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.
Will Cuylle, LW/RW, NYR vs. PIT (44% rostered) –
FanDuel $5,100
Alexis Lafreniere, LW/RW, NYR vs. PIT (30% rostered) – FanDuel $4,900
Both Cuylle and Lafreniere are slated to open the season on the Rangers’ top six against a Penguins team that’s bound for the lottery, and new head coach Mike Sullivan knows them intimately having coached there for 10 seasons.
For points, Lafreniere has the edge playing L1 with Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin, while Cuylle adds value in goals and hits playing on L2 with captain J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad. Lafreniere is the slightly better value play, coming in at $200 cheaper than Cuylle in FanDuel.
Both Cuylle and Lafreniere will start on PP2, though Sullivan has noted that he’d like to use Lafreniere on PP1 eventually. The Pens allowed the third-highest goals per game last season and lost seven of their past nine meetings against the Rangers.
Anton Lundell, C, FLA vs. CHI (23% rostered) – FanDuel $5,000
The absence of Aleksander Barkov means both Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell will get increased ice time. The Panthers mixed up the lines a little bit with Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen sticking together but now with top goal scorer Sam Reinhart on their right wing. This is a great setup for Lundell, who scored 12 points in 11 games last October filling in for the injured Barkov, against arguably the worst team in the league. He’s a good value play in FanDuel DFS at $5,000, too.
Andrei Kuzmenko, LW/RW, LA vs. COL (21% rostered) – FanDuel $4,500
Kuzmenko was fantastic since joining the Kings last season and formed instant chemistry with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe on their top line, and he’s never relinquished that spot. He’s slated to play L1 and PP1 and build on last season’s 17 points in 22 games, and also comes cheaper than players that play lower in the lineup such as Trevor Moore ($4,600) and Warren Foegele ($5,100). The Avs are expected to start backup Scott Wedgewood with Mackenzie Blackwood nursing an injury.
Ville Koivunen, RW, PIT at NYR (3% rostered) – FanDuel $4,400
Koivunen’s FanDuel salary feels a little pricey for a rookie with such a short track record. Nevertheless, the potential is there; he scored seven assists in eight games last season and slated to start on L1 this season with Sidney Crosby and on PP2. This is a tough matchup for the Pens, but given the relatively low cost in daily fantasy relative to his L1/PP2 role, Koivunen’s still a good value play.
Victor Olofsson, LW/RW, COL at LA (1% rostered) – FanDuel $4,200
Olofsson’s slated to begin the season on L3 with Jack Drury and Ross Colton, which isn’t particularly exciting, and the real value is his PP1 role with Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Olofsson scores over one-quarter of his goals on the power play, and he’s a fearsome shooter. It’s not a great matchup since the Kings had a good PK last season and usually don’t take many penalties, but the Avs PP doesn’t need a lot of chances to capitalize. Hopefully, Olofsson gets the opportunity.
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