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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Monday, October 17:
Line Stacks
- LW Gabriel Landeskog (25K), C Nathan MacKinnon (50K), D Tyson Barrie (38K), Avalanche (at Penguins): It's a little too early to tell, but the Avalanche's top line looked sharp despite it being Joe Colborne with the bulk of the offense. Expect more MacKinnon and Landeskog Monday as they make life difficult for Penguins G Marc-Andre Fleury.
- C Mark Scheifele (75K), RW Patrik Laine (28K), D Dustin Byfuglien (27K), Jets (vs. Bruins): Scheifele is more expensive than he likely should be, but his salary is mitigated by the relative bargains of his teammates. Scheifele likely isn't a point-per-game player, but Laine could be close to one already. With potentially still wounded G Tuukka Rask in net for Boston, the Jets are a solid choice.
- LW Mike Hoffman (25K), C Kyle Turris (51K), RW Mark Stone (25K), Senators (at Red Wings): With two goals in two games, Turris is scoring above his usual pace. Expect the assists to take precedent as early as Monday with Hoffman and Stone benefiting. The Red Wings have allowed 10 goals in two game, though the return home is in Detroit's favor.
Bargain Plays
- C David Krejci (25K), Bruins (at Jets): Krejci has opened the season relatively quietly with a lone assist to his name through two games. Krejci has been one of Boston's steadiest producers for years, quietly bordering on point-per-game status since 2008-09. When the Bruins score, there's a great chance he's feeding the puck to the scorer.
- LW Gabriel Landeskog (25K), Avalanche (at Penguins): Landeskog is too cheap to ignore, even if you elect to forego the Avalanche stack mentioned above. He can score and he can feed the puck, though he's always prone to point-less outings. He's one of the Avalanche's top power-play options and is worth the measly investment required.
- RW Gustav Nyquist (25K), Red Wings (vs. Senators): The Senators, and G Craig Anderson, have not done an expert job of keeping the puck out of the net through two games. Nyquist has been featured on the power play early on and has been playing alongside a rejuvenated Thomas Vanek. Take a tournament flier on Nyquist.
Top Fades
- C Darren Helm (50K), Red Wings (vs. Senators): Consider this a fade based on alternate options. Helm's linemate Nyquist will cost half as much and is the more likely candidate to put points on the board. Go cheap if you go with Detroit.
- LW Chris Kreider (74K), Rangers (vs. Sharks): Kreider's salary, even in a home game against a team traveling coast-to-coast, is far too high relative to the other options. Kreider's four points over his first two games are the definition of small sample size and he could be a massive fantasy disappointment against San Jose.
Contrarian Options
- C Logan Couture (44K), Sharks (at Rangers): At his mid-range salary, Couture could get passed over because of the road matchup against a quality defensive team in the Rangers. Don't fret. Couture is centering an under-the-radar trio with RW Joonas Donskoi and LW Mikkel Boedker, cementing the Sharks' scoring depth.
- RW Nikolaj Ehlers (39K), Jets (vs. Bruins): Ehlers has skated close to 20 minutes in both games so far and should continue to see a bunch of time with the Jets' second line and first PP unit. The second-year forward is a potential breakout candidate, and he may get lost in the shuffle early on with his salary firmly in the middle.
- G Tuukka Rask (75K), Bruins (at Jets): Rask is dealing with an undisclosed injury and cracks in the facade of his game showed fairly regularly a year ago. Still, his .915 save percentage in 2015-16 is pretty stellar for a career-worst. He set the bar pretty high. With all goalies priced the same, if he nets you a win he won't be heavily rostered.
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