This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Wednesday's NHL slate features five games and begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time. This is the first action since Monday's trade deadline for some teams, potentially leading to extended opportunities for some players and fewer for others. Read on to see which options are primed to provide the best value here and which ones should be avoided at their respective prices.
GOALIE
Frederik Andersen, TOR vs. EDM ($36): Andersen's in the midst of another strong fantasy campaign, having compiled a 29-13-3 record, 2.60 GAA and .922 save percentage. The Danish netminder is a great choice to lead your team in this home matchup against the Oilers. While Edmonton will be getting Connor McDavid back from a two-game suspension, the team has almost no offensive threats outside of him and Leon Draisaitl, which is why the Oilers have been outscored 3.27 to 2.74 on average this season.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Alexandar Georgiev, NYR vs. TB ($27): Georgiev's coming into his own with wins in four of his past five starts, but his floor is much too low for comfort in this difficult matchup. His 3.15 GAA and .904 save percentage are likely to get worse with Tampa Bay's league-best offense (3.84 goals per game) coming to town.
CENTER
Tyson Jost, COL vs. VAN ($17): Selected 10th overall in the 2016 draft, Jost is blooming into a valuable source of secondary scoring for the top-heavy Avalanche with three goals and five points in his past five games. His season stats still aren't too impressive, but there's a chance Jost's recent production represents a legitimate ascent to a higher level. It's worth finding out against a Canucks team that's just 13-16-4 outside of Vancouver.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nico Hischier, NJ vs. CGY ($18): Hischier has had trouble finding the scoresheet for New Jersey's low-octane offense recently, getting held without a point eight times in his last 12 games. Things are unlikely to get better against the Western Conference-leading Flames, even with Calgary on the second night of a back-to-back.
WINGS
J.T. Miller, TB at NYR ($17): Miller's role has been ticking up recently -- his 17:48 of ice time last game was his second-highest total since Dec. 20. He made the most of that opportunity with a goal Monday, giving him two goals and an assist over the past three games. Acquired from the Rangers at last year's trade deadline, Miller's primed to deliver against his former team, which once again sold off considerable talent at the deadline earlier this week.
Elias Lindholm, CGY at NJ ($26): Lindholm may not have the name recognition of most guys in this price range, but he's been as consistent as anybody this season. He has just one point drought longer than two games, and that was a three-game stretch from Dec. 9-15. Throw in a plus-30 rating that's one behind Mark Giordano's league-leading mark, and Lindholm has as high a floor as pretty much anybody in the fantasy hockey realm, especially with his team getting ready to take on a Devils club that's getting outscored 3.35 to 2.90 on average this season.
WINGS TO AVOID
Michael Frolik, CGY at NJ ($17): Frolik isn't getting enough ice time to justify his $17 valuation, skating just 9:55 and 11:22 in his last two games. You're better off paying up for one of the Flames' more expensive and productive wingers.
William Nylander, TOR vs. EDM ($18): We keep waiting for Nylander to kick things up a notch, but it's just not happening for the early-season contract holdout. He's scored 2.7 or fewer fantasy points in four of the past five games, so there's little reason to look Nylander's way when three fellow Toronto wingers can be found in the $17-$18 range and all are playing better than him.
DEFENSEMEN
Erik Gustafsson, CHI at ANH ($17): With seven helpers over his past three games, Gustafsson's up to 45 points (12 goals) in 60 games this season. His ceiling is tremendous for a $17 blueliner, while the Swede's low floor stemming from a minus-11 rating is unlikely to come into play against a toothless Ducks squad that's getting drubbed 3.06 to 2.16 in the average game this season.
Cam Fowler, ANH vs. CHI ($12): The Ducks haven't given owners much to like in recent times, but Fowler's a low-risk, high reward option at just $12. While he hasn't produced much offense recently, the five-time 30-point scorer has some upside thanks to his spot on Anaheim's top power-play unit, and that upside could turn into points against Chicago's league-worst, 73.3 percent penalty kill. Owners looking to save up for more expensive options at other positions should give the affordable Fowler a long look.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Mikhail Sergachev, TB at NYR ($17): Assuming Sergachev works his way back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch Monday, he doesn't offer much bang for the buck at $17. You're better off either paying up for one of Victor Hedman ($22) or Ryan McDonagh ($19), or saving money by grabbing a cheaper Lightning blueliner -- Erik Cernak ($15) and Anton Stralman ($14) are averaging 4.7 and 5.0 fantasy points, respectively, to Sergachev's 4.9.
Ryan Graves, COL vs. VAN ($16): Graves doesn't see much ice time, averaging a paltry 12:05 per game. With just 20 shots on goal in 19 games, Graves isn't much of an offensive threat, either. There's not much to like here at $16.
