This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
GOALIE
Ben Bishop, DAL vs. BUF ($33): Bishop should benefit from a favorable matchup in what promises to be the lower-scoring of the night's two contests. On top of playing their second road game in as many nights, the Sabres come in having gone just 4-7-1 over their past 12 contests.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Matt Murray, PIT vs. TB ($35): With all four starting netminders priced similarly, matchup dictates who to go with. Murray certainly has the night's most difficult matchup, taking on a Lightning team that leads the league with 4.00 goals per game.
CENTER
Anthony Cirelli, TB at PIT ($11): The center position is extremely polarized in this slate, with six guys priced at $29 or more, and the rest priced at $12 or less. If you can't afford one of the top six guys, Cirelli stands out as the man to target from the bottom group. He's the only affordable option averaging north of 4.0 fantasy points this season (4.4), and Cirelli has a respectable five goals and 12 points over his past 20 games.
CENTER TO AVOID
Evgeni Malkin, PIT vs. TB ($29): Malkin's been atrocious in his own end this season, posting a minus-20 rating. Half of that damage has come over the past five games alone, with Malkin registering a minus-10 mark over that span. The Lightning's league-best offense is likely to punish Malkin's lack of effort in his own zone, giving him a very low floor relative to his $29 valuation.
WINGS
Dominik Simon, PIT vs. TB ($13): Simon is the latest player to occupy the revolving first-line spot alongside Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel. The offensive upside provided by such a role is enormous, especially relative to Simon's $13 valuation. He's also off to a strong start in 2019, having racked up three goals and seven points through 10 January contests.
Jamie Benn, DAL vs. BUF ($21): Benn is the cheapest he's been all season at just $21, making this a good buy-low opportunity on the veteran scorer. His ice time has been on the rise recently, eclipsing 20 minutes in consecutive games. That increased role coupled with his drop in price makes Benn a strong value play against a Sabres team that's allowed 27 goals over its past six games.
WINGS TO AVOID
Tyler Johnson, TB at PIT ($19): Johnson will be back after missing the Lightning's last game with a lower-body injury, but he was cold even before getting hurt with just four assists and no goals in his past nine appearances. With no shortage of high-scoring alternatives to pick from on Tampa Bay's roster, it's best to wait until Johnson gets back on track before deploying him.
Patric Hornqvist, PIT vs. TB ($21): Hornqvist finds himself down on Pittsburgh's third line, and he hasn't earned a promotion with his recent lack of production. Age appears to be catching up to the 32-year-old forward, who has just three goals, four assists and a minus-1 rating in his past 13 games. He's put more than two pucks on net in just four of those 13 contests.
DEFENSEMEN
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF at DAL ($17): Dahlin continued his strong recent play in Tuesday's win over Columbus, dishing a pair of helpers to give him eight points over the past seven games. His tremendous all-around skill set makes Dahlin the most appealing value play on the blue line at just $17, even with the odds stacked against his Sabres in this tough road tilt.
John Klingberg, DAL vs. BUF ($22): Klingberg has been terrific over his past 10 games, posting 11 points -- six on the power play -- to go with 33 shots and 12 blocks. Buffalo's recent defensive struggles have already been touched upon, and Klingberg's ability to take advantage of those shortcomings makes him worth paying up for on the blue line.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF at DAL ($17): Ristolainen isn't the $17 Rasmus to own among Buffalo's defensemen. While he has an assist in four consecutive games, the hulking blueliner has lit the lamp just five times all season while posting a minus-14 rating. That last stat drags down the rest of his value significantly, and it's in danger of getting even worse against a Stars team that's 15-8-2 on home ice.
Jamie Oleksiak, DAL vs. BUF ($18): Don't expect a change of scenery to kickstart Oleksiak's production, as the former Penguins blueliner is averaging just 3.6 fantasy points per game -- the lowest mark among all defensemen that cost $13 or more in this slate. Esa Lindell is a much better alternative in this price range given that he costs $2 less, averages 1.8 fantasy points per game more and has no learning curve to get over having played with Dallas all season.
