FanDuel NHL: Thursday Value Plays

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Updated on October 13, 2016 11:23AM EST

There are plenty of options in the player pool with nine games on the docket Thursday. Here are a number of value plays and against-the-grain options to turn to while filling out your FanDuel lineups.

GOALIE

Devan Dubnyk, MIN at STL ($8,500): St. Louis faces its second divisional foe in consecutive nights after topping Chicago on Wednesday. Dubnyk is likely to be sparsely owned, and the veteran netminder boasts a sterling .925 save percentage since joining Minnesota.

CENTER

Evgeny Kuznetsov, WAS at PIT ($6,200): Currently skating with Alex Ovechkin at even strength, Kuznetsov exploded out of the gate last season (21 points through the first 19 games) and offers contrarian appeal Thursday. While Pittsburgh is a difficult opponent after allowing 2.34 goals per game last year (the sixth-best mark in the league), Kuznetsov is matchup-proof and should be rather lightly owned.

Eric Staal, MIN at STL ($4,900): Handed the No. 1 center gig with his new club, Staal is coming off a solid preseason (three points in three games). St. Louis enters on the wrong end of back-to-back games, and Staal is going to carry close to a contest-low ownership percentage. This is an admittedly contrarian lean.

WINGER

Alexander Radulov, MON at BUF ($5,300): With Buffalo missing several key cogs (Jack Eichel, Kyle Okposo and potentially Ryan O'Reilly), Montreal should easily win the line-matching battle throughout the game. Look for Buffalo to attempt to slow down the top line, which will open up Radulov to thrive in a secondary role. He should skate against weaker defenders and carries a modest salary given his upside.

Nikolaj Ehlers, WGP vs. CAR ($4,900): Playing a top-line role and coming off a rookie season with 25 points over his final 32 games of the year, Ehlers is a solid mid-priced winger. Facing Cam Ward (.907 save percentage over the past four years) is also always an added bonus.

Jiri Hudler, DAL vs. ANA ($4,400): The Ducks are missing a pair of key pieces (Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell), which cuts into their depth. Hudler is just a year removed from a top-10 showing in points, and he projects to skate with Jason Spezza and Patrick Sharp.

W David Pastrnak, BOS at CLM ($4,200): An elite scorer at five-on-five (2.24 points per 60 minutes), Pastrnak is set to receive his first look in a prominent offensive role this season, and his arrow is pointing straight up. Additionally, after averaging less than 30 seconds of power-play time per game last year, Pastrnak's top-unit role to start the season is another boon.

DEFENSE

John Klingberg, DAL vs. ANA ($5,100): This salary isn't prohibitive enough to ignore Klingberg. He averaged 3:50 of power-play time per game last year and should shoulder an even larger load with Alex Goligoski no longer in the picture. Anaheim is also missing key cogs Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell, which strengthens the case for Klingberg.

Seth Jones, CLM vs. BOS ($4,600): Without Patrice Bergeron, Boston should prove to be a favorable matchup for the Blue Jackets. After joining Columbus, Jones averaged 24:27 of ice per night with 2:41 on the power play. He also showed particularly well at home, notching 15 points and 59 shots on goal through just 22 games. Expect Jones to fly under the radar and carry a low ownership 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. Neil Parker plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: naparker77, DraftKings: naparker77.