Here are the top sleeper picks for Sunday's NHL action:
C Phillip Danault, Blackhawks (vs. Avalanche)
In his first ten games this season, Danault has five points. He tallied his first NHL goal Friday against the Sabres. He's inexpensive and plays for one of the most explosive teams in the Western Conference. He's maxed out at 15 minutes so far, though, and he doesn't skate with the man advantage.
It will be interesting to see if he and Teuvo Teravainen can develop a strong rapport. All Danault needs in order to return value on Sunday is a single point, which is definitely doable against Colorado, which has allowed 117 goals so far.
W Curtis Lazar, Senators (at Capitals)
No one is scoring much for Ottawa at the moment. As a team, they have seven goals in their last five games. Lazar has battled recent minor injuries and has only landed on the score sheet eight times in 37 games, and hasn't scored a goal since early November. Yikes.
He costs the minimum and his ice time is up since the end of December. He gets some opportunities on the power play, too. It is only a matter of time before he produces some value even if he never returns top value. He's a good, deep flier on Sunday.
D Nate Schmidt, Capitals (vs. Senators)
If a defenseman will often fail to pull through in DFS, it's better to take risks on bargain-basement players. Schmidt doesn't cost the minimum, but it's close, and he's got points in three straight. While that is likely not correlative to his norm, he's shown that he's not necessarily a hail mary reach.
If he blocked more shots, his value would be higher in certain formats. His last 10 games have been his best stretch. While you can't expect it to be permanent, his cost provides a lot of wiggle room with the rest of your roster.
G Al Montoya, Panthers (at Oilers)
The Panthers' last loss came on December 12. Over the following 11 games, Roberto Luongo has started and won nine of them. The other two wins belong to Montoya, who is getting the call Sunday evening in Edmonton, the team's third game on six-game road trip.
In both games Montoya played over the streak, he allowed a single goal each time. In fact, in his two starts prior to the win streak, Montoya won both, allowing a single goal each time, as well. In limited action, Montoya is 6-1-1 with a .938 save percentage. He comes less expensive and with more upside than most other goalies in DFS. Put him in your lineup against an unreliable Oilers squad.
