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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Wednesday, Feb. 1:
Dynamic Duos
- C Jeff Carter (62K) & LW Tanner Pearson (49K), Kings (vs. Avalanche): The Avalanche surrender a league-high 3.4 goals against per game. Carter is tied for second in the league with 24 goals, yet he remains relatively affordable.
- C Nicklas Backstrom (55K) & LW Alex Ovechkin (74K), Capitals (vs. Bruins): Bruins G Tuukka Rask has a save percentage of just .869 in his last nine games. Knowing Ovechkin will take a healthy amount of shots each game, he is bound to find twine at least once.
- C Eric Staal (39K) & RW Nino Niederreiter (41K), Wild (at Flames): The Flames have lost four of their last five games, surrendering at least four goals in all four of those losses. Minnesota is on the second of a back-to-back while Calgary hasn't played since Jan. 26, but it's still tough to ignore the bargain of Staal.
Bargain Plays
- G Devan Dubnyk (75K), Wild (at Flames): The Wild may have played last night, but Dubnyk did not. The road matchup against a rested team is likely the reasoning he is just 75K, but the guy is a near lock to win the Vezina Trophy. Don't overthink this.
- LW Matthew Tkachuk (29K), Flames (vs. Wild): Tkachuk is having a fantastic rookie season with 31 points. He has additional value in Squad Up thanks to his 92 PIMs and 51 hits. A matchup with Dubnyk is daunting, but he can return value in other ways.
- C Frank Vatrano (29K), Bruins (at Capitals): Vatrano has just eight points in 18 games this year, but he is averaging nearly three shots per game. He has also chipped in with 25 hits. The matchup is tough, but bargain plays are limited on a three-game slate.
Top Fades
- C Patrice Bergeron (53K), Bruins (at Capitals): Bergeron isn't having the type of offensive season to which we've become accustomed. Yet, he is still priced like a valuable offensive fantasy asset. His main priority will be shutting down Ovechkin and Co., so don't expect much offensive production.
- RW Kris Versteeg (40K), Flames (vs. Wild): To be frank, Versteeg has done absolutely nothing to warrant a salary of 40K, especially with a matchup against Dubnyk and the first-place Wild.
- D Jake Muzzin (38K), Kings (vs. Avalanche): Even against the lowly Avalanche, it's not worth investing 38K in Muzzin with cheaper options who can provide the same results.
Contrarian Options
- LW Johnny Gaudreau (64K), Flames (vs. Wild): The Flames are the only team on Wednesday's slate who didn't play last night. Gaudreau and his high salary will be faded by most against Dubnyk, but Johnny Hockey is by far the most dangerous offensive talent Calgary has to offer.
- C Anze Kopitar (72K), Kings (vs. Avalanche): Carter is having a better season and comes cheaper than Kopitar, so the Slovenian's ownership will surely be down despite the great matchup. He has 10 points in his last nine games.
- RW David Backes (36K), Bruins (at Capitals): Backes is averaging just 0.5 points per game, but he makes up for it with 115 shots, 121 hits, 54 PIMs and a surprising 32 blocks for a forward. Any points he can muster up would be a huge bonus.
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