Dynamic Duos - Tuesday's Top DFS Teammate Plays
Despite a slate of only seven games, Tuesday offers several options for stacking your lineup with teammates.
New York Rangers vs. Winnipeg Jets
Oscar Lindberg (C) with Viktor Stalberg (W) or J.T. Miller (W/C)
Recalling Tomas Hertl's memorable 2013 coming-out party, Lindberg has taken the NHL by storm, scoring four goals in the season's first three games (Lindberg technically made his NHL debut last season, playing one game). Linemates J.T. Miller (four assists) and Viktor Stalberg (three assists) have played the role of setup men.
With his four goals coming on only seven shots, Lindberg can't possibly keep up this scoring pace, but given how low-priced the trio is, there's no sense in fading them now. Miller may be classified as a C in some DFS games, but a stack of Lindberg and Stalberg represents a low-priced set of teammates who are in-form and have a home matchup against a Jets team on the second night of a back-to-back.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Justin Abdelkader (W) with Dylan Larkin (W/C) or Henrik Zetterberg (C)
With an even more unsustainable conversion rate than Lindberg, Abdelkader has scored four goals on five shots in two games. Still, with a spot on Detroit's top line alongside Henrik Zetterberg and rookie Dylan Larkin, he's well on his way to bettering last season's career high of 23 goals. Larkin, meanwhile, has a goal and two assists, while Zetterberg has a goal and four assists.
Depending on your budget, the lower-priced duo by far is Abdelkader and Larkin; Zetterberg's pedigree comes at a cost. A home matchup against the offensive-minded Lightning should afford the trio a chance to continue its early success. While playing as a winger, Larkin is listed as a centre in some DFS games, throwing a wrench into any plans to stack him and Zetterberg.
Dallas Stars vs. Edmonton Oilers
Tyler Seguin (W) or Jamie Benn (W) with Cody Eakin (C)
Mattias Janmark (C) with Ales Hemsky (W)
The high-scoring Stars offer two different stack possibilities; a deluxe edition and a budget model, if you will.
Through two games, it's been the cheaper third-line combo of Janmark and Hemsky that has offered the most value, with Janmark scoring twice and Hemsky contributing a goal and two assists.
Benn, last season's NHL scoring leader, has a goal and an assist so far, while Seguin has only an assist to his name. Eakin has two goals in centring the pair, and a stack of him and one of Seguin or Benn is more cost-effective than rostering both of his higher-profile linemates, given that they're regularly among the costliest players on any given DFS night.
Janmark's bubble may soon burst, given that the rookie's goals have come on only four shots, but playing with an offense-first player in Hemsky should help.
With a home game against the defensively-suspect Oilers, who are likely to be starting backup goalie Anders Nilsson, the Stars offer no shortage of stacking possibilities at varying prices.
Washington Capitals vs. San Jose Sharks
Alexander Ovechkin (W) with Evgeny Kuznetsov (C) or T.J. Oshie (W)
Ovechkin registered a goal and an assist in Washington's season-opening win over New Jersey, but neither of his linemates could pick up a point, though Oshie did have four shots.
Ovechkin is a DFS mainstay, especially in formats that award points for shots on goal, and combining him with a linemate for what should be a free-flowing matchup against San Jose could be a prudent move.
Kuznetsov's days of centring Ovechkin are numbered, with Nicklas Backstrom set to return later in October. Backstrom, of course, won't be nearly as cheap as Kuznetsov, so the chance to pair two members of Washington's top line won't be this affordable for much longer.
A possible reason for stacking Oshie along with Ovechkin is his reputation as a shootout specialist; while it's unlikely that the game will even get to that point, it's almost a certainty that he'd be chosen as one of Washington's shooters and thus be in line for any potential shootout goal bonus points.