This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Saturday's 11-game NHL slate begins at 1:00 PM Eastern time. There's no shortage of selection, but certain players stand out as options to target or avoid. Read on to see what players fall in which category.
GOALIE
Jimmy Howard, DET at NJ ($29): Howard has won five of his last six starts, allowing two goals or fewer in each of the past four. Against a Devils team that's 4-8-1 following a 4-0-0 start, Detroit's veteran netminder should provide excellent value at $29 given his recent form.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jaroslav Halak, BOS at ARI ($38): Inconsistency has started to creep into Halak's game, as he's allowed at least five goals twice in his past four appearances. He's valued like an elite goalie at $38, but Halak just isn't one, especially with his team playing its second road game in as many nights.
CENTER
Brayden Point, TB at PHI ($23): Point's hat trick Thursday gave him 12 goals and 22 points through 19 games. The 22-year-old center scored all three of his goals in that game on the power play, giving him team highs in goals (five) and points (eight) with the extra man. That power-play prowess is likely to translate to success against a Flyers team that sports the league's second-worst penalty kill at only 71.2 percent.
CENTER TO AVOID
Blake Coleman, NJ vs. DET ($18): Coleman's overpriced at $18 given his lack of playing time. He averages only 14:38 of ice time per game, and that limited role doesn't include power-play time. Throw in Howard's aforementioned recent success, and it's tough to justify picking Coleman over the bevy of alternatives in this slate.
WINGS
Mikael Granlund, MIN vs. BUF ($21): In his past 16 games, Granlund has 10 goals and 19 points. He also has a plus-10 rating over the past 14, as the Finnish winger seems to have taken another step forward after consecutive campaigns of 67-plus points. Granlund should keep rolling at home against a Sabres team playing its second road contest in as many nights.
Chris Kreider, NY vs. FLA ($17): Kreider has six goals over the past eight games, and he's found the touch on the power play with three man-advantage points in the last two. The speedy power forward's recent success should continue against a Panthers team that just gave up seven goals to Columbus. Florida's killing off just 75.0 percent of penalties, so Kreider's netfront presence on the power play could well translate to success in this matchup.
WINGS TO AVOID
Evander Kane, SJ vs. STL ($24): Kane's average of 7.1 fantasy points per game is the lowest among all forwards priced at $22 or more. Considering he's only topped 43 points in a season twice while never exceeding 57, Kane may simply be overpriced at this point.
Bobby Ryan, OTT vs. PIT ($18): Ryan's another player underperforming his price, averaging a meager 5.6 fantasy points per game. The driving force behind that lack of value is a minus-4 rating, which only figures to get worse considering Ottawa's allowing over four goals per game. A Penguins offense averaging 3.29 goals per game is more than capable of exploiting Ottawa's defensive weaknesses, and thus making a major dent in Ryan's rating.
DEFENSEMEN
Jeff Petry, MON at VAN ($16): Petry has been a nice source of offense with 14 points in 19 games. That production gives him tremendous upside for a $16 defenseman, especially against a struggling Canucks club that's fallen to third-worst in the league with 3.48 goals allowed per game.
Mark Giordano, CGY vs. EDM ($22): Giordano is the cream of the crop when it comes to well-rounded production, ranking near the top of the league charts among defensemen in all major categories. He has 18 points, so Giordano has a high offensive ceiling to go with the high floor from his robust cross-category production.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Victor Hedman, TB at PHI ($23): This matchup looks appetizing, but Hedman just can't be trusted right now. Between injury and ineffectiveness, he's looked nowhere near worth $23 this season with an average of only 4.7 fantasy points per contest. Until he turns things around, Hedman should be avoided in all matchups.
Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI vs. TB ($20): Gostisbehere has relied on power-play production to make up for poor play at even strength, as five of his nine points have come with the extra man while his rating's an ugly minus-7. Tampa Bay's primed to limit his strengths while exploiting his weaknesses, as the Lightning lead the league with 3.53 goals per game while ranking fourth with an 85.7 percent penalty kill.
