Daily Fantasy Hockey 2015: Best NHL FanDuel, DraftKings Lineup for Jan. 10

Fantasy hockey junkies didn't exactly have a great opportunity to get their collective fix on Friday. With only five games on the schedule, it was tough to find a wealth of options in daily fantasy leagues.

That won't be the case on Saturday, with 11 games on the docket. It'll be a full day of action, with the earliest game at 1 p.m. ET and the latest starting at 10 p.m. ET.

Fans will have plenty of choices as they look to build their fantasy lineup.

Lineups

Position	Player	Opponent	Price ($)
LW	Zach Parise, MIN	vs. NSH	8,100
LW	Daniel Sedin, VAN	vs. CGY	6,500
RW	Nick Foligno, CLS	vs. NYI	6,600
RW	Ryan Strome, NYI	at CLS	4,700
C	Pavel Datsyuk, DET	at WAS	7,300
C	Jori Lehtera, STL	vs. CAR	4,700
D	John Carlson, WAS	vs. DET	4,500
D	Johnny Boychuk, NYI	at CLS	4,500
G	Cam Talbot, NYR	at SJ	8,100

Position	Player	Opponent	Price ($)
C	Pavel Datsyuk, DET	at WAS	5,800
C	Patrice Bergeron, BOS	at PHI	6,400
W	Andrew Ladd, WPG	at LA	6,700
W	Daniel Sedin, VAN	vs. CGY	5,800
W	Dustin Brown, LA	vs. WPG	4,200
D	Johnny Boychuk, NYI	at CLS	5,700
D	David Savard, CLS	vs. NYI	3,500
G	Brian Elliott, STL	vs. CAR	8,300
UTIL	Jori Lehtera, STL	vs. CAR	3,500

Centers: Pavel Datsyuk (X2), Patrice Bergeron, Jori Lehtera (X2)

Scott Rovak/Getty Images

After earning a point a game during a five-game stretch from Dec. 21 to Dec. 31, Pavel Datsyuk is enduring a bit of a dry spell. He has two points in his last three games, both of which came against the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 6.

Datsyuk might break out of that funk against a Washington Capitals team giving up an average of 2.52 goals a game. The Detroit Red Wings center will also look to take advantage of any power-play opportunities.

Six of his 14 goals and five of his 16 assists have come against short-handed opposition. The Capitals rank 21st in penalty-kill percentage.

At $5,800 on DraftKings and $7,300 on FanDuel, Datsyuk would be a sensible center option.

Patrice Bergeron had a bit of a rough stretch to close out 2014, but he looks to have gotten things back on track, earning four points in his last four games. He scored two goals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the last of which secured an overtime victory for the Boston Bruins:

Bergeron's looking at a good matchup on Saturday, with the Philadelphia Flyers ranking 21st in points allowed to centers.

You can't afford to splurge at every position, and that's where a guy like Jori Lehtera comes in. He can be had for under $5,000 on FanDuel and below $4,000 on DraftKings, so he's a more cost-effective alternative, thus freeing up your budget.

Lehtera is fresh off a strong performance against the San Jose Sharks, in which he registered a goal and an assist.

Wingers: Daniel Sedin (X2), Zach Parise, Andrew Ladd, Dustin Brown, Nick Foligno, Ryan Strome

Bruce Kluckhohn/Getty Images

Daniel Sedin is one of those players who allows you to save some money without suffering a massive drop in production. He enters Saturday having earned six points in his last five games, including a three-assist night against the New York Islanders on Jan. 6.

Sedin's been a streaky goalscorer the entire season; he's yet to score in back-to-back games this campaign. That is a bit concerning, especially since he got a goal in Vancouver's last game, a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.

Still, the Calgary Flames rank 25th in points allowed to wingers, so Sedin should be able to give you something.

Zach Parise missed two games following the death of his father, but he'll be back in the Minnesota Wild's lineup on Saturday night.

He spoke about the difficult time he's had dealing with the whole situation, per Fox Sports North's Brian Hall:

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Not only the last few days, but the last month has been really hard. Last night, watching the game, finally my wife told me, 'You have to go to the rink. You have to go and practice and get away and try and get back in the groove of things.'

