Sunday, September 29, 2019

2019/20 Fantasy Hockey Sleepers

Here are my sleepers for the 2019/20 season. These are players generally available in the later rounds who present good value or potential upside. Their “sleeper” status is mostly determined by their average draft position on Yahoo, like William Karlsson for example. Everyone knows who he is, but he’s been falling in drafts and presents good late round value. The deep league sleepers below are all players under 20% owned who are not yet ownable in standard sized leagues. Even if you don’t play in a deep league, those deep sleepers may be shallow league relevant in the near future depending on performance once the real season starts. Good luck to everyone!

 I also need to credit the website Daily Faceoff for projecting the lines every team will have to start the season. This is the best place on the internet to go for NHL line-up information. If you enjoy podcasts and fantasy hockey, the Daily Faceoff podcast is a must listen.


Shallow Leagues


1) Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg, (67% owned, 162 ADP): I found myself ending up with Morrissey in most mock drafts prior to the news that Byfuglien might be retiring, which has only helped raise Morrissey’s stock. He proved for a stretch last season that he can produce on the power play, and the Jets will be leaning on him to play big minutes this year, with or without Buff.


2) Kevin Labanc, San Jose, (62% owned, 154 ADP): Labanc was underrated in the Yahoo pre-draft rankings and that was reflected in his average draft position. His ownership has climbed almost 10% in a week, as people have been quick to scoop him off their waiver wire. He is expected to play with Couture and Meier on the top line, which is a nice place to be.

3) Roope Hintz, Dallas, (41% owned, 172 ADP): Hintz is currently slated to start the season on the Stars top line with Seguin and Radulov, and has the potential to dramatically improve on the 22 PTS he scored in 56 GP last year. Hintz also provides hits, which makes him relevant in Yahoo standard leagues.

4) Nikita Gusev, Vegas, (37% owned, 166 ADP): We really have no idea how Gusev will transition from elite KHL producer into the NHL, but he does have tons of talent to work with in New Jersey. It’s unclear how much power play time he’ll get, but he’s projected to play with Jack Hughes and Wayne Simmonds 5 on 5, which could be a productive line.

5) Andreas Johnsson, Toronto, (40% owned, 167 ADP): It’s hard to believe that any Toronto Maple Leaf could ever be under-drafted, but Johnsson is a candidate. Playing a full season on a line with Auston Matthews and William Nylander is a nice place to be, even if it’s a shitty job being Auston’s “wing man” …

6) Sam Reinhart, Buffalo, (55% owned, 167 ADP): If Reinhart is going to be playing on the top line with Eichel, then he’s going way too late in drafts. You can get him near your last pick in a standard league, which could return great value. There is also the chance that he ends up on the 2nd line, in which case his value drops significantly.

7) William Karlsson, Vegas, (73% owned, 152 ADP): Karlsson has been falling in drafts this season, mostly due to an over-abundance of centers in the Yahoo rankings (Larkin and Hischier have a similar problem). I’m expecting him to improve on the 56 PTS he scored last season, though a return to 40 goals seems unlikely.

8) MacKenzie Blackwood, New Jersey, (54% owned, 175 ADP): In 23 GP with a bad Devils team last season, Blackwood was sensational, posting a .918 SV %. New Jersey should be significantly improved this season, and I love Blackwood’s long-term upside. The problem for this season will be Corey Schneider, who is in danger of wrestling away the starters job. But you can get both near the end of a standard league draft, and it could be a surprisingly good tandem.

9) Anders Lee, Islanders, (75% owned, 137 ADP): Lee’s ownership has risen over 16% in the last week, as the market corrects the mistake that was made in his low Yahoo draft ranking. He’s not necessarily a candidate who will break-out for more PTS, more someone who was bring drafted far too low in most leagues.

10) Clayton Keller, Arizona, (75% owned, 130 ADP): Keller disappointed many fantasy owners last season, but the arrival of Phil Kessel is nothing but good news for the young winger, especially on the power play. I’m expecting a solid bounce-back season. In both my drafts thus far, Keller got snatched right before I was about to take him.


Deep Leagues


1) Victor Olofsson, Buffalo, (14% owned): Olofsson has been near the top of Yahoo’s most added players list for the past few days as people have taken notice that the kid is playing with Jack Eichel. The upside while he’s in that position is tremendous, but there is significant risk that he will be supplanted eventually by Skinner.


2) Dominik Kahun, Pittsburgh, (4% owned): During the preseason Kahun has played on both the Crosby and Malkin lines. If that carries over into the regular season, his ownership will increase significantly. Fantasy owners have been slow to react to this information. Once he starts putting up regular season PTS, that will change.


3) Michael Ferland, Vancouver, (18% owned): For a guy who could find himself playing on the top line with Pettersson and Boeser, that ownership is far too low, especially in leagues that count hits. Ferland did have concussion issues, which is why he’s falling in drafts. Yes, there is risk, but there can be a big reward when he’s healthy.

4) Cam Fowler, Anaheim, (12% owned): Of all the defensemen currently under 20% owned on Yahoo, Fowler easily has the highest upside. His 2019 stats are misleading, as a broken face derailed his season. Injuries notwithstanding, Fowler has scored at a 37-point pace over the last 3 seasons. That’s good value for where he’s going in drafts.

5) Colin White, Ottawa, (9% owned): White is currently projected to play top line and top power play, a role that can make even bad players fantasy relevant. White had a solid rookie season playing in a secondary role, so expect a big boost in production as he moves into prime time.

6) Alex Nylander, Chicago, (4% owned): Daily Faceoff currently has Alex Nylander projected to play with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Owners have not yet adequately reacted to this information. You could put almost any player in the league in that position and they would succeed.

7) Tomas Jurco, Edmonton, (1% owned): You need to playing in a pretty deep league for Jurco to be on your radar at this point, but he put up 3 PTS the other night playing with McDavid in preseason. We saw a revolving door of wingers on the McDavid line last season, so it’s hard to trust this will last, but it could be a cheap lottery ticket fantasy.


8) Vitali Kravtsov, Rangers, (7% owned): If you are looking for a potential lottery ticket in a young talented rookie, Kravtsov is an excellent candidate. At the moment he’s only ownable in deep leagues, projected to play on the 3rd line with Strome and Namestnikov. You need to wait for him to be promoted to a top 6 role before picking him up in shallower formats.

9) Andrew Shaw, Chicago, (9% owned): Shaw is currently slated to play on a line with Strome and DeBrincat, which should help him to improve on a good (yet injury shortened) 2019. Health is a concern, but you don’t need to reach to get this guy, and with that risk comes the potential for a big reward.

10) Alexandre Texier, Columbus, (10% owned): This is a guy to monitor if he ends up playing on the 1st line in Columbus, as currently projected on Daily Faceoff. The kid may be unproven at the NHL level, but opportunity can create productivity, and playing with Dubois and Atkinson is a good place to be.


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