Welcome to another NHL DFS Playbook! We have a massive 10-game slate with some high-scoring teams. We can’t just go out and pay up for every superstar, so tough choices will need to be made. Let’s take a look at which players we should be targeting for tonight.

 

NHL Pick 'Em At Sleeper Today

Before we get into DFS, let’s make some pick’em picks for the night over on Sleeper There are lots of ways we try to fill your wallet over here at Fantasy Alarm and this is just another option. 
 

Sleeper NHL Picks, Saturday, January 4th:

Jack Eichel is facing his former team, the Buffalo Sabres, and you know he’s going to want to come out and really stick it to them. The matchup on paper is also very good because the Sabres are a mess defensively. He can score goals, but he can also dish out some fantastic passes. He has ten assists in the last ten games and I expect him to add another to his total.

Zach Werenski is a cheat code. The man is just on another planet offensively and I don’t see him slowing down tonight. He has 51 shots on goal in the last ten games, 23 of which have come in the last three. I don’t know how you slow him down and the St. Louis Blues certainly won’t know. This might not be the best matchup on paper, but Werenski is elite on home ice and I think he just smashes the Over here.

Jeremy Swayman has played better of late, but his overall numbers are not very good. The last time he stopped 26 shots or more was back on December 10th against the Winnipeg Jets. The Bruins actually do a pretty good job of suppressing shots, but Swayman just can’t seem to stop them. Even with Auston Matthews back in the lineup, his mystery injury is limiting the amount of shots he takes, so we don’t need to worry about him too much. Swayman’s .893 SV% is an issue and he won’t get any better tonight.

 

SALARY CAP DFS

 

Goalie Of The Day: Mackenzie Blackwood - COL

Since coming over to Colorado, Mackenzie Blackwood has allowed two or fewer goals in every start. I didn’t think he was going to be this good, but what do I know? Goalies will forever be voodoo. Montreal is playing their second game in as many nights and they are 32nd in the league in shots per game. They are also playing the final game of their road trip, which started back in 2024 (LOL, I know). Blackwood is going to need to pick up the win to hit value and I have full faith that he does.
 

Player Of The Day: Zach Werenski - CBJ

Did you need me to tell you a second time why Zach Werenski is elite? The man is on another planet and he’s a shooting MACHINE! You could also play Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar or Connor McDavid, but Werenski has such a high floor that it’s hard to fade him.

Honourable mentions: Nathan MacKinnon/Cale Makar - COL

You should probably play one of these two beauties in your cash games because Montreal is going to be playing on their heels for most of the night. MacKinnon has 23 points in his last ten games and 35 points in 19 home games. If you can’t afford him, Cale Makar is the next-best way to get exposure. If you do decide to go with a Makar-Werenski on the back end; you’re an animal and I love it!

 

Value Play Of The Day: Tanner Pearson - VGK

I do not love the idea of playing Tanner Pearson tonight, but he is skating on the top line with Eichel and Mark Stone and has three goals in the last five games. He also played a season-high 16 minutes against Philadelphia and is min price on DraftKings. Even if he does nothing and gives us a goose egg, if he allows you to pay up for another superstar, he’s worth playing in all formats.

 

Stack Of The Day - WPG PP1 (Gabriel Vilardi - Kyle Connor - Josh Morrissey )

The Winnipeg Jets are ranked first on the power play and the Detroit Red Wings are ranked second-last on the penalty kill. You don’t need a degree in advanced analytics to understand that Winnipeg’s top power play unit is an option tonight. You could go with any of the five players skating on that unit, but when it comes to value, Gabriel Vilardi-Kyle Connor-Josh Morrissey is the way to go. 


 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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