DFS: Mystery Men - Wednesday's Top Sleeper Picks
Here are the top sleeper picks for Wednesday's three-game slate:
W Andre Burakovsky, Capitals (vs. Penguins)
Burakovsky was a second-line center at the start of the season while Nicklas Backstrom recovered from hip surgery. But with Backstrom officially back, Washington coach Barry Trotz has called Burakovsky a "swing guy" that will shift between lines depending on the situation.
Burakovsky is likely to find himself on the fourth line for the near future but Trotz noted that he would be moved up when Trotz is looking for an increase in speed and offense.
In the Capitals' most recent game, Burakovsky had a goal and assist when paired on a line with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Those two points have contributed to Burakovsky's recent hot streak of four points in his last three games. This hot streak and potential to play alongside Ovechkin is a situation DFS players should look to take advantage of.
In a game featuring offensive stars like Ovechkin, Backstrom, Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin, Trotz could employ Burakovsky on the top or second line in order to attain that speed and offense inherent to this game.
G Craig Anderson, Senators (vs. Flames)
Of the six starting goalies on Wednesday's slate, all of them are No. 1s; you won't have any backups to choose from. Studs like Pekka Rinne, Braden Holtby and Marc-Andre Fleury are sure to see mid- to high-level ownership on a night with only three games.
By contrast, Anderson should see low- to mid-ownership, a reduced price relative to the top options, and most importantly a strong matchup.
Based on the Flames' 2-7 record and their 1.76 goals-per-game pace, Anderson has a good shot to pick up a win. Furthermore, the Flames should be fatigued playing their final game of a three game Eastern road trip. The Flames lost the first two games of the trek by a combined score of 8-1.
C Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Senators (vs. Flames)
The struggles of the Flames are a major reason in selecting Pageau.
Through nine games, the Flames own the league's second-worst goals against per game at 3.89. Goalie Jonas Hiller is a contributing factor to that awful stat with his .872 save percentage and 3.52 goals against average. In his last start on Sunday, Hiller only stopped 17 shots in a 4-1 loss.
Admittedly, Pageau is not an offensive powerhouse and with only 14 minutes of average ice time, he will have to take advantage of his limited opportunities to be effective. But he won't have a better chance to do so than he will against Hiller and the Flames.
Pageau comes at a very cheap price regardless of your DFS site, and offers some intrigue for a low-owned GPP play. He has two goals, 12 shots on goal, seven blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in eight games.
D Mattias Ekholm, Predators (at Sharks)
Excluding a game against Anaheim where he had a goal and assist, Ekholm has only put up one point in seven games. Ekholm's poor initial production is not ideal, but his 18 minutes of average ice time does provide him with the opportunity to be productive.
The Sharks are 1-3 in their past four and have given up 16 goals in that span. Goalie Martin Jones has also cooled off from his fast start, allowing eight goals in his past three starts.
On a Nashville team averaging 2.88 goals per game, Ekholm offers 18 minutes of ice time against a Sharks team that seems to be loosening up on the defensive end.