This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Sunday's evening NHL slate features just three games, making it imperative to pick the right players for your lineups as there simply won't be a lot of goal-scoring to go around. This assumption rings especially true with two bottom-three offenses (Philadelphia and Anaheim) in action, though a Blackhawks-Canadiens matchup that features two top-10 offenses could potentially be a high-scoring affair. There are still value plays to be found even with so few options from which to choose.
GOALIE
Jhonas Enroth, LA at ANH ($25) - There are two cheap goaltending options Sunday for those looking to spend big on skaters: Enroth against the NHL's worst offense or Ben Scrivens against the league's fourth-most effective unit. The prudent choice is clear, and you could do a lot worse than the Los Angeles backup as your No. 2 considering his opposition.
Goalie to Avoid:
Corey Crawford, CHI at MON ($42) - Yes, Crawford is riding a seven-game winning streak and will probably play just fine, but is it really wise to spend so much of your cap on him when every other option besides his Canadiens counterpart is both cheaper and facing a weaker offense? His cap hit is really high considering two other goaltenders are just $4 away from being half of Crawford's price.
CENTER
Jonathan Toews, CHI vs. MON ($26) - Toews just potted a rare road goal against these same Canadiens on Thursday, and now he gets to face them at the United Center, where he has scored 22 of his 33 points this season. The 13.8 million-dollar man is the antithesis of the word cheap in both fantasy and real life, but he has made for an excellent return on investment lately with six goals and five assists in his last 10 games.
Center to Avoid:
Tomas Plekanec, MON at CHI ($18) - Plekanec has just one goal and a minus-3 rating since Nov. 7, and a road matchup against a team on a 10-game winning streak hardly inspires much confidence in his chances of reversing those trends. With some marquee names available for even cheaper, the struggling center is an unappealing option.
WING
Jakub Voracek, PHI at DET ($23) - Voracek has been a completely different player since Dec. 13, registering four goals with 11 assists in 13 games since that point after posting just one goal and 13 helpers in the season's first 28 contests. His 91-point campaign in 2014-15 is proof that Voracek can sustain his recent pace for an extended stretch, and a player that productive is worth more than $23.
Jakub Silfverberg, ANH vs. LA ($15) - Expectations were very high for Silfverberg after a productive postseason, but he crashed and burned to open 2015-16. The only relevance those early struggles have to his DFS value, though, is that they've kept his price low despite the Swede turning things around and putting up six points in the last four games. Silfverberg has the talent to keep getting on the scoresheet, so take advantage of his depressed price while you still can.
Wings to Avoid:
Tyler Toffoli, LA at ANH ($23) - The Ducks have always made life tough for Toffoli, as his two points and minus-4 rating in seven career games against them both represent his worst figures against any divisional opponent by a significant margin. Don't expect those numbers to change with league GAA leader John Gibson in net for Anaheim.
Brendan Gallagher, MON at CHI ($23) - Gallagher totaled just 6.0 fantasy points over Montreal's most recent three-game homestand, including -2.0 against the Blackhawks on Thursday. If he couldn't gain any traction against them in Montreal, don't expect Gallagher to do any better on the road against the best home team in the Western Conference.
DEFENSE
Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI at DET ($17) - Gostisbehere's production is (be)here to stay. He looked healthy and primed to continue scoring in his return from a lower-body injury Saturday, taking a career-high six shots against the Rangers. With 16 points in 24 games, the rookie already has five more than teammate Michael Del Zotto in 16 fewer appearances, yet is still available for a lower price.
Danny DeKeyser, DET vs. PHI ($13) - DeKeyser has two goals and a plus-3 rating over his last four outings, and his 1.5 shots and 2.0 blocks per game in that span represent significant improvements over his season-long paces of 1.0 and 1.5, respectively. He doesn't have much downside at such a low price against the league's third-worst offense, so those looking to save money for big investments elsewhere could do worse than giving DeKeyser a look.
Defensemen to Avoid:
Michael Del Zotto, PHI at DET ($18) - Del Zotto is often referred to as an offensive defenseman, but his 11 points through 40 games say otherwise. Philadelphia's most expensive blueline commodity doesn't bring much else to the table with just one power-play point and a minus-4 rating. Spending $18 on him makes no sense.
Jake Muzzin, LA at ANH ($22) - Muzzin's six-game point streak has raised his price to $22, which is bit too expensive for a player of his caliber. The steady blueliner has taken the fewest shots on goal of any defenseman priced at $20 or more, and his resume doesn't quite stack up to those of the players in his price range considering Muzzin's career scoring average is just .42 points per game.
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