Here are the top against-the-grain selections for Thursday's slate:
C Jason Spezza, Stars (vs. Jets)
Among Dallas Stars centers, Tyler Seguin is the far more common DFS selection. Seguin is third in the league in points and he has much more upside on any given night than most players in the league, let alone on his own team. Yet, due to his high price tag, he needs his best game in order to return value. On any type of off night, DFS owners will pay the price.
Though Spezza doesn't have the same upside or elite overall production, his considerably lower price tag makes him the safer choice. He has points in five consecutive games, with three multi-point games in that span. He has lower shot totals than Seguin, but he's often in the right situations to compile assists - and he'll be there Thursday, centering Jamie Benn and Valeri Nichushkin.
W Jakub Voracek, Flyers (at Wild)
Voracek's price and ownership continue to be down from their normally high levels, due to lingering inconsistency in his production. He has just a goal and an assist in his past four games since his six-game point streak was snapped.
The Wild's defensive play has been excellent of late, allowing more than two goals just once in their past five games. It's their first home game following a four-game road trip, and they may be without the services of C Mikko Koivu.
D Mark Giordano, Flames (vs. Coyotes)
While DFS owners willing to spend up for offense from a defenseman will lock in on either Brent Burns or Erik Karlsson, Giordano has been quietly returning to last season's form. The Flames' captain has four points in his past three games, moving him up to 23 points in 39 games played.
He has totaled 27 shots on goal in his past 10 games, and he has blocked seven shots in his past three games. His floor has become safer than it had been for most of the season, while Thursday's matchup offers the night's most appealing upside.
G Craig Anderson, Senators (vs. Panthers)
In Anderson's most recent start against one of his former teams, he stopped 39 of 40 shotsin a 2-1 shootout loss. Anderson had faced 30 shots in six consecutive games before facing a mere 29 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Anderson has gone just one and three in his past four starts though he allowed two or fewer goals in three of those four games.
The Panthers have benefited from a league-leading 107.3 PDO and 10.6 on-ice shooting percentage since their winning streak began. Their luck will run out eventually, making opposing goalies savvy targets.
