NHL 2017 Week 7 Fantasy Hockey Report

Players to watch, all formats:

1) Teuvo Teravainen, Carolina, (34% Yahoo ownership): It doesn’t get much better than 10 PTS in his last 4 GP. He’s a talented offensive player who is worth owning in standard leagues at this rate. He’s the most added player in Yahoo fantasy today.

2) Sebastein Aho, Carolina, (62% Yahoo ownership): Aho has broken out of his early season slump with 9 PTS in his last 4 GP. He’s a must add for standard leagues if he was dropped in yours. 

3) Jordan Staal, Carolina, (28% Yahoo ownership): Staal gets a ton of ice time with the Hurricanes and has scored 8 PTS in his last 6 GP.

4) Roberto Luongo, Florida, (50% Yahoo ownership): Lou has been playing well lately with a 1.48 GAA, .960 SV% and a 3-1 record over the last 2 weeks. He could be on your waiver wire in a standard league if you need a guy.

5) Mattias Ekholm, Nashville, (39% Yahoo ownership): He has been a point per game player over his last 9 games, which is fantastic for a defenseman. He’s a good plug in standard leagues if you’ve got a hole on the blueline.

Going Deep: players to add in deeper leagues:

1) Frans Nielsen, Detroit, (5% Yahoo ownership): After a slow start he has picked up the pace with 5 PTS in his last 7 GP. He’s not in the standard league conversation yet, but he’s worth a shot in deep category leagues.

2) Erik Haula, Vegas, (9% Yahoo ownership): 8 PTS in his last 7 GP while averaging over 16m of ice time is good. He’s certainly a good add in deep leagues while Vegas is using him in a top line role.

3) Anton Khudobin, Boston, (13% Yahoo ownership): Over the last 2 weeks Khudobin has a 1.66 GAA, a .949 SV%, and he’s started stealing starts from Rask. He may not be standard league relevant yet, but worth keeping an eye on.

4) Anthony Duclair, Phoenix, (2% Yahoo ownership): He scored a hat trick in his last game playing 16m. He’s been a frequent healthy scratch over the past month, which is a concern. But if you’re in a league deep enough to consider owning a 2% player, he’s worth a gamble.

5) Kevin Fiala, Nashville, (3% Yahoo ownership): He’s got 5 PTS in his last 5 GP and has been averaging over 14m per game of ice time. He’s a high-end prospect who will be worth owning if he continues playing on one of the top 2 lines.

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

1) Mark Jankowski, Calgary: He recently had a 3-point night while playing a regular shift for the Flames. Somebody worth watching in the deepest of leagues.

2) Derek Ryan, Carolina: He’s been averaging over 15 minutes per game of ice of ice the last 2 weeks and has chipped in with 5 PTS in his last 6 GP. The Hurricanes have been scoring a lot lately.

3) Miles Wood, New Jersey: He has scored 4 PTS in his last 7 GP, they just all came in the same game. Not worth consideration in shallow leagues, but a must add in 18 team leagues.

Sell High:

1) Matt Duchene, Ottawa, (63% Yahoo ownership): Duchene has yet to record a single point in the 5 games since he arrived in Ottawa. That may not qualify him as “sell high”, except there still may be some residual hype left-over from that blockbuster trade. Early returns are not good with his new team, so if you can trade him, now might be the best time.

2) Jimmy Howard, Detroit, (68% Yahoo ownership): Over the last 2 weeks he’s 3-0 with a 1.47 GAA and .947 SV%. His numbers on the season are good, but my past experience with Howard leads me to believe that can’t last. Either he’ll get injured or turn back into a pumpkin. If you can package him into a deal to get a better goalie, do it now.

3) Josh Bailey, Islanders, (63% Yahoo ownership): It’s been a remarkable season for Bailey so far with 23 PTS. It’s unlikely he’ll finish with the number of PTS he’s on pace to score. There will be some regression to the mean coming, now is the best time to sell.

Buy Low:

1) Wayne Simmonds, Philly, (96% Yahoo ownership): 3 PTS in his last 12 GP is not what you expect from a player that’s owned in almost all leagues. There are people out there in 10 team leagues who have to be considering dropping him, which no experts would have predicted before the season.

2) Jake Allen, St. Louis, (98% Yahoo ownership): There is a fine line between “buy low” and “be concerned”. Allen has allowed 14 goals in his last 4 GP, so right about now his owner can’t be happy. But he is also the #1 goalie on one of the league’s best teams, so his potential to pick up wins despite bad underlying stats is the best reason to take a chance.

3) Joe Pavelski, San Jose, (95% Yahoo ownership): He’s only scored 1 point in his last 6 GP. That’s not the kind of production you’ve come to expect from this otherwise very consistent player. He will eventually snap out of it, so now may be a good time to buy low.

Be concerned:

1) Max Domi, Phoenix, (41% Yahoo ownership): He’s got 10 PTS on the season, but none of them in the last 8 games. He’s gone ice cold, and it may be time to get concerned.

2) Nick Foligno, Columbus, (53% Yahoo ownership): He has not recorded a point in 11 games despite getting a ton of ice time. That ownership % is way too high for that kind of production and he should probably be dropped in all standard leagues.

3) Tuukka Rask, Boston, (89% Yahoo ownership): So far this season he’s sporting a 2.89 GAA and .897% SV%, coming from a guy you expected to be one of the best goalies in the league. He’s been struggling, everyone knows it, and Khudobin has started poaching starts. Buyer beware.