Spark your fantasy team with these under-the-radar forwards. Take advantage of Ben Kindel's surge, Jack Roslovic's scoring touch, and Dawson Mercer's boosted role.
On every game day this season, THN Fantasy will highlight players and goalies for fantasy managers to stream or roster for the rest of the season. The recommended players and goalies are rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and can be selected in standard fantasy leagues and/or for daily fantasy games.
Dawson Mercer, C/RW, NJ vs. PIT (67% rostered) – FanDuel $6,000
Mercer is slated to skate on L2 with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier now that Cody Glass is back, putting him in a far better position to score points. Though his four-game points streak was snapped against the Habs, Mercer skated more than 20 minutes for just the second time this season.
Troy Terry, RW, ANA at VGK (54% rostered) – FanDuel $6,400
Chris Kreider, LW, ANA at VGK (38% rostered) –
FanDuel $6,600
I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say the Ducks might have a top-five offense. They’re leading the league in goals for per game, but I don’t think it’s a fluke. It’s an amazing turnaround for a team that could barely score last season, and they’ve already scored seven goals in four games this season. Kreider and Terry aren’t value plays but it’s a line stack that’s worthwhile against any opponent, especially one playing a goalie (Akira Schmid is expected to start) that they don’t seem to trust.
Pavel Zacha, C/LW, BOS at TOR (41% rostered) – FanDuel $5,300
Elias Lindholm’s absence means Zacha’s fantasy value’s going to gain a lot of momentum in the coming weeks. While Marat Khusnutdinov may line up as the 1C, Zacha’s the more trusted option. He carries a five-game points streak into this game though it’s a tough matchup. Zacha should have more long-term value in standard leagues than in DFS games.
Evander Kane, LW, VAN vs. CBJ (31% rostered) – FanDuel $4,700
What you’re looking for here is volume, and Kane provides plenty of it. He’s averaging three shots per game this season, including 10 shots on goal in his previous game against the Hawks. He’s the type of player who’ll throw anything on net when he struggles, and he’s snapped out of his funk recently with three goals two games.
Jack Roslovic, C/RW, EDM vs. COL (15% rostered) – FanDuel $4,400
He’s certainly found his groove on the Oilers offense, scoring two goals and five points in his past five games, including three points on the power play. I wouldn’t worry too much about facing the Avs’ second-ranked PK because the Oilers power play is excellent. Roslovic provides some nice shooting volume, averaging almost three shots per game, a very significant boost for someone who didn’t shoot much earlier in his career.
Ben Kindel, C, PIT at NJ (7% rostered) – FanDuel $4,100
With a number of injuries to the Pens’ lineup, Kindel was elevated to L1 and PP1, and he hasn’t looked out of place at all. He’s played at least 20 minutes in his past two games scoring two points in each of those games. The Devils can be prone to some blowout games; they’ve allowed three or more goals in four of their past five games. Kindel should be a very strong value play in DFS games.
Nick Robertson, LW, TOR vs. BOS (4% rostered) – FanDuel $4,500
I like Robertson’s current usage on L2 with John Tavares and on PP2. He’s a skilled player but very inconsistent, but he’s been very productive lately with six points in six games and playing against a team with very inconsistent goaltending.
Isak Rosen, RW, BUF at CAR (0% rostered) – FanDuel $3,900
Rosen is a very intriguing value play in DFS games with L1 and PP1 roles with increasing ice time. He played 14:44 in his season debut and scored a goal, notched an assist and played 16:00 in his second game, and played 17:10 in a shutout loss to the Blues. He is a very skilled player but this is a tough matchup because the Canes really like to hang onto the puck and often dominate the possession game. However, in offensive situations, Rosen will be on the ice with Tage Thompson.
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