Avalanche–Senators carries the slate's highest total at 6.6, with both teams at 3.3 implied goals. The Wild sit at 3.6 implied goals against the Maple Leafs, the Sabres sit at 3.5 against the Blackhawks, and Lightning–Blue Jackets sits at 6.5 alongside those two games. Ten games lock Thursday at 7:00 PM ET, and Islanders–Kings is the last to start, at 10:00 PM ET.
Every goalie is a projected starter until his team confirms him. Ilya Sorokin (DK $7,600) projects for the Islanders against the Kings and carries an 8.5% optimal rate, the best at goalie. Logan Thompson (DK $7,200) projects for the Capitals against the Devils with an 8.1% optimal rate. Jacob Fowler (DK $7,500) projects for the Canadiens against the Bruins with a 27.7 ceiling. Linus Ullmark (DK $7,500) projects for the Senators against the Avalanche.
Injury Watch
- Brayden Point (Lightning, out)
- Aleksander Barkov (Panthers, out)
- Nick Schmaltz (DK $5,800) (Mammoth, day-to-day)
- Dylan Larkin (Red Wings, out)
- Miro Heiskanen (Stars, out)
- Logan Cooley (DK $5,000) (Mammoth, day-to-day)
- Mathew Barzal (Islanders, out)
- Morgan Rielly (DK $4,300) (Maple Leafs, day-to-day)
Top Stacks
TBL PP1 vs CBJ (DK $26,600)
Players: Nikita Kucherov (DK $8,200); Jake Guentzel (DK $7,000); John Carlson (DK $4,900); Charle-Edouard D'Astous (DK $4,000); Sam O'Reilly (DK $2,500)
The Lightning PP1 stack projects 51.9 points with 6.1% average ownership, a 7.0% optimal rate and 2.09 value. It is Stack IQ's top stack, and the Lightning carry 3.3 implied goals in a 6.5-total game. Kucherov and Carlson play on line 1, Guentzel and O'Reilly on line 2, and D'Astous on line 3. Guentzel had four assists against the Sabres on November 11 and carries a 21.5 DK average over his last three games.
MIN PP1 vs TOR (DK $32,700)
Players: Kirill Kaprizov (DK $8,300); Matt Boldy (DK $8,000); Quinn Hughes (DK $6,900); Joel Eriksson Ek (DK $6,000); Max Shabanov (DK $3,500)
The Wild PP1 stack projects 62.9 points with 14.3% average ownership, a 12.5% optimal rate and 1.95 value. The Wild's 3.6 implied goals are the highest on the slate. Kaprizov, Boldy, Hughes and Eriksson Ek all play on line 1, and Shabanov joins the unit from line 3. Kaprizov has a 19.3 DK average over his last three games, and Shabanov has a 12.5 average over his.
BUF PP1 vs CHI (DK $31,300)
Players: Tage Thompson (DK $8,600); Rasmus Dahlin (DK $6,800); Jack Quinn (DK $6,000); Zach Benson (DK $5,700); Noah Ostlund (DK $4,200)
The Sabres PP1 stack projects 57.5 points with 9.4% average ownership, an 8.1% optimal rate and 1.86 value. The Sabres carry 3.5 implied goals, the second-highest on the slate, in a 6.5-total game. Thompson and Dahlin play on line 1, with Quinn, Benson and Ostlund on line 2. Quinn put six shots on goal against the Lightning on November 11 for 17.0 DK points and carries a 12.7 average over his last three games.
Center
Robert Thomas (DK $5,000)
Thomas's scoring has picked up heading into a game against the Mammoth. He had two assists against the Red Wings on November 10 and carries an 11.3 DK average over his last three games, against 7.8 for the season.
The role backs the form: he plays on line 1 and PP1 for a Blues team with 3.0 implied goals. He is 5.1% owned with a 9.4% optimal rate, the second-best optimal rate at center, and his ceiling reaches 24.8.
Anton Lundell (DK $4,000)
The Panthers carry 3.3 implied goals against the Red Wings, and Lundell posted 15.6 DK points against the Blue Jackets on November 10. He is 2.2% owned with a 9.2% optimal rate and a leverage of 7.0, the best at center.
