DraftStreet NHL: Avoid These Players
I’m back on to Draftstreet action this week and looking at a players who tend to be priced a bit higher than what I think they deserve. If you’re new to Draftstreet you should know that the salary structure there is heavily weighted towards recent performance. While this is generally a good thing in terms of gauging how a player will perform tonight, it does create some outliers, particularly around rookies or other players making late-season debuts. If you’re new to fantasy hockey, it can be challenging to cut through the noise and know what to expect and to identify which players may be overrated in this system.
GOALIES
A couple goalies stand out right away that you should watch for and potentially avoid:
- Jonas Hiller (ANA) – nothing against Hiller’s performance, it’s his health that is the issue. He hasn’t played for a while due to head issues, and when/if he does return, no telling how he’ll recover.
- James Reimer (TOR) – His stats have been impressive early on, but if the Leafs are not a team to bet on, and he’s a bit too pricey.
- Steve Mason (COB) – following a stellar rookie season, Mason has been an inconsistent as goalies come. Columbus is always up and down, and Mason is part of that reason.
DEFENSE
Generally speaking, spending a lot of defense isn’t good use of your cap. So while some of these guys are tops in their position, they just don’t make good cap sense overall:
- Dustin Byfuglien (ATL) – following a crazy good start, he hit a massive wall and is currently getting back on track. Not worth the price of a top-notch forward, as his current salary dictates.
- Ty Wishart (NYI) – who? Exactly. Wishart is a virtual unknown, but currently is the 4th highest salaried defensemen, thanks to a couple good games in the early going with the Isles when they went on a goal-scoring run. Don’t get sucked in here. He has no points in 4 games.
- Travis Hamonic (NYI) – like Wishart, Hamonic benefitted from a heavy assist total during the Islanders goal binge last week. He’s also had some games with huge penalty minute totals to skew his numbers.
CENTER
- Michael Haley (NYI) – sensing a theme here? – Haley has 2 points in his career is the highest price center right now. Why? He racked up 39 Penalty minutes in his season-debut in the infamous Pens-Isles throw down. Ignore him and move on.
- Andy McDonald (STL) – following a long time off from concussion issues, McDonald returned in early February and has been unstoppable since then with 13 points in 11 games. But how long can he keep this pace up? He’s certainly an option worth considering if you have the space, but don’t be fooled into believing he’s the 7th best center out there, as his salary might imply.
- Shawn Horcoff (EDM) – Horcoff has risen into the top 20 for centers, above the likes of Mike Richards, Patrice Bergeron, and Jordan Staal. Consider him slightly overpriced, based on his recent hot stretch.
LEFT WING
- Brett Sterling (PIT) – Sterling stepped in admirably when the Pens were decimated with injuries. He registered a point in each of his first 5 games, vaulting him to 4th in salary at left wing. Now that the Penguins have added some bodies and are seeing forwards return, Sterling’s playing time is diminishing and he may not even stay with the club for long.
- Curtis Glencross (CGY) – Glencross has tied his career high of 33 points so far this season, giving you an indication of what to expect here. His recent run of 11 points in 7 games has him priced above what you should expect going forward.
RIGHT WING
It’s harder to find names on the right wing list right now to pick on, but one stands out:
- Francis Lessard (OTT) – Lessard’s salary just topped $10k on Draftstreet thanks to one number: 22 Penalty Minutes in 3 games. The 31 year old enforcer has exactly 1 goal in his NHL career.
My Lineup
Now, avoiding the names I just warned you against, here is my lineup for tonight’s action on Draftstreet.
