Squad Up Daily NHL Fantasy Dose: No place like home for surging Blue Jackets

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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Friday, Dec. 23:

Triple Threat

• C Alexander Wennberg (46K), LW Brandon Saad (62K) and RW Cam Atkinson (55K), Blue Jackets (vs. Canadiens): No team is playing better than the Blue Jackets, who come into this one having reeled off 11 wins in a row. Columbus is averaging four goals per game at home on the season, and look to be dodging a bullet as Al Montoya is expected to get the start in goal for Montreal rather than Carey Price.

• C Sidney Crosby (74K), LW Conor Sheary (36K) and RW Patric Hornqvist (61K), Penguins (vs. Devils): Any time you can land Crosby for under 80K, you have to do it - especially at home, where the Penguins are a sizzling 14-2-2 and average 3.89 goals per game. Sheary is a low-cost threat playing alongside Crosby, while Hornqvist is dependable and can be had at a discount given his recent struggles.

• C Jonathan Toews (59K), LW Artemi Panarin (65K) and D Duncan Keith (45K), Blackhawks (vs. Avalanche): As nice as it would be to roster the entire Chicago first line, Patrick Kane's 92K salary makes that impossible. Instead, opt for two-thirds of the No. 1 unit along with Keith, who plays heavy minutes and should feast on a Colorado team playing the second end of a back-to-back after getting waxed 6-0 by Toronto.

Goalie Breakdown

• TARGET - Corey Crawford (95K), Blackhawks (vs. Avalanche): This game is by far the most one-sided on the slate, with Chicago heavily favored to hand Colorado its sixth consecutive defeat. The Avalanche rank 27th in the NHL in road goals per game (2.13), and Crawford comes in at a bit of a bargain in what will be his first game action since Dec. 1. He won't come this cheaply again, so pounce on him.

• BARGAIN - Darcy Kemper (76K), Wild (at Rangers): It won't be an easy task for Kuemper, who draws the finale of a back-to-back after Devan Dubnyk stopped 32 shots Thursday in a win over Montreal. But Kemper has been a serviceable backup so far this season, and made 27 saves on 28 shots in a win over Arizona in his last game. Roster him confidently, as his floor is high even if he doesn't get the win.

• FADE - Mike Smith (122K), Coyotes (vs. Maple Leafs): It doesn't matter who or where Smith is playing - he shouldn't be the highest-priced player on the Squad Up slate. The Coyotes don't do enough damage on offense to make Smith a guaranteed win candidate, and the Maple Leafs' offense has come alive of late. Look elsewhere for your starting netminder, and spend up at forward instead.

Bargain Plays

• C Brandon Dubinsky (40K), Blue Jackets (vs. Canadiens): Dubinsky hasn't been the most prolific member of the Columbus offense this season, but he's in a favorable matchup Friday night and sees plenty of high-leverage ice time as the No. 2 center and a fixture on the second power-play unit. Save here and you can spend up elsewhere.

• RW Michael Grabner (26K), Rangers (vs. Wild): Grabner is by no means a sure-fire play given his lack of power-play exposure, but he does see time on the second line and has 14 goals through 34 games while averaging better than 13 minutes of ice time per game. With Kuemper starting in goal for Minnesota, Grabner gets a slight boost.

• D Zeno Chara (25K), Bruins (at Hurricanes): Chara is nowhere close to the player he used to be, but he still carries a healthy floor in Squad Up. The 6-foot-9 behemoth has 44 shots on goal, 50 hits and 57 blocked shots so far this season, making him a valuable minimum-salary play even though he has just eight points through 29 games.

Top Fades

• C Joe Pavelski (86K), Sharks (vs. Oilers): It isn't that Pavelski is a bad choice, with Edmonton likely a bit tired as it wraps up a three-game pre-Christmas road trip. But the Oilers have surrendered just 2.79 goals per game on the road this season - 12th-fewest in the NHL - and with so many other great center options available, you can fade Pavelski here.

• RW Patrick Kane (92K), Blackhawks (vs. Avalanche): The matchup couldn't be better for Kane, who could absolutely tee off against the lowly Avalanche. But Kane simply hasn't been the dominant offensive force he was in 2015-16, and at 28K more than the next-highest RW, you're better off opting for a player with similar skills at a lower cost.

• D Shea Weber (53K), Canadiens (at Blue Jackets): Weber is one of the most reliable defensemen in daily fantasy, but he'll likely have his hands full against a Columbus team allowing just 2.13 goals per game at home, the sixth-best rate in hockey. Weber could still do enough to warrant selection without scoring, but so could a host of cheaper defensemen.

Contrarian Options

• C Jack Eichel (53K), Sabres (at Islanders): Daily fantasy players have plenty of great centers to choose from on Squad Up, and the majority won't scroll down far enough to find Eichel. But the second-year star has been solid so far this season (five goals, three assists in 11 games) and will be a threat for multiple points against the lowly Islanders.

• LW Chris Kunitz (35K), Penguins (vs. Devils): There's an inclination to select Sheary ahead of Kunitz because the former plays alongside Crosby on the top line. But Kunitz represents bigger upside most nights, toiling alongside Evgeni Malkin on the second line while drawing some exposure on the second power-play unit. He's a great play Friday.

• RW Radim Vrbata (62K), Coyotes (vs. Maple Leafs): Vrbata is the third highest-priced right winger of the night, and hasn't done much to warrant the sky-high salary. But with 11 points in 15 home games so far this season - and with Toronto starting unproven goaltender Antoine Bibeau - the matchup doesn't get much better for Arizona's top winger.