This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
The early parts of the hockey season -- perhaps the first month or so -- can be very difficult to pinpoint from both a daily and season-long stance. The trends of teams haven't started to flatten out yet, players that may be sent back to junior hockey are still with the NHL club, and goalies are at the mercy of much-too-small sample sizes.
These facts present both risk and opportunity in daily play. Players that offer significant values at their price now may not hold that value in a month, or even a week from now. Remember that the situations are fluid, so keeping an eye on beat writers and RotoWire's depth charts helps clarify individual circumstances. Here are this week's value picks.
Center
Vladislav Namestnikov, Tampa Bay ($3,000)
The Lightning are only running two defensemen through their two power-play units. That leaves eight forwards vying for the eight remaining spots. One of those forward positions has been given to Namestnikov.
He's not receiving a plethora of time with the opportunity thus far -- it's only been about a minute and a half per game. Still, any player with a decent amount of power-play time that can be had for the minimum price is worthwhile to consider.
What makes Namestnikov even more appealing is his role at even strength. So far this year -- and remember, these are still very small samples -- Namestnikov and his linemates have been playing against the depth players from other teams. This week, he's looking at third and fourth lines from Montreal, New Jersey, and Vancouver. Not exactly bastions of defense.
Namestnikov's price is cheap for a power-play guy getting easy minutes. There's not a lot of downside here, which makes him a nice punt play on slates where DFSers are looking at several expensive options.
Left Wing
Alex Tanguay, Colorado ($4,000)
Colorado is off to a pretty rough start this season, having been shutout in both of their games to start the year. These types of start put pressure on a coach, and can lead to a lot of line blending. This becomes problematic for making predictions in DFS play.
This line blending has started in Colorado, but by and large, Tanguay has remained in the top six for Colorado. Despite head coach Patrick Roy trying out all sorts of combinations, Tanguay has on the ice for 20 percent of Colorado's even-strength time, joining either a duo of Matt Duchene-Jarome Iginla or Nathan MacKinnon-Daniel Briere.
On top of Tanguay remaining in the top-six forwards for Colorado at even strength, he's also been one of their staples on the power play. To date this year, Tanguay has been on the ice for over 45 percent of Colorado's combinations with the man advantage, which represents a significant piece of real estate.
Colorado would be a team that I choose to target more for tournaments than for cash games. The risk of the players being a significant minus in the plus/minus column is too great. That said, for $4,000 of the budget, Tanguay presents the perfect mix of upside/opportunity for those tournaments.
Right Wing
David Clarkson, Toronto ($3,900)
Toronto had a bit of a tough stretch to start the season. The three teams it faced -- Montreal, Pittsburgh, and the New York Rangers -- were all among the Eastern Conference's final four teams last year in the playoffs. This week, however, the Maple Leafs get Colorado and Detroit twice. If there should be some games where this team won't be minuses across the board, the upcoming schedule should prove more fruitful.
Clarkson's value won't derive from playing at 5-on-5. It shouldn't hurt him either, though, as he is not facing top opposition; Clarkson, rather, is facing third and fourth lines, as well as third-pairing defensemen. These situations aren't conducive to big plus/minus swings. In fact, that's one of the perks about drafting depth players like Clarkson. At the same time, that does limit his upside.
Two things separate Clarkson from most bottom-six forwards. The first is his power-play time, as Clarkson is already over eight and a half minutes through three games, good for sixth among Leafs forwards. And second is his penchant for penalties. Clarkson showed in the preseason his knack for fisticuffs, and he's high on the list for guys that can accumulate seven penalty minutes or more on a given night.
I'm not a general fan for Clarkson in fantasy terms. But if Toronto is insistent on playing him on the power play, he's going to carry more value than he should. He makes the perfect punt play on big slates like Tuesday and Saturday for tournaments.
Defenseman
Sami Vatanen, Anaheim ($4,300)
So far this year, it's not Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler, or Francois Beauchemin getting first-line power-play duties for the Ducks. Instead, that responsibility has fallen to the 23-year-old Vatanen.
The Finnish defenseman has posted a very solid 25 points in 58 career games for the Ducks. He's a smooth skater, and a very good puck-mover. In fact, in about a half-season's worth of data last year by now-hired NHL analytics guru Corey Sznajder, Vatanen had the highest carry-in rate among all Anaheim defensemen. More carry-ins as opposed to dump-ins result in more shot attempts. And that means more opportunities for points than Vatanen otherwise would have.
Of course, Vatanen's big source of value isn't his even-strength carry-in rate. Rather, it's his top unit power-play time. Anaheim had trouble at times last year on the power play, but there is too much talent there (Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, et al) to really think that continues. Vatanen, as a result, already has two power-play assists this year through his team's first two games. Being the lone defenseman on that unit is a lot of value for his modest price tag.
Goaltender
Martin Jones, Los Angeles ($8,100)
Through three games, Jones has made two appearances for the Kings. One of them was in relief of starter Jonathan Quick, who was pulled early in the first game of the season, and his second was a 29-save, one goal against performance that gave his team the win against Winnipeg on Sunday.
For his price, Jones can present some real solid value. Top-flight goalies like Tuukka Rask and Carey Price are listed in excess of $10,000. That number represents close to 20 percent of a total budget. Jones, on the other hand, represents closer to 15 percent of a budget. Those savings can be applied to upgrade one position significantly, or a few positions slightly.
With the talent he has in front of him, Jones could experience a lot of success this season. Goaltenders of any actual skill level can outperform their true talent level in small samples. That's why goalies like Alex Stalock (San Jose), Thomas Greiss (Pittsburgh), and Jones can bring elite-level production in a backup role. The sample size isn't big enough for regression to hit.
Quick is not an elite goalie, and Los Angeles can't afford to give away too many games. This should result in Jones getting some action this week, and in the weeks ahead. Los Angeles has a tough matchup against St. Louis, but either of their two other games this week (Edmonton, Minnesota) could be good spots to start Jones.
