Daily Fantasy Lineup Leans: Starts, Streams and PP1 Watch Spots

Today’s projected lines and goalies give fantasy managers a clear window into who’s worth trusting, streaming, or sitting. With top-line auditions, injury absences, and a few volatile crease situations, your edge comes from reacting to usage and matchups faster than your league-mates. Let’s zoom in on where to gain points today: start/sit decisions in goal, sneaky value on new top lines, and potential PP1 winners you should be watching closely.

What’s New & Why It Matters

The St. Louis Blues are rolling out a top line built around Jonatan Berggren, Robert Thomas, and Pavel Buchnevich, with Jordan Binnington expected to start against Tampa Bay. Binnington is coming off a strong outing and remains the clear No. 1, but the matchup against an elite Lightning attack demands some nuance in start/sit calls.

On the other side, the Tampa Bay Lightning are leaning on a top unit of Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, and Nikita Kucherov, backed by Andrei Vasilevskiy in net. Vasilevskiy’s workload and track record keep him locked into most fantasy lineups, and the Blues’ offense, while competent, isn’t a matchup that should scare you off.

The Vancouver Canucks are giving Evander Kane a prime opportunity on their top line against the Philadelphia Flyers, with Marco Rossi helping drive that attack. Kane’s combination of scoring touch and physical play makes him a classic short-term stream when his deployment spikes like this.

In Columbus, the Blue Jackets are featuring a top line of Mason Marchment, Adam Fantilli, and Kent Johnson. Marchment’s presence there is particularly interesting for multi-category formats: top-line minutes plus his natural physical style can quickly turn him into a hits-and-points asset if the chemistry clicks.

Out west, Anze Kopitar is centering Warren Foegele and Adrian Kempe for the Los Angeles Kings, with Drew Doughty anchoring the top pair and likely the first power-play unit. That stack hints at concentrated scoring and PP1 opportunities for the Kings’ mainstays. Meanwhile, Philipp Grubauer is projected to start for the Seattle Kraken against the Anaheim Ducks, who are missing Leo Carlsson due to injury. The Carlsson absence softens Anaheim’s attack and slightly boosts Grubauer’s streaming appeal.

Fantasy Implications

Points-Only

In points-only formats, you’re primarily chasing deployment and offensive environment. For today, that means leaning into top-line and PP1 exposure wherever possible.

Binnington is usable but more matchup-dependent in points leagues. Tampa Bay’s top line featuring Kucherov and Point is one of the most dangerous in the league, so while Binnington’s recent form is encouraging, he’s more of a volume play than a safe bet for ratios. If your league heavily rewards wins and saves and you’re light on goalie starts, you can still roll him out, but understand the risk of a multi-goal outing against a high-end offense.

Vasilevskiy, by contrast, remains an auto-start in points-only. The Blues’ top line is solid but not terrifying, and Tampa Bay tends to give Vasilevskiy strong win equity. Unless you’re in a very shallow league with multiple elite alternatives, he belongs in your lineup without hesitation.

Up front, Kane’s top-line role in Vancouver against Philadelphia is exactly the kind of short-term bump you exploit in points leagues. Extra even-strength minutes with a skilled center like Marco Rossi, plus likely PP time, give him a strong chance at a multi-point night if Vancouver’s offense gets rolling.

Marchment’s value in pure points formats is more speculative. He’s in a favorable spot with Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson, but his fantasy profile leans more toward peripherals. Consider him a deeper-league play where any top-line exposure has value, but don’t force him into a shallow points-only lineup unless you’re desperate for games played.

Categories / Bangers

In multi-cat leagues, today’s slate tilts more aggressively toward players who can help across the board.

Kane is a premium stream in categories formats: top-line deployment plus his natural tendency to shoot and hit makes him a strong candidate to contribute in goals, shots, hits, and possibly power-play points if he sees PP1 or PP2 time. Against a Flyers team starting Dan Vladar, the matchup is soft enough to justify prioritizing him over more passive scorers.

Marchment is firmly on the watchlist in bangers leagues. Top-line minutes with Fantilli and Johnson open the door to secondary scoring, but his real appeal is in hits and potentially PIM. If you see his ice time stabilize in the high teens with some secondary PP usage, he quickly becomes rosterable in 12+ team bangers formats.

In goal, Binnington’s value in categories depends on your risk tolerance. He can pile up saves and occasionally steal games, but the matchup against Tampa Bay’s top unit is dangerous for goals-against average and save percentage. If you’re protecting ratios late in the week, you might bench him; if you’re chasing wins and saves, he’s a viable high-variance play.

Vasilevskiy, again, is a set-and-forget option. His combination of volume, win potential, and generally strong ratios makes him one of the safest category goalies on the slate.

Dynasty / Keeper

For long-term formats, today’s news is more about monitoring usage trends than making immediate moves.

Marchment’s top-line role in Columbus is worth tracking, but he’s more of a short- to medium-term piece rather than a core dynasty asset. If he sticks with Fantilli and Johnson for an extended stretch, he can be a useful complementary scorer and banger, but he’s unlikely to become a cornerstone.

Leo Carlsson’s absence for Anaheim is the key dynasty note. As an injured forward who will miss today’s game, he’s an easy sit in all formats and an avoid in short-term moves. In dynasty, however, you simply stay patient. Don’t overreact to a missed game or short absence; his long-term value is tied to his development curve, not tonight’s lineup card.

On the goalie side, Binnington and Vasilevskiy are more established assets than speculative dynasty chips. Vasilevskiy remains a high-end long-term hold. Binnington is more volatile; his recent strong performance is encouraging, but his dynasty value hinges on maintaining the starting role and stabilizing his ratios over a longer sample.

Who to Add / Stream / Watch

Evander Kane – Short-term stream (standard/categories): Top-line role for Vancouver against Philadelphia with strong multi-cat upside in goals, shots, and hits.
Jordan Binnington – Matchup-dependent start (standard/points): Coming off a strong game and locked in as St. Louis’ starter, but riskier against Tampa Bay’s elite offense.
Andrei Vasilevskiy – Must-start (all formats): Reliable volume and win equity versus a Blues team that doesn’t project as a high-end scoring threat.
Mason Marchment – Watchlist with upside (deep/categories): Top-line deployment in Columbus offers hits and secondary scoring if the role sticks.
Philipp Grubauer – Short-term stream (standard/points): Expected start for Seattle against an Anaheim team missing Leo Carlsson, giving him a friendlier matchup.
Drew Doughty – Add or hold (standard/points): Top-pair and likely PP1 usage for Los Angeles keeps his assist and power-play point potential strong.
Leo Carlsson – Sit/IR stash only (dynasty): Injured and out for today; keep him stashed long-term but avoid using a daily lineup spot.

Fantasy Takeaways

Start Vasilevskiy with confidence: His track record and matchup against St. Louis make him a near-universal start in both points and categories leagues.
Be selective with Binnington: He’s playable if you need volume, but Tampa Bay’s top line makes him a high-risk option for ratio protection.
Stream Kane while the role is hot: Top-line deployment in Vancouver plus a soft matchup versus Philadelphia gives him strong short-term scoring and banger appeal.
Monitor Marchment’s minutes: Top-line usage in Columbus could turn him into a useful hits-plus-points option if the role holds.
Don’t force injured Carlsson into lineups: With Leo Carlsson out, he’s a clear sit today and only a stash in deeper keeper and dynasty formats.

Source: NHL.com. See the original for full details.