NHL 2017/18 Week 16 Fantasy Hockey Report

Just a reminder to everyone that the all-star game is this weekend, so it will be a short week. 

Players to watch, all formats:

1) Clayton Keller, PHO, (50% Yahoo ownership): He was red hot in October and ice cold in November, over which time he was dropped in several leagues. Now in his last 12 GP he has scored 10 PTS. This kid can score in bunches and really help your team going forward.

2) Evgenii Dadonov, FLA, (22% Yahoo ownership): Just like Keller this guy was red hot in October then cooled off considerably in November. He missed some time with injury and got dropped in a bunch of leagues. He’s now got 8 PTS in his last 6 GP. If he’s going to return to his October form, he needs to be added.

3) Sami Vatanen, NJ, (26% Yahoo ownership): He arrived in New Jersey with a thud and was mired in a 14-game pointless drought when I traded him away in my 18-team fantasy league in mid December. Since then he’s scored 10 PTS in 13 GP. Nothing brings me more joy than coming on here and recommending players who get hot after I’ve dumped them (I'm looking at you Sam Bennett).

4) David Krejci, BOS, (25% Yahoo ownership): In 9 GP since returning from an injury, Krejci has scored 10 PTS. His PTS per game is up significantly from last season as the Bruins have been a much better team. It’s safe adding him in standard leagues.

5) Antti Raanta, PHO, (20% Yahoo ownership): For a goalie who is only 20% owned, he’s been playing good and often. Over his last 9 GP he’s sporting a 2.27 GAA and .919 SV%. He’s available in a bunch of leagues. He might play for a bad team, but has been providing a high quantity of quality starts.

Going Deep: players owned in 10% of leagues or less:

1) Ryan Spooner, BOS, (7% Yahoo ownership): A once promising prospect got off to a slow start and missed some time earlier in the season. He’s played 17 games since Dec 1 and has scored 14 PTS. That’s good.

2) Jakob Chychrun, PHO, (3% Yahoo ownership): If you’d like to speculate on a good young defenseman with high offensive upside, he’s 19 years old and has 7 PTS in his last 11 GP.

3) Travis Konecny, PHI, (5% Yahoo ownership): Konecny had 3 PTS in his previous 16 GP when I traded him back in mid December. In the 16 games since then, he’s scored 10 PTS. I love it when players heat up right after I trade them. Granted, it also helps show that it wasn’t completely stupid to acquire him in the first place.

4) Calle Jarnkrok, NSH, (5% Yahoo ownership): Since the injury to Forsberg, Jarnkrok has 6 PTS in 8 GP and has done a good job with his increased minutes. It should be at least 2 or more weeks until Forsberg returns to the line-up, at which point CJ will go back to his old role.

5) Michal Neuvirth, PHI, (9% Yahoo ownership): The Brian Elliot hot streak fizzled out as we knew it eventually would. As a result, Neuvirth has started more games and made the most of his opportunity with a 1.36 GAA and .955 SV% over his last 5 starts. He’s the new #1.

The 1%: Top 3 Players to Add that are 1% Owned or Less

1) Ryan Pulock, NYI: The kid was at 1% when I started to write this after a 5-point game last night. That number is going to shoot up.

2) Ryan Dzingel, OTT: Dzingel unchained is a solid top six forward with 6 PTS in his last 12 GP. That’s good production from a 1% player.

3) Brendan Perlini, PHO: Over his last 10 GP the kid has been getting plenty of ice time and has responded with 6 PTS over that span. He’s a young player with upside if you’re playing the long game in a really deep keeper format. And guess what? He was the 3^rd player I threw in to the trade where I unloaded Konecny and Vatanen. Maybe I should just stop giving fantasy hockey advice…

Sell High:

1) Ryan Getzlaf, ANA, (90% Yahoo ownership): Getzlaf has been great since returning from his injury. He’s a beast and should finish the season strong. It’s a bit of a different story for people in keeper leagues. The big guy is now 32 years old with quasi regular injuries. This might be the perfect time to trade him for somebody a bit younger.

2) Brandon Saad, CHI, (75% Yahoo ownership): I’m a bit confused how a forward on pace for 40 PTS is 75% owned. 0 PTS in his last 5 GP may not be “selling high”, but that 75% certainly gives the impression that he’s a valuable asset. If I owned him, I’d be trying to sell him.

3) David Backes, BOS, (43% Yahoo ownership): Backes fantasy value may never again be higher than it is right now. He’s done fantastic since recovering from his health issues, but that shouldn’t distract from the fact that he’s over 30 years old with many hard miles on the odometer. I’m not betting on his long-term health.

Buy Low:

1) Zach Werenski, CBJ, (95% Yahoo ownership): The kid has 3 PTS in 9 GP since returning from an injury. It’s an opportunistic time to make a trade offer.

2) James Van Riemsdyk, TOR, (89% Yahoo ownership): Whatever league you play in, he’s probably owned by a Leafs fan, so it may not matter that he’s only scored 2 PTS in his last 9 GP. Otherwise he should be available for a discount.

3) Kyle Turris, NSH, (60% Yahoo ownership): Turris owners may have noticed that he’s scored just 3 PTS in his last 11 GP. It’s an opportunistic time to make a trade offer.

Be concerned:

1) Brandon Montour, ANA, (47% Yahoo ownership): Over the last 30 days Montour is down to averaging 16m of ice time per game and has scored 3 PTS in his last 11 GP. The Mighty Ducks shipped Vatanen and Theodore out of town to make room for this guy and he has disappointed. He should not currently be owned in this many fantasy leagues.

2) Andre Burakovsky, WSH, (26% Yahoo ownership): The suddenly enigmatic Russian has been having a bad season. He’s got 8 PTS in 22 GP and has been a frequent healthy scratch the last month and should not be owned in any more than 5% of leagues.

3) Oscar Klefbom, EDM, (43% Yahoo ownership): It’s been a rough season but he’s still young. He’s on pace for about half as many PTS as he scored last season. There may still be hope for the future, but you can comfortably drop him this season. It’s possible he could start to explode once Edmonton drops out of the playoff race and the pressure subsides.