DFS: Saturday's Defensemen Value Rankings
Here's a look at theScore's defensemen value rankings for Saturday, October 10:
| # | NAME | OPPONENT | RISK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niklas Kronwall (DET) | at CAR | Low |
| 2 | Seth Jones (NSH) | vs EDM | Low |
| 3 | Andrei Markov (MTL) | at BOS | Low |
| 4 | P.K. Subban (MTL) | at BOS | Low |
| 5 | Erik Karlsson (OTT) | at TOR | Low |
| 6 | Roman Josi (NSH) | vs EDM | Low |
| 7 | Mike Green (DET) | at CAR | Low |
| 8 | Dan Boyle (NYR) | vs CBJ | Low |
| 9 | Victor Hedman (TB) | at BUF | Low |
| 10 | John Carlson (WAS) | vs NJ | Low |
Kronwall has consistently been one of the better offensively-minded blueliners for a decade and his chemistry with Henrik Zetterberg is crucial with Pavel Datsyuk still out of the lineup. With the stats of defensemen fairly unpredictable, the most value can be found with a slightly cheaper option. If spending lavishly on a high-stakes defender interests you, doubling down on Subban and Markov could pay dividends; despite his successes, Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask is only 3-13-3 against Les Habitants and it's sure to be another gritty rivalry game in Boston.
| # | NAME | OPPONENT | RISK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Kris Letang (PIT) | at ARI | Low |
| 12 | Brent Seabrook (CHI) | vs NYI | Low |
| 13 | Kris Russell (CAL) | vs VAN | Low |
| 14 | Jason Garrison (TB) | at BUF | Low |
| 15 | Matt Niskanen (WAS) | vs NJ | Low |
| 16 | Justin Schultz (EDM) | at NSH | Medium |
| 17 | Mark Streit (PHI) | at FLA | Medium |
| 18 | Ryan McDonagh (NYR) | vs CBJ | Medium |
| 19 | Oscar Klefborn (EDM) | at NSH | Medium |
| 20 | Aaron Ekblad (FLA) | vs PHI | Medium |
| 21 | Ryan Suter (MIN) | vs STL | Medium |
| 22 | Dennis Wideman (CAL) | vs VAN | Medium |
| 23 | David Savard (CBJ) | at NYR | Medium |
| 24 | Shea Weber (NSH) | vs EDM | Medium |
| 25 | Tyson Barrie (COL) | vs DAL | Medium |
| 26 | Dion Phaneuf (TOR) | vs OTT | Medium |
| 27 | Dougie Hamilton (CAL) | at VAN | Medium |
| 28 | Alex Pietrangelo (STL) | at MIN | Medium |
| 29 | Jack Johnson (CBJ) | at NYR | Medium |
| 30 | Cody Ceci (OTT) | at TOR | Medium |
Penguins in a desert sounds like a post-apocalyptic dystopia - and that might be the case for the Coyotes. Their best hope in staving off a crushing Pittsburgh attack is if goalie Mike Smith regains his Olympic form; otherwise, Letang figures to be a key player in setting up the attack from the blue-line, dishing to the likes of Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel.
| # | NAME | OPPONENT | RISK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Mark Giordano (CAL) | at VAN | Medium |
| 32 | Brian Campbell (FLA) | vs PHI | Medium |
| 33 | Michael Del Zotto (PHI) | at FLA | Medium |
| 34 | Duncan Kieth (CHI) | vs NYI | Medium |
| 35 | Nick Leddy (NYI) | at CHI | Medium |
| 36 | Ben Lovejoy (PIT) | at ARI | Medium |
| 37 | Brent Burns (SJ) | vs ANA | Medium |
| 38 | Patrick Wiercioch (OTT) | at TOR | Medium |
| 39 | Alexander Edler (VAN) | vs CAL | Medium |
| 40 | Justin Faulk (CAR) | vs DET | Medium |
| 41 | Sami Vatanen (ANA) | at SJ | Medium |
| 42 | Kevin Shattenkirk (STL) | at MIN | Medium |
| 43 | Erik Johnson (COL) | vs DAL | Medium |
| 44 | Jared Spurgeon (MIN) | vs STL | Medium |
| 45 | Torey Krug (BOS) | vs MTL | Medium |
| 46 | Johnny Boychuk (NYI) | at CHI | Medium |
| 47 | Keith Yandle (NYR) | vs CBJ | Medium |
| 48 | Alex Goligoski (DAL) | at COL | Medium |
| 49 | John Klingberg (DAL) | at COL | Medium |
| 50 | John Michael-Liles (CAR) | vs DET | Medium |
| 51 | Morgan Rielly (TOR) | vs OTT | Medium |
| 52 | Jake Gardiner (TOR) | vs OTT | Medium |
| 53 | Hampus Lindholm (ANA) | at SJ | Medium |
| 54 | Travis Hamonic (NYI) | at CHI | Medium |
| 55 | Cam Fowler (ANA) | at SJ | Medium |
| 56 | Karl Alzner (NJ) | at WAS | High |
| 57 | Adam Larsson (NJ) | at WAS | High |
| 58 | Oliver Ekman-Larsson (ARI) | vs PIT | High |
| 59 | Eric Gelinas (NJ) | at WAS | High |
| 60 | Cody Franson (BUF) | vs TB | High |
New Jersey features some interesting young talent on their blueline. That's not going to do them a lot of good as Washington figures to be on the attack for much of the game - and it's hard to score when you're being buried in your own end on defense. Tread lightly with Alzner, Larsson and Gelinas; all three Devils might need to atone for their DFS sins come Sunday morning.