While you anxiously wait for your weekly NFL Fantasy Football matchup to be determined, why miss out on the fun of doing it daily?
With hockey, skates are hitting the ice every night with constant matchups. Yup, you can practice being an NHL coach by mocking up your own ideal DFS lineup within the cap space.
NHL DFS Lineup: January 4
Our Thursday night NHL DFS lineup is going to have the classic nine-player bench of 2 C, 3 W, 2 D, a goalie and a utility spot within a $50,000 budget.
c: Connor bedard
Bedard is playing like a generational talent. I mean, a lacrosse goal in your rookie season? Insanity. The 18-year-old looks extremely comfortable in the NHL and avoided any type of transition or slow start. Bedard is a lock to get an abundance of opportunities every night, including playing on the first power-play unit. Chicago is obviously eager to develop him into a franchise star. The youngster is on pace for 73 points and is a fair $6,500 to our cap space.
C: anze kopitar
LA is a force to be reckoned with, averaging a noble 3.41 GPG. Kopitar, who looks to be turning back the clock, and his linemates, Quentin Byfield and Trevor Moore, have been a nice surprise to add to the success. With 34 points this season, Kopitar is on pace for a point per game, which would be his most since 2017-18, when he rang in with a career-high 92 points.
W: Nikolaj Ehlers
The former Halifax Moosehead is having a strong start to the year. Ehlers brings an energy to the ice every night and his Jets are on a roll, winning seven of their last nine. Well, Ehlers plays a massive part in that with 11 points in his last 10 outings, not to mention he's a whopping +12.
W: Simon Holmstrom
Well, like every week, here's our value pick. Holmstrom is a reliable third-line winger who works hard to shut down his opponents. The Swede looks to be fitting in with the Islanders and is on pace to eclipse the 25-goal mark this season.
W: Gabriel Vilardi
Since getting dealt to Winnipeg from LA this offseason, all Vilardi has done is show the Kings that they made a big mistake. With Pierre-Lic Dubois struggling in LA, Vilardi has definitely flourished in his new role with the Jets. In comparison, Dubois has 14 points in 34 games while Vilardi has 15 in just 18 appearances.
The Canadian is a guy who gets the job done, with 12 points in his last 10 games and a +13 to go along with it, the 24-year-old is playing some of the best hockey of his career.
d: vince dunn
With an undercover 64-point season last year, Dunn is back at it again with 31 points in 38 games. The 27-year-old is focused on surpassing last season's greatness being on pace for 67 points, amazing numbers for a defenceman. Not a Norris Trophy contender yet, but Dunn is putting people on notice of his great play. Only ringing up as $5,000 and averaging 9.1 fantasy points per game.
D: sean durzi
Some guys have the ability to figure out the game at the national league level and Durzi is one of those players. The 25-year-old quarterbacks the first power-play unit, which boasts players like Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, so he is always in the mix to pick up a few points.
G: connor ingram
One of the most underrated goalies in the NHL in my opinion. Ingram is having an incredible season with a 13-7 record, 2.49 GAA and a .919SV%. To pair with that, the netminder has four shutouts, too. We've featured Ingram a couple of times in these fantasy picks and he hasn't disappointed. He will only cost us $7,600 and averages a very high 15.5 fantasy points per game.
UTIL: Travis Sanheim
Definitely one of the surprises this season for the Flyers. The 6-foot-3 defenceman has been getting it done on both sides of the ice with a quiet 25 points in 26 games, which puts him on pace to demolish his career high and put up 56 points.
