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DFS: Mystery Men - Tuesday's Top Sleeper Picks

Dave Reginek / National Hockey League / Getty

W/C: Dylan Larkin, Red Wings (vs Lightning)

Many will fade Detroit's skaters against a tough Lightning team but ignore Larkin at your own risk. All of 19 years young, Larkin has exploded on to the scene with a goal and two assists in his first two NHL games while skating on the Red Wings' top line with Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader.

Larkin has been a pleasant surprise, taking an uncommon route to the big leagues after being drafted 15th overall in 2014. Skating for the Michigan Wolverines of the NCAA last year, he racked up 47 points in just 35 games - and just fell short of the Big-10 Championship at none other than Joe Louis Arena. From the lows of that defeat, Larkin had a brief six-game audition with the Red Wings' AHL affiliate before making the NHL roster out of the 2015 training camp.

His resume is short but Larkin has found personal success at every level. He will likely get bumped to the second line when Pavel Datsyuk returns from injury but should continue to be a DFS-relevant player in the meantime. As long as he's playing with talented veterans like Zetterberg, Larkin is a must-play. With the aid of a great team around him, he might even challenge Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel for the Calder Trophy.

D: Chris Tanev, Canucks (at Kings)

He's not quite teammate Alexander Edler, a highly-skilled offense-first defender, but that's not what Tanev is asked to be.

With goaltender Ryan Miller slipping further from his peak, Vancouver has a need for defense-oriented players who can limit shots on net, a skill at which Tanev has excelled and continues to improve at. He was 35th in blocked shots in 2013-14 and 11th last season.

Tanev now finds himself receiving over 20 minutes of ice time per game on the Canucks' top defensive pairing with Dan Hamhuis, while also playing with the team's second power play unit. The increased playing time and role on the team will ensure plenty of hustle stats like blocked shots while allowing Tanev to build on last season, where he totaled 20 points in 70 games.

He may never be a 40-point scorer in the NHL but Tanev is a great pick for savvy DFS players looking to save some salary on defensemen. The games between Vancouver and Los Angeles are always scrappy and toughness will be at a premium.

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