DFS: Counterattack - Wednesday's Top Contrarian Plays
Here are the top against-the-grain plays for Wednesday, December 2:
G Jaroslav Halak, Islanders (vs. Rangers)
Halak is a solid contrarian selection for several reasons. He'll be far less owned than counterpart Henrik Lundqvist, he's cheaper than Lundqvist, and the Islanders have a great opportunity to win this game at home.
Halak has been slightly better on the road than he's been at home this season. He's 10-6-0 in 17 career games against the Rangers, posting a .918 save percentage and 2.63 goals against average. He's also allowed two or fewer goals in four of his past five games.
The Islanders' offense has scored at least three goals in three of their past four games, providing Halak with the goal support he needs.
D Dustin Byfuglien, Jets (vs. Maple Leafs)
With cheaper options priced below him putting up plenty of fantasy points of late, Byfuglien becomes a contrarian selection on a small four-game DFS slate. His shots-on-goal totals have been slightly down, but he remains second among defensemen and tied for 13th overall.
He also faces an excellent home matchup against the Maple Leafs, regardless of whether James Reimer returns from injury or rookie Garret Sparks makes his second career start. Sparks likely overperformed with a shutout in his debut, and his first road start could go quite differently.
W Taylor Hall, Oilers (vs. Bruins)
Having gone the Oilers' entire five-game road trip without scoring a goal, DFS owners are cooling off on Hall. He has just one assist in that span, but he did register 22 SOG, including 11 in his past two games.
He returns home to Edmonton where he is posting 1.5 points per game, as opposed to just .67 points per road game. The Bruins allowed 14 goals in five November road games. Hall has a relatively safe floor due to his high shot totals, and he has the highest ceiling of the night.
C Nazem Kadri, Maple Leafs (at Jets)
Kadri scored his third goal of the season Monday, his first in four games. Despite just nine points in 24 games, Kadri ranks among the league leaders in scoring chances. He registered 176 SOG in 73 games played last year, and his current shot per game pace this season would give him 286 shots on goal in just a 73-game season.
With W Joffrey Lupul (undisclosed) on injured reserve, that number should continue to rise.
The Jets are expected to start rookie Connor Hellebuyck in net. In his lone appearance this year he stopped 14 of the 15 shots he faced in a win over the Minnesota Wild. Though he lacks the talent in his supporting cast, Kadri is in the midst of a breakout season and the points are sure to come.