Daily Faceoff NHL DFS Value Plays – October 15th

Welcome to Daily Faceoff's NHL DFS Value Plays, where five days a week, Monday through Friday, I break down hockey's main roster and look for the plays with the highest value.

This value sheet includes salaries, DraftKings and FanDuel projections for the top forward and defenseman values, as well as honorable forwards and three punt options for blue liners. While the main value plays are about the ability to be different and the benefits of doing so, the others are about the ability to score marginal points by taking shots and blocking them. These players are always live for the bonus on DraftKingswhich all value games are aimed at.

These forecasts do not say exactly what will happen. A game sample has too much randomness to make accurate predictions. Instead, the predictions represent a player's average performance if that match was played repeatedly. There is a wide range of possible outcomes and the projections represent the average of these possibilities for each player.

Jamie Benn (W, DAL2, PP1) – vs. SJS – (DK-$4,600 / FD $6,000)
DFO projection: DK – 14.0 / FD – 18.9

The Dallas Stars are in a slam-dunk situation tonight against the San Jose Sharks, and Jamie Benn should take advantage. He is one of the top players on the list along with his linemate Wyatt Johnston, but Benn seems to have less possession, making him a slightly more attractive player.

Anthony Mantha (W, CGY3, PP2) – vs. CHI – ($2,800 / $4,800)
DFO projection: DK – 7.8/ FD – 10.5

Mantha may not have the most ice time on Calgary's third line, but he has made the most of it this year with two goals and four points in three games. He's done exactly what the Flames were hoping for, and he has a great matchup coming up against the Chicago Blackhawks as they take on the prairies of Alberta.

Mattias Ekholm (D, EDM-1, PP2) – vs. PHI – ($4,300 / $5,700)
DFO projection: DK – 9.4 / FD – 12.3

Ekholm is often overlooked on the boards, and that's what's happening here tonight. Despite having a strong matchup result, he sees next to no possessions while spending the vast majority of his time with EDM1, who loaded the wagon tonight with Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman. He's in a prime position to produce tonight.

Honorable mention in advance

1. Eetu Loustarinen (W, FLA2, PP2) ($3,100/$4,000): DK – 9.4 / FD – 12.5
2. Sean Monahan (C, CBJ1, PP1) ($3,300/$5,800): DK – 9.3 / FD – 12.5
3. Maverik Bourque (C, DAL3, PP2) ($2,500/N/A): DK – 5.5 / FD – N/A

Top punt defender

1. Shayne Gostisbehere (CAR-3, PP1) ($3,200/$5,400): DK – 8.1 / FD – 11.1
2. Wyatt Kaiser (CHI-3) ($2,600/$4,000): DK – 5.8 / FD – 7.5
3. Jordan Harris (CBJ-3) ($2,500/$3,500): DK – 5.2 / FD – 6.8

Zach Laing is news director and senior columnist for the Nation Network and accounts for one half of the DFO-DFS report. You can follow him on Twitter at @zjlaingor reach us by email at [email protected].