This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Saturday's six-game NHL slate begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time. Certain players are primed to succeed while others are set up for failure. Read on to see which players to target and which to avoid.
GOALIE
Braden Holtby, WAS vs. NJ ($29): Holtby's too good to pass up at this price regardless of the opponent. He's won 10 of his last 13 starts while allowing no more than three goals in that stretch, and is now 21-8-0 with a 2.66 GAA and .918 save percentage overall. Even against New Jersey's seventh ranked offense, Holtby should easily outplay his $29 valuation at home.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Carey Price, MON at FLA ($33): Florida's been an awfully tough matchup lately, as the Panthers are generating the sixth most shots on goal per game this season (34.2) while goalie James Reimer has allowed a total of six goals in winning each of his past four starts. Price is the lowest-scoring projected starter valued at $27 or more, and that trend should continue here.
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CENTER
Derick Brassard, OTT vs. BOS ($15): Ottawa's been a mess, but those struggles haven't really extended to Brassard. He's got nine goals and 23 points in 35 games, including five points in his past four games. Even against a stingy Bruins team, the talented scorer's an excellent value at just $15.
CENTER TO AVOID
Brian Boyle, NJ at WAS ($18): Boyle's extremely overpriced at $18, and finding success on the second night of a back-to-back will be even more difficult than usual against Holtby. Heading into the back-to-back, Boyle has just 16 points in under 14 minutes of ice time per game, and he's likely to slow down even further considering the 33-year-old has only topped 26 points once in his career.
WING
Tanner Pearson, LA vs. VAN ($14): Pearson's been cold of late, but this home matchup with a Canucks club that's allowing 3.18 goals per game represents a good buy-low opportunity on a winger that's provided solid all-around value with 20 points and a plus-11 rating in 38 games. Given that the 25-year-old Pearson boasts a career plus-43 rating and is coming off a 24-goal campaign, he's likely to pick up the pace moving forward.
David Backes, BOS at OTT ($18): Backes was hampered by injuries earlier this season, but the veteran power forward's rounded into his best form of the season recently. After putting up just two goals and two assists in his first 13 appearances, Backes has racked up five goals and four helpers in the past six. He'll have a good opportunity to maintain that momentum here against a Senators team that's allowing 3.26 goals per game – fourth most in the league.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Brock Boeser, VAN at LA ($21): Boeser's having a tremendous season with 21 goals and 38 points, including 15 on the power play. This particular situation isn't a good time to deploy the talented youngster, however, as Los Angeles is allowing the fewest goals per game (2.32) while killing penalties at a league-best 87.0 percent.
Jeff Skinner, CAR at STL ($20): Skinner costs at least $3 more than any other Carolina winger even though two others have scored more points in as many games while boasting ratings far superior to his team-low minus-13 mark. The Hurricanes' offense in general will be tough to trust on the road against the league's fourth best defensive team, but Skinner represents the worst value of all given his price.
DEFENSE
Mathew Dumba, MIN at NSH ($18): Dumba continues to play a massive role relative to price, having eclipsed 23 minutes of ice time in 13 consecutive games while topping 26 minutes eight times in that stretch. He's scored 9.4 or more fantasy points six times over that span, and continues to be a strong value play in all matchups given his ability to chip in offensively and numerous opportunities to contribute counting stats.
Keith Yandle, FLA vs. MON ($15): It's amazing how productive Yandle has been given his pedestrian output with the extra man, as he's got 21 points and a plus-4 rating but just seven power-play points. The slick-passing defenseman should continue his solid even-strength play here, but he's also got a great chance of chipping in some power-play production against a Canadiens penalty kill that ranks worst among teams on this slate and fourth worst in the NHL at 77.2 percent. At $15, this is the epitome of a low-risk, high-reward pick.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
P.K. Subban, NSH vs. MIN ($22): Subban's recent hot streak has raised his price, which means you'd be buying high on him here. That's not a wise move in general, and especially when a player that's scored 12 of his 25 points on the power play is facing a penalty kill that ranks fourth at 84.2 percent.
Alec Martinez, LA vs. VAN ($17): Martinez is a bit overpriced for a defenseman that's not much of a threat offensively, as he's producing at a rate below his already modest career pace of 0.35 points per game. Vancouver's been no pushover on the road with a 9-7-2 away record, so Martinez's decent plus-8 rating is far from guaranteed to rise here.
