This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Saturday was as busy as the NHL gets. Literally, as all 32 teams played. Sunday is a breather for the league, with only four teams playing. Also, the first game is at 1 p.m. ET, so you'll have to get your lineups in early. Here are my players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. WAS ($34): Shesterkin isn't merely the only Vezina winner expected to start Sunday. He's also the only project starter with a GAA under 3.00 and a save percentage over .900. If that wasn't enough, the Capitals are in the bottom five in both goals and shots on net per game.
GOALIE TO AVOID
James Reimer, DET at TOR ($33): Reimer has the second-highest salary of any goalie, so he's the one to avoid. Maybe you want to really roll the dice on, say, Ilya Samsonov, given that he has a salary of $21. Reimer, though, provides no real upside, what with his .889 save percentage and Toronto's 3.55 goals per game.
CENTER
Dylan Larkin, DET at TOR ($23): The Red Wings have played much better since Larkin returned from injury, and their captain has been crucial on that front. He has 11 points in 12 games since returning, and is also on a five-game point streak. I mentioned Samsonov as somebody to theoretically roll the dice on, but it would truly be a gamble. The Russian goalie has an .862 save percentage and was recently down in the AHL.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nic Dowd, WAS at NYR ($15): Dowd has been shockingly hot recently, which has boosted his salary a bit. He has six points over his last six games. However, he has three goals over his last four games, and in each of those games he scored on his sole shot on net. Dowd is a fourth-line center, and his hot streak will likely fade into the distance swiftly.
WING
Alexis Lafreniere, NYR vs. WAS ($15): Lafreniere doesn't seem primed to become a franchise cornerstone, the goal with any first-overall pick, but he's a legit top-six forward at 22, and he's also been firing on all cylinders. Over his last 14 games he has nine points, but also 45 shots on net. Darcy Kuemper will be in goal for the Caps, and over his last six starts he has a 4.26 GAA and .870 save percentage.
David Perron, DET at TOR ($14): Perron took a few games to get into the groove after his suspension, but he has five points over his last six contests. Three of those points have been with the extra man, and he has 10 power-play points in total playing first-unit minutes. The Maple Leafs have the 25th-ranked penalty kill, and I noted Samsonov's struggles this year.
WINGS TO AVOID
Tyler Bertuzzi, TOR vs. DET ($19): It can't be all Capitals among my recommendations for players to avoid, especially with their offense ranked 30th in goals per game. Bertuzzi's salary is pretty high for a guy who doesn't play much on the power play and who has struggled to score goals. In fact, he only has one goal over his last 21 games.
Anthony Mantha, WAS at NYR ($14): Alex Ovechkin is banged up and didn't play Saturday. Mantha's salary is the next-highest for a Capital. He did score a goal Saturday, but his 12 goals have come on only 65 shots on net, and he hasn't scored more than 16 goals since the 2018-19 season. The Rangers have allowed the fewest shots on goal per game and have the best penalty kill of these four teams, so this is the toughest matchup among the quarter.
DEFENSE
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. DET ($20): Rielly has looked more like the guy who tallied 68 points two seasons ago than the one with 41 points last year. In fact, his six goals in 40 games is already more than his four last season. Rielly hasn't gone more than two games without a point across his last 18 games, and facing the Red Wings and Reimer gives him a good chance to be on the score sheet.
Shayne Gostisbehere, DET at TOR ($13): I noted the Maple Leafs have the 25th-ranked penalty kill. When a below-average penalty kill is on the schedule for the Red Wings, you want Gostisbehere in your lineup. Long a specialist when it comes to working with the extra man, he has 17 power-play points in 41 games in his first season in Detroit.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
John Carlson, WAS at NYR ($22): Like Gostisbehere, Carlson plays a lot of his minutes on the power play, and nine of his 21 points have come with the extra man. However, while "Ghost" has a matchup with a poor penalty kill, Carlson faces a Rangers team that ranks seventh in penalty-kill percentage.
Jacob Trouba, NYR vs. WAS ($16): Trouba had a three-game point streak recently, though it included games with the Blackhawks and Lightning. He doesn't have a point in his last four games, though, and he has only 16 points and 76 shots on net in 41 contests this year. Trouba has blocked a lot of shots this year, but the Capitals aren't offensively robust, especially with Ovechkin out.
