This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The NHL schedule is light Monday, with only three games on the slate. Your fantasy options are meager, but some players still stick out as being better, or worse, choices than others. Here are my picks for players to target, and to avoid, for your daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM at TOR ($33): To be blunt, the goaltending options are quite lackluster Monday. There are a couple of good goalies in action, but they don't have ideal matchups. Vasilevskiy has a 2.29 GAA and a .929 save percentage on the season, and the Lightning are 19-9-2 on the road. Additionally, though Tampa is away from home, the Lightning have a 2.50 team GAA in road games.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Frederik Andersen, TOR vs. TAM ($30): The Lightning have the best offense in the league, as they've managed 3.56 goals per contest. They also have the top offense on the road, having averaged 3.47 goals per game. Since the Maple Leafs have allowed 33.7 shots on net per contest, Andersen could find himself bombarded by Tampa's potent offense in this one.
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CENTER
Nick Schmaltz, CHI at ARI ($17): Schmaltz is actually second on the Blackhawks in points with 39 in 51 games. He's also started 65.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second most among Chicago forwards. The Coyotes have a 3.42 team GAA, second worst in the NHL, and even though Antti Raanta is back this is still a team with questions on defense, and also the 21st-ranked penalty kill.
CENTER TO AVOID
Brayden Point, TAM at TOR ($19): Point has been held without a point in his last four games, and he doesn't have a goal in his last six contests. Additionally, Point only has seven power-play points, so he hasn't had much success with the extra man. That's likely to continue in this matchup, as the Maple Leafs have the fifth-ranked penalty kill.
WING
Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA at EDM ($23): Huberdeau has notched 18 goals and 33 assists through 52 games, and the winger has finally been able to stay healthy much to the relief of fantasy players. He's also averaged a career-high 3:28 per game on the power play and notched 13 points with the extra man. The Oilers have the worst penalty kill in the NHL, so more power-play success could be on the horizon for Huberdeau.
Clayton Keller, ARI vs. CHI ($14): Keller has a point in each of his last two games, and overall the rookie has 38 points in 55 contests. He's also started 61.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, most on the Coyotes. With Corey Crawford still out, Jeff Glass (3.13 GAA, .905 save percentage) is projected to start for the Blackhawks. In their last five contests, Chicago has a 3.60 team GAA, so things have not gone well for them defensively recently.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Mitch Marner, TOR vs. TAM ($22): Marner may have tallied five points in his last game, but even with that he's only averaged 5.9 fantasy points per contest this season. As previously noted, Vasilevskiy has a 2.29 team GAA and a .929 save percentage, so this is going to be a tougher outing for Marner than when he put up that five spot against the Senators. At this price, Marner feels like an iffy proposition.
Patrick Marleau, TOR vs. TAM ($17): Like Marner, Marleau had a nice game against the Senators in his last outing. However, in his previous 16 games he had only two points. The only place the Lightning have had any issues is on the penalty kill, but the 38-year-old isn't the guy to take advantage of it. He has only four power-play points in 57 contests.
DEFENSE
Aaron Ekblad, FLA at EDM ($17): Ekblad has 11 goals on 139 shots, and he's enjoying a three-game point streak. The Oilers, on the other hand, have a 3.26 team GAA, fourth worst in the league. Edmonton also has the league's worst penalty kill, so any power-play time could pay off for the 2014 first-overall pick, and anybody who puts him in their lineup.
Oscar Klefbom, EDM vs. FLA ($17): Klefbom's numbers aren't great, but a 2.0 shooting percentage has played a part in that. He's put 150 shots on net in 50 games, so clearly he's stayed active. The Panthers have allowed 34.7 shots on goal per contest, so the Swedish defenseman should be able to put a few more pucks on net. Klefbom has also blocked 107 shots, so he adds some fantasy value there as well.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Victor Hedman, TAM at TOR ($27): This is nothing against Hedman, who is a great player having a fine season. No, it's about his price. The next most expensive defenseman, Keith Yandle, will cost you only $19. Hedman has to really impress to be worth this price, and the Maple Leafs have only allowed 2.77 goals per game, just outside the top 10. Toronto's fifth-ranked penalty kill is also a deterrent.
Justin Holl, TOR vs. TAM ($18): This is more a warning than anything else. Holl is a 26-year-old defenseman who has only played in two games for the Maple Leafs this season. In fact, he hasn't played since February 1. He's averaged 13.4 fantasy points per game, which is certainly notable, but Holl isn't even expected to play in this contest. Don't make the mistake of putting him in your lineup.