Anton Frondell (DK $3,900)
Frondell gets PP1 time with the Blackhawks against the Sabres from line 2. His 22.6 ceiling comes with a 9.2% optimal rate, tied for third at center, at 5.4% ownership.
Wing
Nikita Kucherov (DK $8,200)
Kucherov scored a hat trick and added an assist against the Sabres on November 11 for 47.0 DK points, and he carries a 26.2 average over his last three games. He plays on line 1 and PP1 against the Blue Jackets, in a 6.5-total game.
The field is light on him: he is 5.9% owned with an 11.5% optimal rate, the best optimal rate at wing. He carries a leverage of 5.6 and a 34.2 ceiling.
Tage Thompson (DK $8,600)
The Sabres' 3.5 implied goals against the Blackhawks put Thompson in one of the slate's best scoring spots, and he scored a goal against the Lightning on November 11. He is a crowd favorite on line 1 and PP1, with a 10.4% optimal rate and a 33.9 ceiling.
Jason Robertson (DK $7,400)
The Stars carry 3.1 implied goals against the Jets, and Robertson scored a power-play goal against the Sharks on November 7. He has a 21.9 DK average over his last three games and is 9.3% owned with a 10.2% optimal rate, the third-best at wing.
Defense
John Carlson (DK $4,900)
Carlson posted 39.9 DK points against the Sabres on November 11, with a goal and four assists, and he has an 18.1 average over his last three games. He plays on line 1 and PP1 against the Blue Jackets.
The field is light on the defenseman with the best optimal rate at the position. He is 6.5% owned with a 14.4% optimal rate and a leverage of 7.9, and his ceiling reaches 27.0.
Thomas Harley (DK $5,400)
Harley had a power-play goal and two power-play assists against the Sharks on November 7 and carries a 21.8 DK average over his last three games. He is a field favorite on line 1 and PP1 against the Jets, with an 8.5% optimal rate, the second-best at defense.
Matthew Schaefer (DK $7,500)
Schaefer scored 16.8 DK points against the Sharks on November 9 and carries a 13.5 average over his last three games. He is a widely played option on the Islanders' line 1 and PP1 against the Kings, with a 28.0 ceiling, the top mark at defense, and a 7.6% optimal rate.
Goalie
Ilya Sorokin (DK $7,600)
Sorokin draws the Kings off two busy starts: 19.0 DK points against the Devils on November 7, then 23.9 on 37 saves against the Sharks on November 9. He carries a 15.5 DK average over his last three games.
His 27.9 ceiling sits beside Jacob Fowler (DK $7,500) at 27.7. He is 8.0% owned with an 8.5% optimal rate, the best at goalie.
Logan Thompson (DK $7,200)
Thompson beat the Senators in overtime on November 10 and draws the Devils as a popular goalie play. His 8.1% optimal rate is the second-best at the position, and his ceiling reaches 26.3.
Jacob Fowler (DK $7,500)
Fowler was named Thursday's starter against the Bruins on November 11. He is 4.0% owned with a 7.9% optimal rate, a leverage play to let Build & Sim size.
What The Market Is Saying
The market builds around Wild–Maple Leafs, with Joel Eriksson Ek (DK $6,000) as its default forward beside Kirill Kaprizov (DK $8,300). Its second spot is Sabres–Blackhawks, through Zach Benson (DK $5,700), Noah Ostlund (DK $4,200) and Rasmus Dahlin (DK $6,800). With Brayden Point out, the market also keys on the Lightning's top line, wanting Brandon Hagel (DK $7,200) next to Nikita Kucherov (DK $8,200). The market is split on Avalanche–Senators, between attacking the Avalanche through Tim Stuetzle (DK $6,300) and backing the Avalanche offense, and a minority of the market looks to Wyatt Johnston (DK $6,500) and the Sabres' third line. DFS Hero has Kucherov at an 11.5% optimal rate, and it agrees on Hagel, who is 2.8% owned with a 9.1% optimal rate, while Stack IQ's top stack is the Lightning PP1 at 6.1% average ownership, against 14.3% for the Wild PP1.
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The content in our articles is based on data available at the time of publishing. Always double-check your lineups before locking in your players.
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