Yahoo Fantasy Hockey: Why Jeff Skinner is a stud, Colton Parayko a dud
The Phil Kessel trade signaled not only guaranteed fantasy success to any top Penguins, but also maybe the end of the Penguins’ recent playoff woes. Just plug in Kessel with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin and watch the points stream in on your fantasy roster. Even picking up a Penguins’ fourth liner seemed like a good idea during your draft.
Dobber launched his fantasy hockey website DobberHockey back in 2005 and has been Puck Daddy's resident fantasy hockey 'expert' since 2009.
But who would have thought that none of Kessel, Crosby, and Kris Letang would be top-100 ranked players in Yahoo by mid-December? Yet here we are, with many a fantasy owner hoping that Mike Sullivan can do what Mike Johnston couldn’t: construct an offense that doesn’t sit in the bottom half of the league. Expected to improve on the league’s 19th-ranked offense last season, the Penguins have sunk all the way to 25th in that category.
All that fantasy owners can do is hope. Fantasy sports wisdom, like business wisdom, suggests that you should never sell low. Sullivan might not be the answer for the Penguins, but it’s at least worth it for you to be patient and find out if he can right the ship. But you’ll need to keep that patience just a little bit longer, as the Pens have scored just one goal in Sullivan’s first two games).
Hopefully you’ve diversified your fantasy portfolio so that you’re not heavily concentrated on Penguins. But if not, maybe this coaching change will save your season.
Studs...
These fellas are wielding a hot stick. Take that into consideration when you go after them in trade talks...
Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes (31-14-3-17, plus-1, 12 PIM, 93 SOG, 2 PPPts)
Skinner was freefalling into bust territory before recording two hat tricks over his last three games. He’s well on pace for a Cy Young-type statline, scoring 14 times with only three helpers. He has only recently found his scoring touch, as nine of his goals have come in the last six games. His slow start meant he was dropped in roughly half of Yahoo leagues, so he might somehow be available in your league.
Justin Faulk, Carolina Hurricanes (31-12-14-26, minus-8, 21 PIM, 96 SOG, 14 PPPts)
Maybe the apocalypse is finally upon us. We have not one, but two Carolina Hurricanes in our studs category. Faulk was named the NHL’s Third Star last week and has kept up the pace this week with a five-game point streak. Amazingly, all 12 of his goals have been on the power play, providing you with the fantasy equivalent of the double word score. Simply put, Faulk should now be in the conversation for elite fantasy defensemen.
Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche (10-8-1, 2.60 GAA, .914 SV%)
Because of a groin injury and so-so play, Varlamov had collected just four wins by U.S. Thanksgiving. But at the moment he might be the league’s hottest goalie with four consecutive wins, having allowed just four goals over that span. In his last game, Varlamov recorded a 29-save shutout of the Blackhawks, ending Patrick Kane’s point streak at 26 games. Keep him starting.
Duds...
Somebody wake these guys up – their fantasy owners are counting on them...
John Tavares, New York Islanders (29-13-10-23, minus-1, 20 PIM, 83 SOG, 7 PPPts)
Take a peek over Tavares’ last ten games and you will see that he has only three points – all goals. Something might be off, as he did not take a single shot on goal in three of those games, including his last game on Tuesday against Florida. But if there’s an impatient Tavares owner in your league, see if you can swing a deal for less than normal market value. Superstars usually find a way of turning things around.
Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh Penguins (30-9-9-18, minus-1, 4 PIM, 97 SOG, 5 PPPts)
Yes, we’re going to pick on a Penguin here. Kessel hasn’t quite reached last season’s epic proportions when it comes to dry spells. But he has not scored a goal over his past six games and has just one assist over that stretch. These stretches were supposed to end now that he is out of Toronto, but his fantasy owners might have to be content with him simply matching his 25 goals from last season… sigh.
Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues (30-5-9-14, plus-13, 12 PIM, 66 SOG, 3 PPPts)
Remember when Parayko was the “must-add” defenseman during the first month of the season? Although he has a bright future, you knew he had to cool off at some point. That he has done, with no goals and two assists over his last 12 games. Since Kevin Shattenkirk returned from injury, Parayko’s icetime has dipped from over 20 minutes per game to the 18 minutes per game that we’d normally expect from a rookie blueliner.
The Wire...
Mostly short-term grabs here, but as always some potential steals...
Trevor Daley, Pittsburgh Penguins (13%) (30-0-6-6, plus-1, 8 PIM, 43 SOG, 2 PPPts)
In his first game as a Penguin, Daley skated 18 minutes, which included time on the second-unit power play. That icetime was up four minutes from his average in Chicago, where he was used mainly as a third-pairing defenseman. Daley has the opportunity to play some significant power-play minutes with his new club, particularly with Kris Letang out with yet another injury.
Andrew Shaw, Chicago Blackhawks (7%) (32-5-7-12, plus-1, 25 PIM, 51 SOG, 4 PPPts)
Shaw generally does not rack up the points, but he has scored five points over his last five games. Agitators like him do hold value in certain fantasy leagues. So if your league counts categories such as hits, penalty minutes, and faceoffs, you might be able to justify picking him up.
Teddy Purcell, Edmonton Oilers (20%) (32-6-14-20, minus-1, 4 PIM, 65 SOG, 4 PPPts)
All of those first overall picks might finally be paying off for the Oilers, who recently saw a six-game win streak snapped. Purcell has been along for the ride, scoring seven points over his last five games while playing on a line with the red-hot Leon Draisaitl and Taylor Hall (get this info here).
Antoine Roussel, Dallas Stars (4%) (29-5-5-10, plus-6, 54 PIM, 28 SOG, 0 PPPts)
Roussel is a must-own in leagues that count penalty minutes, where he has been a perpetual league leader over the last three seasons. He has also been good for between 20 and 30 points in fantasy leagues, which should justify a roster spot in those leagues.
Mika Zibanejad, Ottawa Senators (25%) (30-5-15-20, minus-1, 8 PIM, 57 SOG, 4 PPPts)
Zibanejad took full advantage of his promotion to the Senators’ top line on Monday, scoring a goal and two assists alongside Mike Hoffman and Bobby Ryan. Zibanejad was held without a point on Wednesday against Washington, but Braden Holtby has been doing that to a lot of shooters this season.
Jeff Zatkoff, Pittsburgh Penguins (23%) (2-2-1, 2.35 GAA, .935 SV%)
Backup Zatkoff stopped 26 of 28 shots he faced in a 3-0 loss to Boston. With a decent effort like that, he has probably earned another start against the Bruins on Friday now that Marc-Andre Fleury is sidelined with a concussion. Prospect goalie Matt Murray, who was recalled after the Fleury injury, will no doubt be looking over Zatkoff’s shoulder should he falter.
Ian Gooding is an associate editor at DobberHockey. Follow him on Twitter @Ian_Gooding. And don’t forget to check out the new DobberHockey player profiles here.
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