Yahoo DFS Hockey: Wednesday Picks

Yahoo DFS Hockey: Wednesday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.

The five-game slate Wednesday has several playoff contenders, as well as some basement dwellers, in action. Let's take a look at where you can find the best values from each.

Goalie

Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK vs. NJ ($33)

After a troubling stretch that saw him allow three goals or more in four straight games, Fleury appears to be back in his magnificent form, allowing just three goals total and recording a .970 save percentage in his last three starts, all of which resulted in wins. The Devils have not been clicking offensively recently, recording two goals or fewer in four of their six games in March, and the atmosphere in Vegas has proven difficult for visiting teams.

Goalie to Avoid

John Gibson, ANH vs. VAN ($37)

As the most expensive goalie on the board Wednesday, Gibson should be more of a sure bet than he is, especially with the good matchup. However, the Pittsburgh native has allowed eight goals on just 51 shots on his way to losses in two consecutive games. Additionally, his GAA at home (2.61) is decently higher than it is on the road (2.40), so he's not the prototypical goalie that you'll want to blow your budget over.

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Center

Ryan Getzlaf, ANH vs. VAN ($23)

With so many high-end, expensive pivots on the board Wednesday, it's nice to find Getzlaf as one of the more reasonably priced options, especially considering the tear he's been on recently -- the Ducks' captain has recorded two goals and 11 assists over just the past six contests, the last stat being especially significant considering the Canucks allow 1.64 assists per game to centers. Getzlaf lit up Vancouver for three points on Jan. 2, so fire him up again here.

Center to Avoid

Nazem Kadri, TOR vs. DAL ($19)

While Kadri's goal totals have been nice recently, the fact remains that he's generally a risky play when it comes to the daily fantasy game -- over the last six games, the 27-year-old has five goals, but he has no assists, a minus-5 rating, and three games with no points over that same time period. That all could make him a liability against a Dallas team that has played good defense recently.

Wings

Logan Couture, SJ @ EDM ($22)

Couture and some of his San Jose teammates check in at the same price Wednesday, but I'm more inclined to lean towards Couture due to his prowess on the power play. This is important considering how bad Edmonton has been at killing penalties in its own arena, showing a 61.4 penalty killing percentage at home this season. The fact that the 28-year-old is point-less in the last four games will keep him out of other people's lineups as well.

Alexander Radulov, DAL @ TOR ($18)

From a fantasy perspective, you have to love how much Radulov shoots the puck -- over the last 11 contests, the Russian winger has 33 shots on net, which has resulted in four goals over that time period. His involvement on the power-play, where he's averaged 3:24 of ice time this season, will also help him against a Toronto defense that has struggled to keep the puck out of the net and kill penalties thus far in March.

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Wings to Avoid

Taylor Hall, NJ @ VGK ($33)

Hall's incredible 26-game point streak that saw him put up 18 goals and 38 points has come to a close and now the 26-year-old has not recorded a point in two games. The effect of the streak remains though, as the 2010 first-overall pick's price is five dollars more expensive than the next wing option. That will not do against a stout Vegas defense that is allowing just 0.68 goals per game to left wings this season.

Vladislav Namestnikov, NYR vs. PIT ($19)

Namestnikov's production has been sparse to say the least since he came over to New York via trade, as he has just three points with 14 shots on goal in seven games as a Ranger. Even worse, the 25-year-old is seeing much less power-play ice time than when he was in Tampa Bay, averaging just 1:35 with the man advantage on his new team. This could severely limit his opportunities against Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Defensemen

Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. DAL ($17)

From a fantasy perspective, you love to see how involved Rielly has been getting in the offense lately -- in the last five contests, the Vancouver native has contributed six assists and has taken a whopping 22 shots on goal over that span. He regularly sees over 20 minutes of ice time per game, so look for him to take advantage of a Dallas team that could be gassed on the second half of a back-to-back.

Brandon Montour, ANH vs. VAN ($13)

If you're looking for an ultra cheap option at defense to fill out your lineup, you can do a lot worse than Montour. The 23-year-old runs on the first power-play unit where he averages 2:11 of ice time and has posted 10 of his 26 points this year, a position that will help his stock against Vancouver's 26th-ranked penalty kill. It's also nice that the Canucks allow a generous 2.13 points per game to defensemen this season.

Defensemen to Avoid

Brent Burns, SJ @ EDM ($31)

It's been a very disappointing campaign for Burns by his standards, and the price he's listed at Wednesday despite the poor play lately is definitely a testament to his production of years past. Even though this matchup with the Oilers is enticing on paper, it's worth noting that the 33-year-old has posted just two assists against Edmonton this season, and those were in the first of their three games back in December.

Alexander Edler, VAN @ ANH ($17)

Edler's point drought has now extended out to five games and he has not found the twine himself since Jan. 12. It's extremely difficult to justify his usage at this price point just knowing those stats, but when you add in the fact that the Ducks are allowing a league low 1.54 points per game to defenseman, it becomes downright foolish to suggest using the Swede in this spot.

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. Doug Greenberg plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: Draftkings: dcgreenberg, Yahoo DFS: dcgreenberg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Doug Greenberg
Doug Greenberg has been writing about hockey for RotoWire since 2016. He is a diehard Boston sports fan and a proud Wisconsin Badger.
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