Every Monday, Last Word on Hockey will survey the Fantasy Hockey landscape and select a handful of players to assist in your weekly match. We will attempt to select “Studs” who may be available in your league as opposed to who we know are already owned by other teams. The “Duds” will most certainly be taken and will serve as a warning when you have “who do I start/sit” questions. The “Sleepers” will be almost exclusively available in most leagues. We will also attempt to have a mix of players that will apply to traditional leagues as well as banger leagues. All ownership numbers are based on Sunday research and may be slightly different at the time of publication. Here are our selections for Week 11:
2022-23 Fantasy Hockey Studs, Duds, and Sleepers: Week 11
Studs
Mats Zuccarello
Zuccarello has been a wagon for the Minnesota Wild. He ranks second on the Wild in just about every offensive category to Kirill Kaprizov. This includes power play numbers. The top unit has produced basically all of the goals for the 10th ranked Wild. Yet he is also producing extensively at even strength. This is partly due to his oZS% being a whopping 70.7% in this situation. Ice time is also up, with Zuccarello averaging over 20-minutes for the first time in his career. Fantasy hockey owners should be very pleased, and it should stay that way.
Currently riding a nine-game point streak with six goals and eight assists, fantasy hockey owners should see more of the same. An odd week with no NHL games on Saturday for the holiday break, the Wild will play just two games. Those two games though are against the 24th and 32nd defensive teams. Goals should be easy to come by for the Wild. As far as the power play, they will see the worst penalty kill and the second best. Power play points are of course possible, but the fantasy hockey value mostly comes from even strength opportunities. Sitting at 89% and 91% ownership in Yahoo and ESPN fantasy hockey leagues, he is going to be a great pick up for someone.
Brayden Point
Point is on pace to have his first point per game season since his career year of 2018-19. He is doing this while also being stout defensively. Point leads the Tampa Bay Lightning in CF% and FF%. That is saying a lot considering he has the lowest face off win percentage of all four lines. but his line gets the puck back relentlessly and generates a ton of chances. While this has added great fantasy hockey value at even strength, his power play points are a third of his production. That is adding a ton of value. Looking at the splits, there is reason to believe that will be higher this week.
With six goals and an assist in his last six games, Point has no power play points. His three games this week, however, are great matchups for him. All three are on the road, where he has scored the majority of his power play points. The last game of the week is against the Buffalo Sabres. In two games this year, Point has three power play goals against them. There is also a matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who he does not have a point of any kind against since the 2019-20 season. He is due. at 89% and 90% ownership, he could be a big pickup for fantasy hockey owners where he is available.
Duds
Jesper Bratt
Bratt is having another standout season for the New Jersey Devils. He is second on the team in points and leads them in power play points. But it was his hot start to the season that fantasy hockey owners benefited from. It has been a struggle since then. in his last 12 games, Bratt has a mere two goals and four assists, with only three power play points. There is also no banger value with him, failing to register a hit or block in six straight. Does it turn around this week? Unlikely.
Three games this week for the Devils. Two opponents rank top five in goals against. They will also face the top penalty kill in the league in the Boston Bruins. The other two teams rank mid pack on the kill, so there is possible value here. The problem is both of those games are on the road for the Devils. Bratt has a lone power play goal away from home. Probably not much fantasy hockey value this week for owners of Bratt. Be careful if faced with roster decisions.
Dylan Larkin
Where last week we were surprised by injuries/scratches, this week we speculate about one. Larkin leads the Detroit Red Wings in points this season but has struggled as of late. Just one goal and no assists in his last six games. Now fantasy hockey owners have to deal with a possible nagging hand injury. Larkin left a game early last week and missed the following game with the injury. He would return Saturday against the Ottawa Senators and continue with his scoring struggles. The injury does not account for his recent struggles, but it very well could help continue it.
It could just be precaution by the coaching staff, but there is a telling sign that the hand may not be 100%. Larkin leads his team in face offs taken. In his first game back, he took one face off and lost it. He also had just two shots on goal, far below his average. Even if the hand is fine, his three games this week are against top half defenses. They are also all top 12 penalty killing teams. For someone without a power play point in his last six games, the matchups look unfavorable even if the hand is healthy. With multiple reasons for caution this week for fantasy hockey owners, leaving Larkin on the bench would not be a bad move.
Sleepers
Charlie Lindgren
Lindgren only makes the sleeper category because of his low ownership numbers. He has been nothing short of a stud. Since taking over the crease for the injured Darcy Kuemper, Lindgren has gone 6-1 in seven straight starts. He has allowed a mere 13 goals in that span with a .933 save percentage. He has been nothing short of a season saver for the Washington Capitals, keeping them in games and shutting down potent offenses.
Lindgren should see two games this week as Kuemper is not quite ready to return to the bench. Washington will face the 10th, 16th, and 24th ranked offenses. During this seven-game stretch, he has already shut down four different top ten offenses. Even if he gets leaky, the Capitals are averaging 4.14 goals per game during this stretch. Multiple reasons to believe Lindgren can pick you up a few wins. At 45% Yahoo fantasy hockey ownership, and a shockingly low 11% in ESPN leagues, this is a widely available and smart addition.
K’Andre Miller
Miller has been fun to watch this season. Fantasy hockey owners (the few there are) have been raking in the banger stats. They have also been rewarded with two shorthanded points. But his value has risen considerably across the board and very few fantasy leagues have noticed. He leads New York Rangers defensemen in points who is not named Adam Fox. He should crush his career highs in assists and points as well. With two goals and five assists in his past six games, he has seen a steady rise in ice time. More ice time means more of what he usually gives you: hits and blocks.
It is just a two-game schedule for the Rangers this week. But with his increasing role and offensive ability starting to come through, we could see the points increase. Both opponents are stingy defensively. However, the New York Islanders have allowed 4.16 goals per game the last six, who are one of the Rangers opponents this week. The opportunity is there. Regardless, Miller’s banger stats should continue. At only 39% and 14% Yahoo and ESPN ownership, respectively, fantasy hockey owners needing a boost from the blue line should seriously consider this addition.
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