DailyFaceoff DFS Value Plays – December 15th
We’ve got a nice six-game slate tonight, and several players at each position are jumping out as great value options who are either in critical roles for their team or proving great production.
This value sheet includes salaries, projections for DraftKings and FanDuel, and three punt defencemen options.
These projections don’t tell you exactly what’s going to happen. One game sample has too much randomness to pin down exact predictions. Instead, the projections represent a player’s average performance on average if that matchup was played repeatedly. There is a wide range of possible outcomes, and the projections represent each player’s average of those possibilities.
Matias Maccelli (W, ARI) – vs. SJS – (DK-$3,500 / FD -$4,700)
DFO Projection: DK-9.53 / FD-13.06
Amid a slew of Arizona Coyotes popping tonight in a strong matchup against San Jose, Matias Maccelli is right at the top. He has good shot volume and a high scoring chance rate, and has scored 3 points per hour this season.
Danton Heinen (W, BOS) – @ NYI- ($3,200 / $3,700)
DFO Projection: DK-6.91 / FD-8.85
The Bruins continue to mix up their lines, with Heinen getting elevated to the top line tonight alongside Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak. Playing in a depth role this year, he’s had a good shot and block volume, and has scored 2.4 points per hour. This is a nice spot against an Islanders team that gives up a lot.
Michael Kesselring (D, ARI) – vs. SJS – ($2,600 / N/A)
DFO Projection: DK-6.45 / FD-8.79
Kesselring isn’t in the player pool on FanDuel, but looks like a solid play on DraftKings near minimum price. On FanDuel, you can comfortably pivot to Juuso Valimaki, who projects for similar totals.
Zach Whitecloud (D, VGK) – vs. BUF – ($3,100 / $3,700)
DFO Projection: DK-6.76 / FD-864
With the shot block bonus in play on DraftKings, I like Whitecloud here, but Ben Hutton is at the same price, projecting for the same total. Whitecloud, however, blocks nearly a half shot more per hour of ice time, while Hutton takes 1.2 more shots per hour. It’s a coin flip, but both are in strong spots tonight.
Ilya Sorokin (G, NYI) – vs. BOS – ($7,600 / $8,400)
DFO Projection: DK-14.16 / FD-18.72
Buyer beware, as the Bruins have a strong matchup against Sorokin tonight, but Sorokin is very much live for the 35-save bonus on DraftKings tonight. His home vs. away splits are noticeable this season (19.1 vs. 14), but this is an inherently risky play. Still, he pops as the best-value goaltender on the slate.
Top 3 Punt Defencemen
- Ilya Lyubushkin ($2,900/$3,600): DK-4.59 / FD-5.68
- Travis Hamonic ($2,900/$3,700): DK-4.33 / FD-5.29
- Mike Reilly ($3,600/$5,200): DK-6.78 / FD-8.26
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.