This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Tuesday's busy NHL slate finds 20 teams in action, and shouldn't lack for quality with 13 of the 16 squads currently in playoff position set to take the ice. It's hard to find many guys flying under the radar with multple quality teams playing, but the large number of available players inevitably allows some to slip through the cracks. Regardless of your preferred DFS format and strategy, the players listed below are all in position to return solid value at their current prices.
GOALIE
Jimmy Howard, DET vs. NJ ($32) - Howard has won or made at least 35 saves in each of his last seven starts, but the veteran's price continues to stay relatively depressed as he remains locked into the lower end of a timeshare with Petr Mrazek. This matchup against a Devils club that hasn't topped two regulation goals in any of its last seven games presents an ideal opportunity to take advantage of Howard's bargain price.
Goalie to Avoid:
Craig Anderson, OTT at FLA ($33) - Anderson has won just four of his last 10 road starts while surrendering 32 goals in those games. Even a repeat of his 25-save, two-goals-allowed win in Florida on Dec. 8 wouldn't be a particularly great value for $33, and that's his best performance outside of Ottawa this month.
CENTER
Steven Stamkos, TB vs. VAN ($21) - Stamkos has six goals and seven assists in 10 home games since the start of November, yet his road woes have reduced his valuation to a very reasonable $21. The Lightning sniper has consistently proven himself to be among the league's top scorers since he broke into the NHL in 2008-09, and those utilizing him at Amalie Arena have been reaping the benefits for the better part of two months. Vancouver's bottom-10 defense and penalty kill unit are going to have a very hard time keeping Stamkos off the board.
Center to Avoid:
Aleksander Barkov, FLA vs. OTT ($23) - Barkov has found the back of the net just once in his last 13 contests, and his 18 points this season make him less productive than pretty much all the other centers in his price range. The matchup is decent, but there's no reason to spend so much on Barkov with plenty of more productive options available for the same price or less.
WING
Patrick Maroon, ANH at NYR ($12) - Maroon was recently elevated to the top line alongside stars Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry as head coach Bruce Boudreau continues to look for ways to jumpstart the NHL's least productive offense. Even with those two having disappointing campaigns by their lofty standards, Maroon figures to benefit greatly from their presence in addition to his increase in playing time. He's worth rolling the dice on at the minimum price against a reeling Rangers team that has surrendered an unsightly 31 goals in its last six games.
Patrick Kane, CHI at DAL ($28) - He's available for under $30 for the first time in recent memory due to the perceived difficulty of playing one of the NHL's top teams in Dallas, but Kane has proven to be matchup-proof this season as he leads the league with 50 points through 35 games. While it's not quite up to his recent historic standards, he is riding a three-game point streak, and his seven goals in 10 tries against divisional opponents this season prove the American saves his best for big games. Any time you can grab the league's leading producer at a discount, it's an investment worth making.
Wings to Avoid:
Radim Vrbata, VAN at TB ($20) - It's easy to overlook due to his Dec. 7 hat trick against the Sabres, but Vrbata has gone pointless in nine of his last 11 games. You'd like to get better odds of scoring for a $20 investment, as the Czech winger has just nine points in Vancouver's 21 road games this season.
Frank Vatrano, BOS vs. STL ($18) - Vatrano has played 11:17 or less in six of the last seven games, and has just six points through 18 NHL contests. With St. Louis' stellar defensive play likely to slow down Boston's forwards to some extent, there are plenty of more established players in better situations to be had for the same price or less.
DEFENSEMEN
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI vs. TOR ($18) - With 20 power-play goals since the start of the 2013-14 campaign, Ekman-Larsson is one of the league's premier producers with the man advantage among blueliners. The Swede has amassed six goals and six power-play points in his last 20 games, and Toronto's bottom-10 penalty kill is going to have a hard time containing the streaking defenseman.
Tyler Myers, WPG at CGY ($16) - Myers' offensive pedigree has started to shine through in recent games, as he followed up a two-assist effort against the Blues a week ago with another two-point game facing the Rangers on Friday. Don't be surprised if the 2009-10 Calder Trophy winner continues to make up for his slow start against the NHL's worst defensive team Tuesday. He posted 15 points in 24 games with the Jets last season, so the hulking defenseman is more than capable of sustaining extended offensive hot streaks despite being priced in the same range as stay-at-home guys at $16.
Defensemen to Avoid:
Mike Green, DET vs. NJ ($16) - The Devils tend to be tough on defensemen, and Green has struggled mightily in his first season with the Red Wings. He has just one double-digit fantasy point performance in his last 13 games.
Dan Boyle, NYR vs. ANH ($17) - Boyle has four points in his last five games, yet he still managed to accrue a minus-4 rating over that span due to New York's defensive struggles. Nobody on that roster is a safe investment until the Rangers right the ship, so it'd be wise to ignore the temptation of Boyle's recent scoring binge and look elsewhere.
