This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Wednesday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time and features six games. Read on to see which players in this slate are primed to provide the best value and which ones are best avoided at their respective prices.
GOALIE
Jacob Markstrom, VAN at OTT ($27): It's amazing that Markstrom remains so cheap despite his terrific results of late. He's won eight of his past nine starts, with a 1-0 loss to Winnipeg representing the only blemish during that dominant stretch. Markstrom's also held each of his past eight opponents to two goals or fewer, making him an absolute steal at $27.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Mikko Koskinen, EDM at ARI ($36): While the matchup's good, it's tough to trust Koskinen against anybody given his recent form. He remains the most expensive player in this whole slate despite surrendering 16 goals over his past four starts while losing all four.
CENTER
Connor McDavid, EDM at ARI ($34): McDavid has what it takes to carry fantasy lineups to the promised land. He's recorded multiple points in each of the past four games, scoring at least 10.9 fantasy points in each of those contests as well. The sky's the limit for McDavid against a Coyotes club that's 4-9-0 in its past 13 games.
CENTER TO AVOID
Matt Duchene, OTT vs. VAN ($22): December wasn't kind to Duchene. Not only did he miss the middle of the month due to injury, but he also eclipsed 5.0 fantasy points just once in his eight games played. Getting off to a better start in January won't be easy against the locked-in Markstrom.
WINGS
Chris Kreider, NYR vs. PIT ($18): Kreider has already reached the 20-goal mark this season, and he comes into this one riding a five-game point streak (five goals, three assists). The Rangers play much better at Madison Square Garden (11-4-5 home record, 6-10-2 away), so Kreider should keep rolling in front of the home fans in the team's first action of 2019.
Zach Aston-Reese, PIT at NYR ($14): Aston-Reese has been the biggest beneficiary of Bryan Rust's lower-body injury, as he's taken over Rust's spot on the top line alongside Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel. Assuming Rust remains out for this one, Aston-Reese will be tough to turn down at just $14. He's already proven capable of succeeding on the top line, racking up a goal and an assist over the past two games en route to an average of 9.8 fantasy points.
WINGS TO AVOID
Alex Galchenyuk, ARI vs. EDM ($17): Galchenyuk's floor is incredibly low, as he's been held to 2.0 or fewer fantasy points seven times in his past 11 appearances. It makes more sense to pay the identical $17 needed for teammate Clayton Keller, who averages 5.8 fantasy points to Galchenyuk's 5.0.
Jamie Benn, DAL vs. NJ ($24): Benn's been significantly outplayed all season by fellow Stars winger Alexander Radulov, who averages 9.7 fantasy points to Benn's 7.8 and costs only $1 more. Considering Benn's actually due for some regression in shooting percentage -- his 16.5 mark is 0.1 percent below his previous best -- the gap between the two should only keep growing.
DEFENSEMEN
John Klingberg, DAL vs. NJ ($22): Klingberg is starting to look more and more comfortable after returning from injury two weeks ago, having seen his fantasy point total rise in each of the past three games. One of the league's most offensively gifted blueliners, Klingberg's shown off his defensive skills with 10 blocked shots over these past three contests. He has tremendous potential on both ends against a Devils team that's getting outscored 3.29 to 2.97 on average this season.
Alexander Edler, VAN at OTT ($19): Edler's among the league's most well-rounded defensemen, establishing a high floor thanks to gaudy block totals and a plus-4 rating while adding the occasional offensive outburst. He has three multi-point games and four outings with double-digit fantasy points in the past seven, and Edler will have a chance to add to both of those totals against an Ottawa team that surrenders a league-worst 3.98 goals per game.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Neal Pionk, NYR vs. PIT ($18): Pionk's been heavily reliant on the power play, with 12 of his 17 points coming in that special teams situation. Finding further success with the extra man won't be easy against a Penguins team that features the league's sixth-stingiest penalty kill at 83.6 percent.
Andy Greene, NJ at DAL ($16): Greene's offensive upside is nearly nonexistent -- he has just 11 points in 38 games and is likely to slow down after registering exactly 13 points in each of the previous three campaigns. You can find much higher ceilings at $16 than that offered by the 36-year-old blueliner.
