Fantasy Corner: January 20, 2019
With bye weeks upcoming, roster adjustments need to be made. The fantasy week is 14 days long due to the all-star break. However, in leagues where you must adjust the roster at the start of the “week”, this is one of the most important weeks of the season.
Bye Weeks
Jan 20 – Jan 24: Boston, Buffalo, Columbus, Dallas, New Jersey, New York R., Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Winnipeg.
Jan 27 – Jan 31: Anaheim, Arizona, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, New York I., Ottawa, St. Louis, San Jose, Toronto, Vancouver, Vegas and Washington.
Jan 25 - Jan 26: All-Star Weekend.
Team Games: Fantasy Week 16
Ultimately, when deciding who to start in week long fantasy weeks, you want as many starts as possible with you players. It helps when you are trying to get wins and shutouts to have as many opportunities in the net as possible. Players on teams with 4 games played this upcoming fantasy week should be valued the highest, unless it is a super star or high producing players.
4 Games: Hurricanes, Wild, Predators, Flyers, Penguins, Golden Knights, Capitals and Jets.
3 Games: Coyotes, Bruins, Sabres, Flames, Blackhawks, Avalanche, Blue Jackets, Stars, Red Wings, Oilers, Panthers, Canadiens, Devils, Islanders, Rangers, Senators, Blues, Sharks, Lightning and Leafs.
2 Games: Ducks, Kings and Canucks.
Players to Consider this Week
LW/RW – Nino Niederreiter, CAR (25% Owned)
Newly acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes, who have four games in this fantasy week (tied for the most), is playing against four high flying offences who seem to be having a lot of high scoring battles as of late. Playing on a line alongside a natural playmaker in Sebastian Aho should help him find his goal scoring rythym.
C – Paul Statsny, VGK (27% Owned)
Now that he is finally back to a full bill of health, Statsny has been starting to produce more and more. Playing on a line with Pacioretty and Tuch will allow this two-way playmaker produce more offensively. He has four points in his past three games, and is on a team who is among those playing four games in this fantasy week.
C – Nolan Patrick, PHI (19% Owned)
Patrick has produced six points (four goals and two assists) in his past three games. Could this be his breakout period in his sophomore season, or will the sophomore slump continue? I believe that he is going to continue to be hot in the upcoming weeks, however he may only have short-term value in fantasy for this year. Consider picking him up with four games in this interesting fantasy week.
Buy Low (Last 5 Games)
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL (4G, 2A, +2, 2PPP, 11SOG, 6HITS)
Two weeks ago, Tarasenko was a player that I wouldn’t touch for a 7th round pick... however, he has shown some signs of his form from last season. He has four goals in his past five games, but has been shooting less. If I see his shots per game on an upward trend in his next three games, I will be attempting to sell a player like Skinner for Tarasenko and a pick.
Jakub Voracek, PHI (0G, 4A, +4, 9SOG, 0HITS)
Voracek, like Patrick has struggled compared to past seasons. However, with the resurgence of the Flyers offence lately, along with other players on the team heating up, Voracek will reap the benefits sooner rather than later. A player who has over-performed this season is likely to be the source of a trade from my end.
Sell High
Jeff Skinner, BUF
Skinner is a tough player to judge this season, he is playing on the wing alongside Jack Eichel. However, he is just four goals shy of his career-high and seems to be playing with a lot more passion then he has in the past few seasons. I believe you could get some extreme value by trading Skinner right now, as I do not believe he will be able to have a repeat year next season.
Collin Delia, CHI
Delia has been a bright spot in a dark season for the Blackhawks. They had gotten out to a historically good start, however that quickly vanished after losing Crawford to another concussion. With Crow skating again now, he might be back before the seasons end. This means Ward will be dealt, or Delia will be sent back to Rockford. The latter seems most likely as Ward has a no movement clause in his contract. Sell mid-to-high on this netminder as his time in the NHL this season is dwindling.
Goalie Rentals
Jaroslav Halak, BOS (65% Owned)
Halak is owned in 2/3 leagues, however if you can snatch him up right now, do not hesitate. He will be the starting goalie for the Bruins for at least a couple of weeks, if not the rest of the season. Halak has been strong this season, posting a 13-9-2 record with a 2.47 GAA and .919 SV%. Playing behind a strong Bruins team will help him regain the confidence from the beginning of the season.
Laurent Brossoit, WPG (22% Owned)
Brossoit has been fantastic this season as a back-up to Connor Hellebuyck, posting a 10-1-1 record with a 2.01 GAA and a .943 SV%. He might start to see an extra few starts down the road to the playoffs, as Hellebuyck has not only been struggling, but would do nicely with some rest before a grueling Western Conference playoff run. Maurice is certainly lucky to have Brossoit playing so good this season, having no worries if he wants to give Hellebuyck a physical and mental break from the net a little more often.