Last week we brought you some fantasy hockey gems based on Yahoo leagues. This week we change the focus to ESPN, but just like last week, we will be mining for some gems!
Forwards
J.T. Compher (10.2% owned) – With the Rantanen injury Compher has made his way onto the top line for the AVs. This is a position that you will need to watch, because if he doesn’t perform you will need a carousel of players fill in this role, but ultimately being early to the could have a huge pay off for the month or so that Rantanen could miss. You should never pass up an opportunity to have players who see 15+ minutes per game with Nate MacKinnon.
Phillip Danault (19% owned) – Since coming back from injury Danault has been at a point per game pace, and is the top line center for Les Habitants. He isn’t seeing top power play time just yet, but we could see that change over time. This is a player to grab sooner rather than later, as he may of been off people’s radars due to injury to start the year.
Defence
Hampus Lindholm(18.3% owned) – Mining bad teams, is one of my favorite places to go digging. Lindholm is a gem that is often lost in the shuffle. He has often been lost in the shuffle, but is very steady. He has delivered 6 points in 11 games so far, and if you’re in a league that uses plus/minus, he is a plus player as well.
Devon Toews(10.2% owned) – This is likely my favorite gem of the week. Devon Toews is on the top power play for the Islanders, and believe it or not is significantly out performing the other Toews in just about every facet. You might need to pick him up kick though, if his performance keeps up,(6 points in 9 games, 2 on the PP),he won’t be around for long!
Goalie
Thatcher Demko(4.0%) – In 3 games for the Canucks so far, Demko has been fantastic. The issue here is that playing time is very uncertain. Keep these things in mind however, he was drafted 36th overall in 2014, and has performed very well in the AHL since coming out of Boston College. Vacouver has also not made any commitment to Jacob Markstrom, who is set to be a FA at years end, so if Demko continues to play well the job could be his for this year and beyond.
Good luck this week everyone! See you next week. Feel free to leave comments, or ask me questions on twitter(@andrewkdewhirst). I want to help you win!
