This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Friday's NHL slate is a light one, with just three games on tap beginning at 7:00 PM Eastern time. Despite the limited selection, certain players still stand out as options to target at their respective valuations while others should be avoided. Read on to see which players fall into which category.
GOALIE
Braden Holtby, WAS vs. BUF ($34): Holtby's worth paying up for as the most reliable netminder in this slate. Only Holtby and opposing starter Carter Hutton have sub-3.00 GAA marks among the six projected starters in this slate, but Hutton has to contend with a Capitals offense that averages 3.64 goals per game while Holtby faces a much less threatening Sabres team that sits at 2.97 goals per game.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Keith Kinkaid, NJ vs. OTT ($26): Kinkaid was pulled after allowing five goals on 21 shots to Toronto in his last start, marking the seventh time in his past 10 appearances that he's given up four goals or more. Ottawa may not have an impressive record, but the Senators boast a top-10 offense at 3.31 goals per game and are likely to make life difficult for Kinkaid.
CENTER
J.T. Compher, COL vs. CHI ($15): If Colorado's top line is out of your price range or you want to complement one of its members with a more affordable teammate, Compher's a nice alternative. He skates in a top-six role at even strength and notably shares the ice with the Nathan MacKinnon-Mikko Rantanen-Gabriel Landeskog trio and defenseman Tyson Barrie on the top power-play unit. That prominent placement with the extra man is likely pay off against Chicago's league-worst penalty kill, especially with the Blackhawks missing starting netminder Corey Crawford (concussion) and playing their second game in as many nights.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS vs. BUF ($26): It makes more sense to pay the extra $1 for teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov than to deploy Backstrom. Kuznetsov's 5.5 fantasy points in his last game ended a streak of eight straight with 7.5 or more. While Backstrom's had a couple of offensive outbursts recently, he's been held to 4.0 fantasy points or fewer in four of his past seven games.
WINGS
Mikko Rantanen, COL vs. CHI ($34): Between the lack of alternatives and the Avalanche's favorable matchup against a Blackhawks team that's giving up the second-most goals per game, it's imperative to grab at least one member of a top line that has 155 points in Colorado's first 35 games. Rantanen has provided a league-best 58 of those points, so paying up for him should be well worth it given the circumstances.
Tom Wilson, WAS vs. BUF ($20): A combination of suspension and injury have limited Wilson to 14 appearances this season, but he's been phenomenal when he plays with 16 points in those 14 contests thanks to a top-six role and power-play time. While the physical forward's sample size is obviously pretty small this season, it's rare to find a player performing above a point-per-game pace available for $20.
WINGS TO AVOID
Kyle Okposo, BUF at WAS ($18): Okposo doesn't have the ice time or production expected of an $18 player. He's averaging less than 1.0 fantasy point per game in the past 10, scoring no more than 4.6 in a game over that stretch. That poor play hasn't gone unpunished, as Okposo hasn't skated more than 14:15 in a game over the past seven.
Marcus Johansson, NJ vs. OTT ($18): Johansson's overpriced at $18 regardless of opponent. His average of 4.4 fantasy points per game is second-lowest among all wings that cost $15 or more in this slate, only beating out Okposo's 4.2 while nobody else sits below 5.5. Johansson also suffered an injury in Thursday's game against Columbus, putting his availability for this one in question.
DEFENSEMEN
Thomas Chabot, OTT at NJ ($23): Chabot remarkably continues to play above a point-per-game pace with 36 through 35 appearances, including 10 goals. Get this offensive juggernaut from the blue line into your lineup against a Devils club that's playing the second leg of a back-to-back and allows more goals per game than all but three teams.
Will Butcher, NJ vs. OTT ($13): Butcher's seven power-play points are third on the Devils behind expensive forwards Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri. The second-year blueliner has proven to be extremely proficient with the extra man early in his career, with 30 of his 54 points through 113 NHL appearances coming on the power play. Against a Senators team that gives up a league-high 3.86 goals per game while killing penalties at a 73.8 percent rate that's third-lowest in the NHL, Butcher brings nice offensive upside at an affordable price.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Erik Gustafsson, CHI at COL ($17): Gustafsson's been on a goal-scoring binge with seven in his past 13 games, but he's unlikely to keep it up considering he had scored just six in his previous 97 NHL contests. With his price climbing due to his recent production, Gustafsson is at a sell-high point right now.
Erik Johnson, COL vs. CHI ($14): Johnson's a solid player, but he's unlikely to get in on the potential scoring frenzy against Chicago. He has just one assist without a goal in the past 10 games and hasn't moved the needle in the rating category with just a plus-1 mark over that stretch.
