This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Friday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time and features six games. The players below are best positioned to provide strong value relative to price.
GOALIE
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. MIN ($30): Hellebuyck's come out of the gate strong with wins in each of his three starts to go with a 2.11 GAA and .937 save percentage. He should get plenty of offensive support at home against a Wild team that's allowed 15 goals in four games, so the 24-year-old netminder has a great opportunity to stay undefeated. Given his youth and prior flashes of brilliance, it's possible Hellebuyck's turned the corner and is ready to join the league's upper echelon of goaltenders despite being priced at just $30.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Carey Price, MON at ANH ($32): It's time to press the panic button in Montreal. The offense isn't scoring and the defense is surrendering plenty of Grade-A chances, which is why the Canadiens haven been outscored 27-10 during their 1-5-1 start. Price remains much too pricey to earn consideration regardless of opposition given his team's current form, so even a matchup with Anaheim's struggling offense isn't enough to warrant paying $32 for him right now.
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CENTER
Alex Burmistrov, VAN at BUF ($12): Burmistrov is capable of being a low-cost difference-maker in this matchup. The 2010 eighth overall pick has chipped in three points in his past three games and draws a Sabres team that's allowing 3.86 goals per contest. Buffalo's defensive struggles are likely to get even worse with starting goalie Robin Lehner battling an illness, as they'll either have to start backup Chad Johnson or trot out Lehner at less than 100 percent.
CENTER TO AVOID
Landon Ferraro, MIN at WPG ($14): Ferraro scored in his only appearance for the Wild earlier this season, but don't expect the call-up to repeat that success. He skated just 5:20 in that contest and simply won't play a large enough role to be much of a difference-maker.
WINGS
Kevin Labanc, SJ at NJ ($13): Labanc has thrived while skating in a first-line role alongside Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, notching three goals and five points through five games. The Brooklyn native will likely have a successful trip into the Tri-state area here, as he draws a tired Devils team that will be playing the second leg of a back-to-back. New Jersey will be starting backup Keith Kinkaid over Cory Schneider in this one, further increasing Labanc's chances of turning his opportunities into results.
Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA vs. PIT ($19): Huberdeau proved capable of providing plenty of value even in a losing cause with two goals in a 4-3 defeat at Pittsburgh on Oct. 14. Less than a week later, the first-line winger will be looking for a similar effort in this home rematch against a leaky Penguins defense that's allowing 4.14 goals per game. Considering he's got 13 goals and 31 points in 36 games since the start of last season, Huberdeau's a near lock to work his way onto the scoresheet here.
WINGS TO AVOID
Max Pacioretty, MTL at ANH ($26): Like Price, Pacioretty's been brought down by poor play around him while simultaneously doing much too little to bail out his teammates like a star's supposed to. Including the playoffs, the so-called sniper has one goal and one assist in his past 15 games dating back to last season. That's a rough stretch even for a player half his price.
Kyle Okposo, BUF vs. VAN ($19): Okposo will step up at some point, but you should stay away from him until he does. The veteran forward's $19 price is much too high for a guy with zero points and a minus-7 rating through five appearances. It doesn't help that Okposo's likely still dealing with an illness that knocked him out for two games last week.
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DEFENSEMEN
Tim Heed, SJ at NJ ($13): San Jose's top power play unit is deadly, as it features Thornton, Pavelski, Logan Couture, Brent Burns...and Heed. While even Heed's friends and family probably wouldn't argue that he's in the same conversation as those other four skills-wise, just getting the opportunity to play with that group on the extra man should lead to plenty of points for the affordable defenseman. The 26-year-old blueliner picked up his first career point with the extra man Tuesday against Montreal and has shown decent offensive chops with seven shots over the past two games. It's rare to find this combination of offensive ability and opportunity in a blueliner priced this low.
Cam Fowler, ANH vs. MON ($19): Fowler's taking on a hefty role on the injury-depleted Ducks blue line, with an average of 26:14 played per game. That ice time hasn't translated to much for him on the scoresheet yet, but the smooth-skating blueliner's ability to drive possession and generate chances should pay off against a Canadiens club whose struggles have already been well documented. With an average of over 34 points per season and a plus-18 total rating since the start of the 2013-14 campaign, the 25-year-old Fowler has the two-way ability to excel across the board in favorable matchups like this one.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Christian Djoos, WAS at DET ($14): Djoos simply doesn't move the needle. With just four shots and three blocks in 15:22 of ice time per contest through four games, the rookie's showing that the hype around him following a two-point debut has been largely unwarranted.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SJ at NJ ($17): Vlasic's offensive upside is no greater than Heed's now that the veteran defenseman has been separated from Brent Burns at even strength. While his defense is valuable in real life, Vlasic's heavy dose of defensive zone starts against the opposition's best players doesn't translate to much fantasy success outside the blocked shots category.
