This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Friday's five-game NHL slate begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time. Below are the players to target and those to avoid in order to squeeze the most out of the limited resources available in this batch of games.
GOALIE
Anton Forsberg, CHI vs. BUF ($29): Nine of the 10 teams in this slate are over .500, and then there's Buffalo. The Sabres are sitting on a measly 18 points through 28 games while scoring a league-low 2.14 goals per game and allowing 3.39. While Forsberg was pulled in his last appearance, he's got a golden opportunity to redeem himself here in the absence of Corey Crawford (lower body).
GOALIE TO AVOID
Braden Holtby, WAS vs. NYR ($32): Holtby's been pedestrian over his past eight appearances with a 3.02 GAA and .909 save percentage. Don't expect those numbers to improve against a deep Rangers lineup that's churned out a 13-4-0 record in the past 17 games while scoring at least four goals 12 times over that span.
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CENTER
William Karlsson, VGK at NSH ($19): Karlsson's price still hasn't caught up to his gaudy production, as the breakout expansion draft acquisition just isn't slowing down. His 25 points in 27 games equal a career high that took three times as many appearances last season for Karlsson, while the Swede's 14 goals are tied with Nashville's Filip Forsberg for second among players in this slate behind Alex Ovechkin's 21. Both of those other players are wingers and each costs at least $8 more than Karlsson, so the Vegas center brings the highest scoring upside at his position and arguably the best bang for the buck across the board.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS vs. NYR ($22): Many will want to jump back on the Backstrom bandwagon following his three-point outing Wednesday, but there's plenty of reason to be skeptical about his ability to sustain that production. Backstrom's goal in that contest broke a 21-game drought, and his mere nine helpers over that span weren't befitting of a $22 forward, either. Given New York's aforementioned strong recent play, the risk outweighs the reward here.
WINGS
Brandon Saad, CHI vs. BUF ($14): While Saad didn't find much success with his new linemates Wednesday, it's safe to expect his production to start climbing before long now that he's playing alongside Patrick Kane and Artem Anisimov. Saad's downturn in production after six goals in the season's first six games has lowered his price, but the 25-year-old forward is too talented not to turn things around before long after scoring at least 23 goals in each of his previous three campaigns. Given his offensively-gifted linemates and awful opponent, this is the perfect time to buy low on Saad.
Mats Zuccarello, NYR at WAS ($18): Zuccarello's been a key component of his team's recent surge with 11 points in his past 10 games. That output compares favorably to identically priced teammates Chris Kreider (nine points) and Pavel Buchnevich (seven points) over that span, so the diminutive winger's primed to make the largest impact out of that group here. Zuccarello's role on the top power-play unit also bolsters his stock heading into this matchup with Washington's 20th-ranked, 78.8 percent penalty kill.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Jesper Bratt, NJ vs. CLS ($16): Some will be tempted to go back to Bratt after he posted two points Tuesday in Columbus, but the 2016 sixth-rounder's five points in the 13 preceding contests suggest he'll have a hard time getting right back on the scoresheet against a Blue Jackets team that's allowing 2.46 goals per game. That rate is good for third-fewest in the league, while Columbus' fourth-ranked, 84.1 percent penalty kill will help neutralize the power-play prowess that's netted Bratt eight points with the extra man this season.
Alex Tuch, VGK at NSH ($18): Given his average of fewer than 15 minutes played per game, its no surprise Tuch's been unable to match the production of similarly priced Vegas forwards. He's not one of the team's leading candidates to get on the board against a Nashville team that's 12-2-1 at home, and thus not worth paying $18 for.
DEFENSEMEN
Matt Dumba, MIN at ANH ($16): Dumba's thrived on the top pairing alongside Ryan Suter in Jared Spurgeon's (groin) absence, contributing three points in 25:58 of ice time per game over the past three. His price doesn't reflect that recent increase in role, making Dumba a strong value play here. It also helps that Anaheim's battling the injury bug up front, as Dumba and Suter will be deployed primarily against a top line centered by Adam Henrique instead of the likes of Ryan Getzlaf (face) and Ryan Kesler (hip).
Josh Manson, ANH vs. MIN ($13): Manson's assist Wednesday snapped a seven-game point drought, but he still has a solid seven points in his past 15 games. Throw in his season average of 1.8 shots per game, plus-8 rating and active eight-game streak with at least one block, and you get a well-rounded performer capable of making decent contributions in a variety of categories. For owners looking to spend big at other positions, Manson makes for a strong, low-cost choice to round out lineups.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Will Butcher, NJ vs. CLS ($15): Butcher's mired in his first career point drought of at least four games, and that number's likely to grow given Columbus' aforementioned penalty killing prowess. The rookie defenseman's compiled 10 of his 18 points with the extra man, and he's not of much use fantasy-wise when he's not scoring with an average of less than one block per game.
P.K. Subban, NSH vs. VGK ($22): Subban's average of 6.5 fantasy points per game is easily lowest among defensemen priced at $19 or over, and a home date against his brother Malcolm and the hot-starting Golden Knights is unlikely to help end P.K.'s six-game point drought. You're unlikely to see much if any dropoff in production while saving $5 by instead turning to fellow Nashville blueliner Mattias Ekholm.
