This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The league stacked up 13 games in this NHL slate with American Thanksgiving taking place Thursday. There's a lot of promising matchups, so make sure to choose wisely. Read on for tips to help find some value plays, and just as important, some players in low-ceiling situations to stay away from.
GOALIE
Brian Elliott, PHI at CLS ($28): Elliott gets the spot start here, and he's been strong in net lately with a .933 save percentage over his last four appearances. Elliott's always better with a few days of rest in tow, and it's a good matchup to afford Carter Hart some recovery as well since the Blue Jackets rank 25th in November with 2.06 GF/60.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Anders Nilsson, OTT vs. BOS ($29): Nilsson has surprised many with how well he's playing so far, as he's generated a .928 save percentage and 7-4-1 record. No matter how stout the goaltender is, it's tough to take down the Bruins when they're rolling like this, as they've won four straight and totaled a whopping 21 goals in that stretch.
CENTER
David Krejci, BOS at OTT ($19): Krejci continues to center the B's superstar line flanked by David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, and he's notched a point in six of the last seven outings. Three of those games were multi-point affairs as well, and it shows no sign of slowing down since he's starting 61.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone.
CENTER TO AVOID
Brayden Point, TB vs. STL ($28): Point's continued last year's momentum well, but his chances have dropped with 47.2 percent of his shifts starting in the offensive zone. The 23-year-old will need more chances in order to live up to his price tag, as the Blues have the fifth-best GAA in November (2.28).
WINGS
Andre Svechnikov, CAR at NYR ($23): Svechnikov paces the Hurricanes with 26 points, and he rides an eight-game point streak into this contest. The 19-year-old still flies under the radar a bit, but this is a prime matchup to rack up continue establishing himself, as the Rangers have averaged 4.16 GA/60 over the last two weeks.
Calle Jarnkrok, NAS vs. VGK ($17): With Viktor Arvidsson (lower body) out long term, Jarnkrok will be sticking with the top six for a while. He's earned the right with four points and 14 shots on net over the last three contests, and the Golden Knights are expected to start Malcolm Subban, who has a putrid 3.55 GAA.
WINGS TO AVOID
Travis Konecny, PHI at CLS ($21): Konecny has finished with 6.8 or fewer fantasy points in six of the last seven outings, going pointless in five of those affairs. This outing has a 6.0 O/U, according to Yahoo Sportsbook, and Columbus has tightened up defensively lately with an average of 2.37 GA/60 over their last five contests.
Jordan Eberle, NYI at LA ($18): Eberle's off to a slow start with five points through 12 games, and now he's in Barry Trotz's doghouse, being demoted to the third line and referred to as a "passenger." We'll see how he responds to that, but the shortage of opportunities makes him a high-risk play.
DEFENSE
Cale Makar, COL vs. EDM ($23): The O/U on Makar winning the Norris Trophy is officially at 1.5 years, according to my estimation. The 21-year-old has been a placeholder on this list, and it'll remain that way until his price holds some real risk. Makar has surpassed 20 fantasy points in four of his last five outings, and the Oilers' goaltending has been quite inconsistent recently.
Nate Schmidt, VGK at NSH ($17): Nashville ranks dead last with a 72.0 penalty-kill rate, and Schmidt garners consistent minutes with the man advantage. He's averaging 2.4 shots on net over the last 10 games, and he's blocking shots at a nearly identical rate, providing an intriguing floor for the price.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Keith Yandle, FLA at WAS ($19): After a wild surge where Yandle racked up 12 points -- six on the power play -- over seven games, he's gone pointless over the last four. Yandle's accrued 62.5 percent of his points with the man advantage since the start of last season, so he's not poised well to break the slump against Washington's 83.1 penalty-kill rate.
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF vs. CGY ($17): Ristolainen only has three points over 11 November games, and he's finished with a negative plus-minus rating in a majority of those contests. There's always a risk of a low floor with the 25-year-old, who posted a league-worst minus-41 last year.