| Position | Player | Salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalie | Johan Hedberg | $14.9k | Hedberg has won 8 straight games and is one of the cheapest starting options tonight. He should face a high volume of shots against Tampa, but should prevail. |
| Center | Steven Stamkos | $13.2k | If anyone can break through the Devils defense, it’s Stamkos. He’s still my pick to win the Hart, Richard, and Ross trophies this season. |
| Center | T.J. Oshie | $9k | Oshie is underpriced and facing the Oilers. Two pieces of good news here. |
| Left Wing | James Neal | $8k | Neal will get all the playing time and opportunity he can handle in his new home with the Pens. |
| Left Wing | Thomas Vanek | $8.8k | Vanek hasn’t scored in a couple games, but a date with the Senators should change that |
| Right Wing | Ilya Kovalchuk | $9.2k | Despite his 11 game point streak, he remains under $10k. Don’t miss this value pick. |
| Right Wing | Chris Stewart | $9.4k | Stewart has a couple of 2 goal performances since being traded to the Blues. Look for a shot at a 3rd against Edmonton tonight. |
| Defense | Alex Pietrangelo | $7.5k | Another Blues skater shows I like anyone vs. EDM. |
| Defense | Tyler Myers | $5.6k | I was able to squeeze the hulking Myers into my cap space, liking the matchup against Ottawa. |
| Flex | Alex Ovechkin | $13.6k | Ovie seems to have found his groove, having scored a goal in 4 of his last 6 games. Nice fit for the Flex position. |
My Picks
Here are my target picks for this week on Draftstreet. For each position I’ve included the Top Price player who is the most expensive at that spot, my Target players who I am trying to get on my lineup at a fair cost, and my Value picks which are players that are priced very cheaply based on what they are expected to produce.
| Player | Position | Price Tier/Pos. | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas, Tim | G | Top Price | $20,394.00 |
| Howard, Jimmy | G | Target | $16,877.00 |
| Lundqvist, Henrik | G | Target | $16,753.00 |
| Schneider, Cory | G | Target | $16,673.00 |
| Quick, Jonathan | G | Target | $16,336.00 |
| Fleury, Marc-Andre | G | Target | $15,913.00 |
| Nash, Rick | RW | Top Price | $13,844.00 |
| Ovechkin, Alex | LW | Top Price | $13,551.00 |
| Stamkos, Steven | C | Top Price | $13,272.00 |
| Sedin, Daniel | LW | Target | $12,514.00 |
| Bernier, Jonathan | G | Value | $12,370.00 |
| Byfuglien, Dustin | D | Top Price | $11,588.00 |
| Tavares, John | C | Target | $11,305.00 |
| Carter, Jeff | RW | Target | $11,249.00 |
| St. Louis, Martin | RW | Target | $10,869.00 |
| Staal, Eric | C | Target | $10,734.00 |
| Ryan, Bobby | LW | Target | $9,966.00 |
| Kopitar, Anze | C | Target | $9,403.00 |
| Stewart, Chris | RW | Target | $9,364.00 |
| Heatley, Dany | RW | Value | $8,952.00 |
| Chara, Zdeno | D | Target | $8,618.00 |
| Cleary, Danny | RW | Value | $8,408.00 |
| Giroux, Claude | RW | Value | $8,358.00 |
| Bergeron, Patrice | C | Target | $8,133.00 |
| Neal, James | LW | Target | $7,995.00 |
| Burns, Brent | D | Target | $7,690.00 |
| Umberger, R.J. | LW | Target | $7,678.00 |
| Stastny, Paul | C | Value | $7,592.00 |
| Boyes, Brad | RW | Value | $7,482.00 |
| Duchene, Matt | C | Value | $7,348.00 |
| Lidstrom, Nicklas | D | Target | $6,931.00 |
| Boyle, Dan | D | Target | $6,847.00 |
| Goligoski, Alex | D | Value | $6,516.00 |
| Johnson, Jack | D | Target | $6,408.00 |
| Cullen, Matt | C | Value | $6,269.00 |
| Gagne, Simon | LW | Value | $5,705.00 |
| Leino, Ville | LW | Value | $5,690.00 |
| Myers, Tyler | D | Value | $5,587.00 |
| Carlson, John | D | Value | $5,170.00 |
| Kronwall, Niklas | D | Value | $5,167.00 |
| Shattenkirk, Kevin | D | Value | $4,966.00 |
______________________________________________________________________________________
About the Writer: ‘Chewy’ aka Gary Wilson, operates LandShark Hockey, and has been helping others dominate Fantasy Hockey Leagues for almost 20 years now. Landshark Hockey provides fantasy hockey fans with daily news, updates, and draft strategy including the LandShark Hockey War Room for Daily Fantasy Hockey Lineup Help.