This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
This Friday is a fairly typical one, as five games are on the slate. You couldn't play daily fantasy due to the All-Star break last weekend; now you can make up for lost time.
GOALIE
Roberto Luongo, FLA vs. ANA ($34): The Panthers have been better at home (13-9-3), while the Ducks have been a little worse on the road (11-9-6). You can't get much farther from Anaheim than the Miami area. The Ducks have also been winning more with their defense, as their goals per game (2.62) is just outside the bottom 10, and they've only averaged 29.0 shots on goal per contest. Meanwhile, Luongo has been pretty good, posting a 2.53 GAA and .919 save percentage despite scuffling a bit lately. It's not a great matchup, but the only goalie who arguably has anything close to a great matchup is Thomas Greiss (at Detroit), and he'll cost you $39. Luongo offers better value.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Cory Schneider, NJD vs. CGY ($37): Schneider is having a season to forget, as he owns a 2.72 GAA and .910 save percentage. He's not being helped by the fact that the Devils have allowed 31.2 shots on goal per game. Indeed, New Jersey has an Eastern Conference-worst minus-30 goal differential heading into this game. In that context, it seems imprudent to pay up for Schneider outside of a particularly good matchup, which this isn't.
CENTER
Jordan Staal, CAR vs. EDM ($18): Staal missed some time with injury, but he's rounded into form recently, notching notched nine points and 28 shots in his last 10 games. The Oilers will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back, which could mean the untested Laurent Brossoit in net. Staal has also averaged 2:10 per game on the power play, while Edmonton's middle-of-the-pack penalty kill should provide some opportunities.
CENTER TO AVOID
Ryan Getzlaf, ANA at FLA ($21): The Panthers have given up quite a few shots (31.7 per game), but Getzlaf isn't necessarily the kind of player who'll take advantage of that. He's only tallied seven goals on 81 shots in 45 games. Getzlaf has been productive on the power play (15 points), but this could be a difficult matchup for him against the Panthers' fourth-ranked penalty kill.
WING
Nick Foligno, CLM at PIT ($23): The Penguins have been having a fine season, but that's thanks mostly to their ability to outscore their opponents, as they've allowed 2.90 goals and 32.5 shots on net per game. They also have the 24th-ranked penalty kill, while the Jackets have the top-ranked power play. Foligno has been a bit part of that power-play success, notching 18 points with the extra man, and he could keep it going in this potentially high-scoring matchup.
Josh Bailey, NYI at DET ($15): It's possible that Jimmy Howard returns soon, but it's far from a given that he will be able to play Friday. That means it's most likely that either Petr Mrazek (3.16 GAA, .894 save percentage) or Jared Coreau (3.01 GAA, .901 save percentage) will be in net for the Wings. Bailey would be happy to see either of those goalies in net. He's averaging 6.3 fantasy points per game, making him a surprising under-the-radar value at this friendly price.
WINGS TO AVOID
Phil Kessel, PIT vs. CLM ($24): Kessel is having a strong season, but the Penguins also clearly have the worst matchup of any team Friday. The Jackets have only allowed 2.39 goals per game, and they've been even better with Sergei Bobrovsky in net (2.10 GAA, .929 save percentage). Additionally, much of Kessel's value has come on the power play, and Columbus ranks seventh in penalty-kill percentage. Kessel is the second-most-expensive wing Friday, which means it will be very difficult for him to provide strong value in this matchup.
Henrik Zetterberg, DET vs. NYI ($18): Thomas Greiss has stabilized the Islanders' situation in net and then some, as he ranks fifth in the league with a .928 save percentage. For his part, Zetterberg is still a solid player, but he's not quite the player he used to be, as his 6.1 fantasy points per game indicate. He also only has five power-play points for Detroit's league-worst man-advantage unit.
DEFENSEMEN
Seth Jones, CLM at PIT ($18): Jones made his first All-Star Game this year thanks to the skill that's allowed him to put up three multi-point games in his last four outings. In particular, Jones has 94 shots on goal and 76 blocked shots in 43 games. As previously mentioned, the Penguins give up a lot of shots, but they also take a ton of shots -- they actually rank first in the league with 34.4 shots on goal per game. Jones should have plenty of opportunities to both take shots and stand in front of them Friday.
Nick Leddy, NYI vs. DET ($17): The Red Wings have the 18th-ranked penalty kill, and it was even worse in January (22nd). Meanwhile, Leddy has played 3:11 a night on the power play, and he's notched 10 points with the extra man. He's tallied eight goals and 19 assists in 47 games while playing 23:03 per game; while those numbers aren't mind-blowing, they make him appealing in friendly matchups.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Justin Schultz, PIT vs. CLM ($23): Schultz is enjoying a breakout season, but he only has one goal on 19 shots in his last 13 games. As noted earlier, the Blue Jackets have been excellent defensively thanks in no small part to Bobrovsky's fine numbers in net. Although Schultz has notched 11 points on the power play, he'll have a tough matchup against the Jackets' penalty kill. Breakout season aside, the fact that Schultz is the second-highest-priced defenseman Friday seems a bit rich, particularly with Kris Letang back in the fold after an injury absence.
Adam Larsson, EDM at CAR ($18): Larsson and his Oilers teammates are the only ones playing on the second of back-to-back nights Friday. That's a point against Larsson, but he wouldn't exactly be an exciting option regardless. After all, he's only averaging 4.5 fantasy points per game, and his three goals are tied for his career high in that category. Larsson also barely plays on the power play, although Carolina's top-ranked penalty kill would be a concern even if he did. While he's a fine defensive-minded defenseman, that usually doesn't yield much fantasy gold.
