This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Sunday's two-game NHL slate opens with a matinee at 3:00 PM Eastern, so make sure to have lineups in by then. The Senators and Capitals both hold 3-2 series leads, but notching road wins over Boston and Toronto, respectively, will be no easy feat.
GOALIE
Craig Anderson, OTT at BOS ($31): Anderson's 1.96 GAA is tops among available options, and he's likely to continue putting up gaudy numbers against a Bruins team that's having trouble transitioning from defense to offense due to an injury-depleted blue line. He limited Boston to just three goals on 42 shots in winning both of his prior visits to TD Garden, yet remains $3 cheaper than counterpart Tuukka Rask. The low-scoring nature of this series suggests Anderson will be well worth his $31 valuation even if he doesn't earn a win.
Goalie to Avoid
Frederik Andersen, TOR vs. WAS ($27): The minor savings that come from using Andersen aren't worth it against a Capitals team that's scored 16 goals in five games against him after ranking third in the league with 3.18 goals per game during the regular season. Each of the three other available goalie options finished with a regular season GAA no worse than 2.28, while Andersen's 2.67 mark suggests he's a massive downgrade despite home ice advantage in this difficult matchup.
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CENTER
Derick Brassard, OTT at BOS ($18): Brassard enters this contest on a four-game point streak, with two goals and four assists in that span. That recent success comes as no surprise for those who followed the talented center during his Ranger days, as his career playoff resume through 64 games features an impressive 20 goals, 30 assists and plus-13 rating. Ottawa's series leader in points is still priced at or below the salary of three other Senators skaters, making him the best value of the bunch.
Center to Avoid
Tyler Bozak, TOR vs. WAS ($17): Bozak has seen his ice time drop in every game since peaking in Game 2, and he's stuck on the third line behind Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri. Paying up for the extra skill and playing time those two bring to the table is worth it given that trend.
WING
Justin Williams, WAS at TOR ($20): Betting against Williams in the postseason hasn't worked out in the past, and there's little reason for that to change now. His Game 5 overtime winner was the 36th goal and 90th point of the three-time Stanley Cup champion's 132-game postseason career, and his three goals in this series have the veteran in a four-way tie for the team lead. Unless you believe grinder Tom Wilson will continue his surprising pace, Williams offers the best bang for the buck out of that group.
Connor Brown, TOR vs. WAS ($13): Brown has had a quiet series, but his 20 goals and 36 points in the regular season suggests he possesses significantly more scoring ability than he's demonstrated thus far. Braden Holtby has looked very human in surrendering 15 goals through five games, and Brown will be as motivated to score as he has been all season in this win or go home situation. The minimal risk associated with picking him up for $13 makes this the right time to buy low, as you may not get another chance to use Brown until next season.
Wings to Avoid
Andre Burakovsky, WAS at TOR ($15): It's astounding that Burakovsky has skated 12:05 or less in three games and just 13:34 in one of the other two given how much overtime hockey has been played in this series. The Washington coaching staff clearly lacks faith in him, and so should you.
Marcus Johansson, WAS at TOR ($17): Johansson is another Capitals winger shrinking under the bright lights of the playoffs. He hasn't put a single puck on net over the past two games, and is averaging just 3.8 fantasy points per game in this series.
DEFENSE
Nate Schmidt, WAS at TOR ($24): Schmidt has played a pivotal role at both ends with two assists and 22.0 fantasy points over the past three games. He's skating on the top pair alongside John Carlson with Karl Alzner (upper body) sidelined, putting him in prime position to continue contributing against a Leafs team that has allowed more goals than any of the other three playing on this slate. Just make sure Alzner's still out before plugging Schmidt in.
Charlie McAvoy, BOS vs. OTT ($12): McAvoy has been a revelation on the back end for the injury-riddled Bruins, skating over 24 minutes in each game this series while contributing a pair of helpers. The 2016 first rounder remains available for the minimum despite that heavy workload, and his downside is limited due to the low-scoring nature of this series. Using McAvoy grants owners maximum flexibility with the rest of their lineup without compromising their team's potential.
Defensemen to Avoid
Zdeno Chara, BOS vs. OTT ($17): Chara is playing increased minutes, but his lack of foot speed is preventing the hulking defenseman from contributing much fantasy-wise. He has zero fantasy points in 90 minutes of ice time over the past three games, so it's tough to justify spending $17 on him given the higher upside of a number of cheaper Bruins defensemen.
Cody Ceci, OTT at BOS ($15): Ceci hasn't gotten on the scoresheet in this series, which isn't surprising given his 17-point regular season. Factor in his minus-1 rating following a minus-11 regular season mark, and it becomes apparent that he possesses neither the consistency nor the upside to justify a $15 investment.
