This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Saturday's all-day NHL slate starting at 1:00 PM Eastern time is chock-full of options, with 26 of the league's 31 teams in action. Read on to find out which of the multitude of available players should be targeted and which should be avoided.
GOALIE
Roberto Luongo, FLA at LA ($26): If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Luongo continues to be available on the cheap despite stopping 99 of his last 103 shots faced for a .961 save percentage. There's little reason to expect a decline in form against a Kings team that's scored a total of six goals while dropping each of its past four games.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jonathan Quick, LA vs. FLA ($38): Quick's been in a rut of late, allowing at least three goals in five of his past seven starts and two goals in each of the other two. He's come up on the losing end of four consecutive starts and will have a tough time living up to his standing as this slate's most expensive goalie option against a Florida team that's scoring 3.22 goals per game.
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CENTER
Artem Anisimov, CHI at PIT ($17): Anisimov's been red-hot of late, scoring eight goals in his past nine games including a hat trick Wednesday against the Rangers. The Russian's strong play hasn't gone unnoticed, as coach Joel Quenneville has bestowed an average of 19:29 of ice time per game upon Anisimov over the past three. Keeping the good times rolling shouldn't be difficult against a Penguins team that's allowing 3.43 goals per game, good for fourth most in the league.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS at MIN ($24): Points have come few and far between for Backstrom of late, as he has just two assists in his past 11 games. Getting off the schneid will be a tall order against Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk, who has allowed a total of four goals in his past four starts. It also doesn't help that the pass-first center takes fewer shots than almost every alternative in this price range.
WING
Ryan Dzingel, OTT vs. ARI ($11): Dzingel's played over 17 minutes in three consecutive games while skating in an offense-friendly setup alongside Bobby Ryan and Matt Duchene. He's a low-risk pick at just $1 above the minimum, but given his extensive role he should have plenty of opportunities to get on the scoresheet against a Coyotes team that's allowing a league-high 3.90 goals per game.
Kyle Palmieri, NJ at WPG ($18): Palmieri's strengths line up perfectly to exploit Winnipeg's weakness. He's scored 21 of his 60 goals since the start of the 2015-16 campaign on the power play, and five of Palmieri's nine points in 11 appearances this season have come with the extra man as well. Winnipeg's allowing the eighth fewest goals per game overall, but ranks worse than league average at just 79.7 percent on the penalty kill.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Mathieu Perreault, WPG vs. NJ ($19): Perreault scored a goal in his first game back from a month-long absence due to injury, but his usage suggests he'll have trouble replicating that performance. He played only 10:45 while skating in a bottom-six role, separated from all of Winnipeg's high-skill weapons. Using the equally priced Kyle Connor or spending a few extra bucks on some of the team's higher-priced forwards is worth the marginal cost compared to plugging in Perreault.
Chris DiDomenico, OTT vs. ARI ($15): Most Senators make for strong plays in this matchup, but DiDomenico's an exception because he's overpriced given his small role. The 28-year-old grinder's averaging just 11:05 of ice time per game this season and has scored 1.8 or fewer fantasy points in four of his past five appearances.
DEFENSE
John Klingberg, DAL vs. EDM ($23): Klingberg has arguably the most offensive upside of any sub-$30 defenseman on this slate. He's racked up 18 points in 19 games, including eight with the extra man. More power-play success should be in the cards against an Oilers penalty kill that ranks third worst at 73.4 percent.
Anton Stralman, TB vs. NYI ($14): Stralman's a great value buy at $14 given his well-rounded stat line. The two-way blueliner's contributed a modest two goals and four assists, but he's amassed a plus-15 rating while averaging 20:41 of ice time per contest through 19 games. Considering his team's scoring a league-leading 4.00 goals per game and Stralman's notched at least 34 points three times in his career, he's likely to pick up the pace offensively while continuing to contribute in other categories. This matchup with an Islanders team that's allowing 3.22 goals per game should help coax more offense out of Stralman.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
John Carlson, WAS vs. MIN ($23): Carlson's made up for a minus-8 rating with 16 points, half of which have come on the power play. While his defensive downside remains, Carlson will have a hard time producing on the other end. In addition to Dubnyk's aforementioned recent success, Minnesota's killing off penalties at the league's third most proficient rate of 85.7 percent.
Erik Johnson, COL at NSH ($18): Johnson's upside is outclassed by all the other options in this price range. He's picked up just six assists without a goal in 17 games and is unlikely to get on the scoresheet against Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne, who sports a 9-3-2 record, 2.48 GAA and .921 save percentage.
