Getty Phillip Danault, Los Angeles Kings
The first week of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs will come to a close with a four-game Friday slate that features three series tied at one game apiece.
Our AI-powered dfsPro projections have uncovered some key under-the-radar value picks playing in Friday’s games to help daily fantasy managers fill out their rosters and remain under the salary cap.
Let’s look at some of our model’s top value picks for Day 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!
Top Value Picks: Offense
Beck Malenstyn (LW – Washington Capitals, $2,500 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.18, A: 0.15, S: 1.22, BLK: 1.14
Beck Malenstyn is a hard-hitting forward on the Washington Capitals‘ fourth line who can also kill penalties. After finishing the regular season with 21 points in 81 games, he probably won’t produce much offensively; still, he has strong two-way upside and our model projects his takeaway potential to more than double in Game 3 against the New York Rangers.
Ilya Mikheyev (RW – Vancouver Canucks, $3,100 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.18, A: 0.28, S: 1.53, BLK: 0.45
Like Malenstyn, Vancouver Canucks winger Ilya Mikheyev is another solid, two-way depth forward. Our model projects slight upticks in his averages on offense, but his real DFS value is in his defensive upside. Our model projects sizable increases over Mikheyev’s average takeaway and blocked-shot totals in Game 3 tonight against the Nashville Predators.
Phillip Danault (C – Los Angeles Kings, $3,900 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.4, A: 0.31, S: 2.1, BLK: 0.78
Los Angeles Kings center Philip Danault recorded an assist and a +1 rating in 17:59 of ice time in Game 2 against the Edmonton Oilers, and our model has identified him as a solid value pick for DFS managers looking to add depth down the middle. According to our model, Danault is expected to see an increase in his goalscoring potential in Game 3, as well as upticks in takeaways and blocked shots.
Top Value Picks: Defense
Alexander Alexeyev (RD – Washington Capitals, $2,600 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.13, A: 0.19, S: 0.83, BLK: 1.8
Capitals defenseman Alexander Alexeyev has yet to find the scoresheet through Washington’s first two playoff games, but our model projects him to outperform his offensive averages across the board in Game 3. He is also expected to see significant increases in blocked shots, takeaways and ice time tonight against the Rangers.
Jeremy Lauzon (LD – Nashville Predators, $2,700 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.18, A: 0.24, S: 1.37, BLK: 1.61
Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon, who recently set an NHL record for the most hits in a single season, is another valuable DFS piece on the back end. Offensively, our model projects Lauzon to more than double his averages in goals, assists and total points tonight in Game 3 of Nashville’s series against the Canucks.
Alexandre Carrier (RD – Nashville Predators, $3,200 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.23, A: 0.26, S: 0.98, BLK: 1.54
Lauzon’s defensive partner, Alexandre Carrier, hasn’t done much on offense during this series; still, he blocked a game-high six shots for Nashville in 20:22 of ice time in Game 2 against the Canucks. Our model likes his odds to find the scoresheet in Game 3, including a projected 83% increase over his average point production.
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