Time can sure pass quickly in an NHL season. Since I last added something to this blog, some teams have already played ten games. What this means is that you can determine with some degree of certainty where your fantasy hockey team stands. In fact, you probably already have, assuming that you have made a trip to the waiver wire at least once, as most astute fantasy hockey leaguers have.
Perhaps the easiest way for me to write a fantasy hockey article is to write about what is happening on my own teams - in other words, what I have noticed with my own eyes. So this list of players that I have added is by no means a comprehensive list of players that were not on draft cheatsheets and have since been universally added in fantasy leagues everywhere.
Tomas Hertl, C, SJ
Yes, Hertl of the four-goal game. Yes, Hertl of the sick goal that everyone was talking about and some thought "broke the code." After that hat trick plus one, fantasy owners nearly crashed their league IT systems as they scrambled to add Hertl, assuming that another four-goal performance would soon follow. But the important thing here is, what has Hertl accomplished since that breakout performance? How about a more modest goal and two assists in six games. That's still enough for Hertl to be tied for the league lead in goals (7) with four other players. In spite of the return to reality, Hertl is still worth rostering in all formats.
Kevin Bieksa, D, VAN
I'm not just saying this as a Canucks fan, but I'm surprised that Bieksa is not owned in more fantasy leagues. His offense (four assists in ten games) hasn't been that great, but he picked up three of those helpers in an impressive game on Saturday against Pittsburgh. But he has a solid +7, and may lead your fantasy team in hits (22). In addition, the John Tortorella mandate to block every shot directed at a Canucks goalie will also help Bieksa in that department. But as a Canucks fan, I also worry that all these blocked shots will lead to more injuries to the Canucks' more physical players such as Bieksa and Ryan Kesler.
Lars Eller, C, MON
The man burdened with the pressure of being the player in return for Jaroslav Halak is finally starting to come through. Eller currently leads the Habs with five goals and is second on the team with eight points with a +5. With injuries to Daniel Briere and Max Pacioretty, expect Eller to continue to receive top-6 minutes. He has found great chemistry with Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk on what looks like the Habs' top line of the future.
Teemu Selanne, RW, ANA
I have to love Yahoo this season. They have finally allowed fantasy owners to deal with the dreaded "day-to-day" roster designations from teams. If a player was not placed on IR by his team, a fantasy owner could not move the player to IR and had to keep a valuable roster spot open for that player - dead weight in daily leagues in particular. But thanks to the IR+ designation, I'm able to replace the concussed Lubomir Visnovsky and concussed (I think) Dan Boyle with healthy bodies - one of which is Selanne. Yeah, I knew I'd eventually get to the ageless wonder here. He is proving for fantasy owners that he still has something in the tank, scoring goals in three consecutive games for the scorching-hot-out-of-the-gate Ducks.
Jason Demers, D, SJ
Speaking of injuries to the defense, can you believe that I have Boyle, Visnovsky, and Kris Letang all on one team? And that that very same team is also 3-0 in head-to-head play? Yes, said team is becoming extremely thin on defense, so I was forced to add whatever defenseman I could on Sunday, the day that we are allowed to bid on players. I lost out on Letang injury beneficiary Matt Niskanen, who has already recorded six points and a +9 in the nine games Letang has been out. But I was able to add Demers, who has five assists and a +5 in nine games of his own. In a similar spot to Niskanen, Demers is currently receiving first-unit power-play time with Boyle sidelined. But once the first-string power-play QB returns for both Pittsburgh and San Jose, expect the values of both Niskanen and Demers to drop.
Mike Ribeiro, C, PHX
Ribeiro is a perfect example of why you should not be too impatient with a player, particularly in the early going. After being held off the scoresheet in his first three games, Ribs is currently running a six-game point streak, with his last game being a two-goal effort on Saturday against the Wings. Every so often one of these kinds of players is dropped in a league, and you have to be the first one to pounce on the opportunity.
Have there been any other players that you have added that have helped you to early-season glory? Are there any players that I should have added to my team (even though I must say that I'm faring extremely well in my leagues right now, unlike my fantasy football teams)? Let me know below.
No comments:
Post a Comment