This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Saturday's action-packed NHL slate features 11 games beginning at 1:00 PM Eastern time. While there's no shortage of options to choose from, certain guys still stand out as players to target, or, conversely, players to avoid. Read on to see who falls into which category.
GOALIE
Roberto Luongo, FLA vs. NYI ($33): Luongo has been limited to three appearances this season due to injury, but he's been superb when he plays with a 1.19 GAA and .960 save percentage. While he won't sustain those numbers over a full season, he's still more than capable of shutting down an Islanders team that's cooled down after a surprisingly hot start, losing each of its last two games.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Corey Crawford, CHI at PHI ($32): This is likely to be a high-scoring affair, so neither team's goaltender is a particularly appealing option. That's especially true for Crawford, who has surrendered 18 goals in dropping each of his past four decisions, allowing at least four goals every time.
CENTER
Brayden Point, TB vs. OTT ($23): Point's nine goals and 19 points lead the Lightning, and he's also tied for the team lead with a plus-10 ranking and sits one power-play point behind J.T. Miller's team-leading total of six. Despite all those early accolades, Point's still $5 cheaper than Steven Stamkos and $8 cheaper than Nikita Kucherov. All of these guys are primed for success against a Senators team that's allowing a league-high 4.19 goals per game and has a league-worst 67.3 percent penalty kill, but Point offers the best bang for the buck given his performance to date.
CENTER TO AVOID
Evgeni Malkin, PIT vs. ARI ($33): Malkin may have avoided supplemental discipline for Wednesday's big hit on T.J. Oshie, but he's looked absent over the past three games anyway, mustering only four total shots while posting a minus-3 rating without a point. Reversing that trend won't be easy against a Coyotes team that's allowing the second-fewest goals per game (2.43) thanks in large part to a league-best, 91.1 percent penalty kill.
WINGS
Nikolay Goldobin, VAN at BUF ($14):Elias Pettersson is rightfully drawing plenty of attention for the incredible start to his career, but his linemate Goldobin has piggybacked off that success while flying under the radar. The 2014 first-rounder has racked up five assists while flanking Pettersson at even strength and also seeing ice time on Vancouver's second power-play unit. Goldobin's stuck on just one goal, but the career 12.7 percent shooter should see an uptick in that category considering he's currently converting at only 3.2 percent despite being surrounded by superior talent compared to years past.
Patrick Kane, CHI at PHI ($31): Kane has some good memories facing the Flyers, having scored a Stanley Cup-winning overtime goal against them. While nothing he does in this game will compare to that achievement, he should still make fantasy owners happy against a team that's tied with his Blackhawks for the second-most goals allowed per game (3.75) and kills penalties at the league's second-lowest rate (68.4 percent). Kane has been among the league's most successful power-play contributors with at least 22 power-play points in each of the past five seasons, and he's well on his way to another such campaign, having already accrued a team-high five points with the extra man.
WINGS TO AVOID
Kyle Okposo, BUF vs. VAN ($18): Okposo's average of 4.7 fantasy points is the lowest among all healthy wingers priced at $17 or more, as he's bogged down by a minus-6 rating and averages only 14:33 of ice time. In a slate with no shortage of alternatives, it makes little sense to spend $18 on Okposo.
Jamie Benn, DAL vs. NSH ($26): Benn's been a non-factor much too often this season, having scored fewer than 3.0 fantasy points in seven of his past 12 games while totaling only 3.6 in one of the other five games over that span. He continues to skate on a separate line from fellow star Tyler Seguin, so another quiet effort could well be in the cards against a Predators team that's limiting opponents to a league-low 2.07 goals per game.
DEFENSEMEN
Mark Giordano, CGY at LA ($22): Giordano's a multi-category stud with an incredibly high floor, ranking among the league's top 10 defensemen in points, rating and shots to go with a top-40 mark in blocks. His immense usage in all situations (24:52 average ice time) gives Giordano plenty of opportunities to stuff the stat sheet, and he's a low-risk choice with plenty of upside against a Kings team that's getting outscored 3.27 to a league-low 2.20 on average this season.
Dougie Hamilton, CAR vs. DET ($19): The offseason trade moving Hamilton to Carolina has clearly benefited his ex-teammate Giordano, and it should soon start paying dividends for Hamilton, too. He's stuck on only two goals and five points, but those numbers should start to climb given how relentlessly Hamilton's peppering the net with pucks. He's racked up 66 shots in 16 games -- only finishing with fewer than three once -- but is converting at half of his career 5.8 percent rate. The talented blueliner's due for an offensive explosion, which could well come against a subpar Red Wings team playing its second game in as many nights.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Torey Krug, BOS vs. TOR ($21): In four games since finally making his debut after an ankle injury kept him out, Krug has four assists but a minus-4 rating. His defensive-zone issues give the diminutive blueliner a low floor against a Maple Leafs team that's capable of making a major dent in a player's rating with an average of 3.40 goals per game versus just 2.67 against.
Nick Leddy, NYI at FLA ($18): Leddy's price refuses to drop even as he continues to underwhelm night in and night out. His average output is down to a paltry 2.2 fantasy points per game, and things aren't getting any better, as he's averaging just 1.1 over the past four games.