We can sit and home and sulk, but I know my dad probably would have been mad at me for skipping the San Jose game, and he probably would have been mad at me for not playing last night too. So it was important for me to get back.

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Parise's ceiling is limited slightly by a Nashville Predators team ranking second in goals allowed per game. Still, he's averaged almost a point a game when he's on the ice, and consistency is always good to have on your fantasy team. 

Andrew Ladd would be a smart add until he cools off. The Winnipeg Jets left wing has 10 points in his last seven games. For $6,700 on DraftKings, Ladd comes at a reasonable price and is the kind of player you should target beyond the established names.

Speaking of hot streaks, Nick Foligno has notched nine points in his last six. He's playing some of the best hockey of his career and is already one goal off his previous high for most in a season.

NHL.com's Pete Jensen recently provided an in-depth explanation why Foligno would be a nice fantasy pickup. One of the biggest factors Jensen highlighted was Foligno's efficient offense:

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Foligno has been a star in terms of true shooting percentage, an advanced metric measuring goals to total attempts (shots on goal, missed shots and blocked shots).

According to sportingcharts.com, Foligno has the best rate League-wide this season at 14.78 percent. The next best percentage is Bryan Little of the Winnipeg Jets (11.81 percent).

Foligno hasn't wasted many opportunities in the offensive zone with shots that missed the cage. He's taking more shots on goal per game (2.2) than he did last season (1.6) while being more effective than any other player in the NHL in terms of quality attempts.

He also led the team in shooting percentage last season (16.2), meaning he's been able to sustain a high conversion rate.

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Dustin Brown and Ryan Strome both fall under the category of inexpensive wingers who can help fill out the squad. Brown has a favorable matchup, with the Los Angeles Kings welcoming in the Winnipeg Jets, while Strome and the New York Islanders will meet the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are giving up an average of 3.20 goals a game.

Defensemen: Johnny Boychuk (X2), David Savard, John Carlson

Matt Kincaid/Getty Images

Johnny Boychuk has only scored four goals on the season. Half of that total has come in his last six games. During that same stretch, Boychuk's also added five assists. Getting quality defensemen outside of the elite is hard to do, so Boychuk is a solid value play with the potential to earn a few points.

You'd be picking David Savard off the fantasy scrap heap, so you couldn't expect to get much from him. Anything he'd get against the Islanders would be an added bonus. New York ranks 16th in points allowed to defensemen.

John Carlson doesn't have a great matchup with the Washington Capitals playing the Detroit Red Wings. For $4,500 on FanDuel, though, he'd be a steal; Carlson ranks 15th in assists among all positions and fourth among defensemen.

He's averaging 3.1 fantasy points a game on the site, so he'd be a great addition to your team as you attempt to stash some cash for other, more important positions.

Goaltenders: Brian Elliott and Cam Talbot

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

Even at $8,300 on DraftKings, Brian Elliott offers good value at goaltender.

He leads the league in goals-against average (1.81) and sits third in save percentage (.933). While those numbers came in just 18 starts, it's hard to argue that Elliott isn't one of the hotter goaltenders in the league.

Even better, his opponents on Saturday night, the Carolina Hurricanes, rank 29th in goals per game (2.00).

Tied as the seventh-most expensive goalie, Elliott gives you a top player without breaking the bank.

Don't look now, but Cam Talbot has won four games in his last five starts.

He allowed three goals in a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, which wasn't exactly reassuring. Seth Rothman of InsideHockey.com felt that Talbot just needed to shake off some early rust before getting into a groove:

The New York Rangers play the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. The Sharks are among the middle of the pack in goals per game (16th at 2.69).

Talbot has built himself into a bit of a Western Conference specialist, though, as Sean Hartnett of WFAN Sports Radio in New York pointed out:

At $8,100 on FanDuel, the 27-year-old should give you good points while freeing up the cash to strengthen in other areas.

Notes: All stats are courtesy of NHL.com unless otherwise noted. Fantasy prices and stats are courtesy of FanDuel and DraftKings.