups. Sunday features four games starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. These are my suggestions for your DFS contests.

SLATE PREVIEW

All four road teams, Nashville, Montreal, St. Louis, and Dallas, are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Only the Predators, in New Jersey, face a team in the same position.

GOALIE

Jordan Binnington, STL at ANA ($8,300): Even though the Blues, as I noted, are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, I'll still recommend Binnington. Why? Well, because the Ducks are terrible. They have averaged a paltry 2.43 goals and 26.7 shots on net per game, and along with San Jose will be one of the two teams that finish the year in the bottom three in both goals per contest and GAA. Binnington has a .912 save percentage on the season, but a .922 save percentage over his last 15 games. He's capable of handling Anaheim's woebegone lineup.

VALUE PLAY

Jason Zucker, NAS at NJD ($4,200): The Predators have been looking for offensive output beyond their elite first line all season, and since joining the lineup in a trade, Zucker has provided a bit of that. He has six points and 34 shots on net in 13 outings. The Devils brought in two new goalies in trades themselves, but Jake Allen started Saturday, leaving Kaapo Kahkonen for Sunday. Kahkonen has a career .898 save percentage across 137 NHL appearances.

FORWARD LINE STACK

Blues at Ducks

Pavel Buchnevich (C - $6,900), Jordan Kyrou (W - $7,300), Alexei Toropchenko (W - $3,500)

I mentioned that the Ducks will be one of the two teams that finish in the bottom three when it comes to both scoring and preventing goals. They have a 3.60 GAA, having allowed 32.6 shots on net per game. The Ducks also have the 31st-ranked penalty kill, and two of these guys are on the first power-play unit.

Buchnevich has spent much of the season playing on the wing, but he's been centering the second line recently, and also centering the top power-play grouping. He had 21 power-play points last year, and has 17 this season. Kyrou isn't going to score 37 goals like he did last year, but 27 goals in 77 games is still quite good. Plus, he still shoots a ton, with 238 shots on target. Toropchenko has been given an opportunity to skate on the second line, which has increased his ice time, and also his fantasy upside. He's tallied 14 goals this season.

DEFENSEMAN

Adam Fox, NYR vs. MON ($7,800): If there was a reasonable way to try and save you some salary and still get a piece of the New York blue line, I would. Alas, there have been no real secondary options from the Rangers, especially recently. However, a high-salary player is not inherently a low-value player, and I would happily try and fit Fox into my lineup Sunday. He's a defenseman with seven multipoint games in his last 15 outings. On top of that, he has 30 power-play points in only 67 games. The Canadiens have a bottom-10 penalty kill, and are also on the road for the second day of a back-to-back. Cayden Primeau is in line for the start, and he has a career .890 save percentage.

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. Chris Morgan plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: cmorgan3, DraftKings: cmorgan3.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Morgan
Chris Morgan is a writer of sports, pop culture, and humor articles, a book author, a podcaster, and a fan of all Detroit sports teams.
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