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Squad Up Daily NHL Fantasy Dose: Oilers’ newfound depth an advantage over BUF

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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Sunday, October 16:

Line Stacks

  • C Elias Lindholm (29K), RW Sebastian Aho (29K), D Justin Faulk (33K), Hurricanes (at Canucks): The Hurricanes were one of just four teams to be inactive Saturday, while the Canucks went to a shootout against the Calgary Flames in their season opener. Carolina has the rest advantage and Vancouver's lack of depth will be on display against the third line.
  • LW Anders Lee (25K), RW Ryan Strome (50K), D Nick Leddy (60K), Islanders (vs. Ducks): This stack of the Islanders focuses on two-thirds of the third line at 5v5, while Lee and Strome offer exposure to both power-play units. Strome centers the first unit, where Leddy and C John Tavares work the points. Lee is a prominent part of the second squad.

Bargain Plays

  • C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (27K), Oilers (vs. Sabres): Nugent-Hopkins was held point-less in two games against the Calgary Flames, averaging 16:56 of ice time. He did record four shots on goal over the two games. He centers the Oilers' second line at 5v5 and the second power-play unit with Maroon and LW Benoit Pouliot. Attack the depleted Sabres.
  • LW Nick Ritchie (28K), Ducks (at Islanders): Recently-signed C Rickard Rakell may take an additional two weeks before joining the Ducks' forward ranks, so Ritchie can be expected to hang onto his spot on the left side of C Ryan Getzlaf and RW Corey Perry, at least in the short term. Ritchie has notched five shots on goal through two games, while taking six PIMs.
  • RW Sebastian Aho (29K), Hurricanes (at Canucks): As mentioned in the above stacks, Aho draws the tired Canucks. The Finnish rookie tallied an assist and two shots on goal in his first-career NHL game Thursday. He is already seeing second-unit power-play time, and his speed will be a big advantage against a team coming off a shootout.

Top Fades

  • G Cam Talbot (110K), Oilers (vs. Sabres): The Oilers are 2-0 to start the season, in spite of Talbot. He has allowed seven goals on 76 shots to open the season, good for a save percentage of just .908. While he draws a more favorable opponent than even the Flames, he is the priciest goaltender on the slate by a considerable margin. Save some money.
  • C Henrik Sedin (44K), Canucks (vs. Hurricanes): A well-known weakness of his fantasy game, Sedin failed to register a single SOG in the Canucks' season opener, despite playing more than 21 minutes. He did record an assist, but his floor is absolute zero. The lack of shots also signifies his low ceiling, especially on the second half of a back-to-back.
  • RW Cal Clutterbuck (45K), Islanders (vs. Ducks): Clutterbuck sticks out only because of the small slate and because he already has a goal on the season. He has tallied just three SOG through two games, and he plays little more than 15 minutes per game, while being firmly cemented on the team's fourth line.

Contrarian Options

  • D Rasmus Ristolainen (29K), Sabres (at Oilers): The injuries to Eichel and Kane have put more of the offensive burden on Ristolainen, who may now be the team's second-best player, behind only C Ryan O'Reilly. He had an assist and five SOG in the Sabres' season opener, topping 23 minutes of ice time. The Sabres won't score much without their stars, but Ristolainen will be involved.
  • LW Andrew Ladd (35K), Islanders (vs. Ducks): Ladd has been held off the score sheet through two games, tallying five SOG along the way. As he sticks beside Tavares, it is only a matter of time until he factors into the offense. Ducks G John Gibson posted a save percentage of just .907 while on the road last season.
  • C Sam Reinhart (38K), Sabres (at Oilers): Similarly to Ristolainen, Reinhart is being leaned on more heavily by the Sabres. Buffalo still has a very high quality first line, as Reinhart skates with O'Reilly and LW Kyle Okposo. He picked up his first assist of the year in Thursday's season opener, and he could continue exploiting Edmonton's paltry defense.

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