This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
GOALIE
Devan Dubnyk, MIN vs. OTT ($31) – The Wild are coming off an impressive 5-2 victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Lightning on Saturday, and Dubnyk has allowed just seven goals in his past four starts, three of which were wins. The Wild are making a mid-season charge with six wins in their past 10 games and they've been nearly unbeatable at home with a 16-4-4 record. The Sens, meanwhile, are on the verge of blowing the whole thing up in the midst of a disastrous season.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jonathan Bernier, COL at TOR ($32) – It's Nathan MacKinnon vs. Auston Matthews in a marquee matchup between two of the league's best young stars, which means goalies on either team will not be safe. Bernier has been impressive filling in for the injured Semyon Varlamov, winning eight straight games and sitting four wins away from being perfect in January. All streaks have to end some time, though, just like the Leafs' most recent losing streak which they snapped Saturday against the Sens. The Avs are a dicey play on the road with an 8-9-2 record while the Leafs have been quite good at home with 13 wins in 22 games.
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CENTER
Brayden Point, TB at CHI ($22) – He belongs in the same conversation as Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, if only because he's been just as consistent as the other two. He scored both of the Lightning's goals in a loss against the Wild on Saturday, and has three goals and three assists in his past four games. The Blackhawks are a wounded animal right now, forced to start a journeyman goaltender (Jeff Glass) and currently sitting last in the Central Division. Point's 19 goals are second on the team behind Kucherov's 27.
Mathew Barzal, NYI at ARI ($19) – The Coyotes are a dumpster fire once again this season, while Barzal's been busy blazing a path to the Calder Trophy. A defense that looked much improved on paper has been anything but for the Coyotes, and their focus will be on John Tavares for much of the game. This means Barzal and the high-flying Anthony Beauvillier will draw easier matchups. Barzal faced the Coyotes previously on Oct. 24, skating just 14:45, but has improved since then and has averaged more than 18 minutes per game in January.
CENTERS TO AVOID
Jonathan Toews, CHI vs. TB ($20) – He's arguably one of the most clutch players in history, but he'll be 30 in three months and the Blackhawks are trending down -- way down. The banged-up Lightning are reeling but they're in much better shape in the standings, and they'll have a big advantage in net with Andrei Vasilevskiy. Toews is on pace for just 55 points, which would be the third straight season he's failed to hit 60, and he's gone four games without a point, three of which were losses.
Charlie Coyle, MIN vs. OTT ($18) – He's priced like a top forward when he's scored just 19 points this season, with only two assists in his past six games. He's a good playmaker for a player with such a big frame, but he doesn't shoot the puck very much and most recently skated on the third line with Joel Eriksson Ek, a promising two-way center not known for scoring, and Kyle Rau, a former college star who's spent more time in the AHL than the NHL over the past three seasons.
WING
Taylor Hall, NJ vs. DET ($28) – Adam Larsson's been playing well in Edmonton but there's never been any doubt Hall was the much more talented player. He's scored five goals and seven assists in his past seven games, putting him on pace for his best season since he scored 80 points a few seasons ago. Detroit's goaltending has been a mess all season with no immediate fix in sight, and New Jersey currently sits second in the tough Metro Division. Hall's already scored four points in two games against Detroit this season.
Mitch Marner, TOR vs. COL ($18) – He's slowly gotten back into Mike Babcock's good graces, getting a promotion from the fourth line against Ottawa. He played just over 12 minutes, but managed to score his first goal since Dec. 28. He's a slick playmaker who demands a spot on the power play, and the Avs are vulnerable on the road. Marner is a risky play at this price, but the Leafs just snapped a four-game losing streak thanks to him. He has 68 points in 64 career games when the Leafs win.
Andreas Athanasiou, DET at NJ ($17) – Cory Schneider sports a .898 save percentage and a 5-7-2 record in his career against Detroit, the only team other than Nashville that gives him nightmares. Athanasiou is a speedy player who can blow defenses wide open, and in seven games in January he's already scored four goals and eight points. He can beat just about anybody wide, but he's also got the hands to make plays from in close, and when scorers get hot, there's little defenses can do to stop them.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Gabriel Landeskog, COL at TOR ($23) – His job on the top line is to create space for Mikko Rantanen and MacKinnon, so naturally he does the least amount of playmaking with the puck. He has not scored in the month of January and has left virtually all of the offense to his linemates. The Leafs have tightened up a bit after Frederik Andersen called them out for their lack of effort in public, and they're trying to generate some momentum after snapping a four-game losing streak. Only eight of Landeskog's 32 points have come on the road.
Zach Parise, MIN vs. OTT ($21) – It's about time we all accept the fact that Parise is no longer a top-line scorer and is transforming into a two-way winger instead. Minnesota's offense-by-committee approach means Parise won't get much more ice time than his teammates, and he's stopped shooting the puck with as much frequency ever since he hurt his knee. Maybe Parise just needs a little more time to get going, but he's far removed from the player he once was. He's appeared in just eight games this season and scored just 20 goals in his past 77 games.
Clayton Keller, ARI vs. NYI ($17) – Maybe Rick Tocchet's starting to realize it was unsustainable to run an offense through an undersized, 19-year-old rookie for 82 games. Since starting the season averaging close to 20 minutes per game, Keller has just four assists in his past seven games, and his ice time has dropped to 16 minutes per game. He remains a tantalizing talent, but January's traditionally been a tough stretch for most rookies.
DEFENSE
Ryan Pulock, NYI at ARI ($17) – He had a mind-boggling five points against Chicago on Saturday, becoming just the 10th rookie defenseman in NHL history to score that many points in a game. Drafted 15th overall in 2015, the 23-year-old has always been known for his offensive ability, and after toiling in the minors for three full seasons, he's getting his chance – and what better way to build on his historic performance than against the team that's allowed the most goals in the league?
Samuel Girard, COL at TOR ($14) – He's skating on the third pairing but there's no denying his ability to move the puck is helping the Colorado offense. After scoring five points in his first 14 games, he's got four assists in seven games in January, three of which are on the power play. Girard scored 75 points in 59 games in his final season in the QMJHL, and was one of Nashville's top prospects in the three-way deal that included Matt Duchene and Kyle Turris. He's cheap, he's playing well, and he's been racking up the points.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Erik Karlsson, OTT at MIN ($28) – Even if he somehow didn't register a single point for the rest of the season, the Senators could still command a treasure trove of assets for him. That being said, Karlsson has not looked right this season after undergoing surgery in the summer, and he has just four goals on 108 shots this season with an ugly minus-21 rating. His play has not justified his price tag, and keep in mind Dubnyk and the Wild have been excellent at home.
Mike Green, DET at NJ ($16) – He's scored just 26 points this season and just one goal in his past 11 games. His days with the high-scoring Caps seems like a lifetime ago, and these Red Wings are not built to score a lot of goals. At this point, Green is simply exceptional at moving the puck, with an added bonus of being a right-hand shot, but he's not an elite offensive defenseman by any means.
