As the season continues and the sample of games grows, we can identify some 2024 fantasy hockey Week 6 defencemen to drop from your roster. The players talked about here are not players who are streamer level that can be added and dropped at any point of the season. These players are either highly rostered or highly drafted and have proven that they don’t deserve to be on your roster. Dropping these players can be difficult as they show a lot of real-life promise, but sometimes that does not translate to fantasy hockey. Keep in mind that this is all dependent on the scoring format of your league. Let’s take a look at some 2024 fantasy hockey Week 6 defencemen to cut from your team.
Luke Hughes‘ Time Has Not Come Yet
Since he entered the league, there has been massive hype around Luke Hughes. Brother of All-Stars Quinn and Jack Hughes, fantasy managers thought there could be another fantasy stud in the making. They may be right, but so far it hasn’t turned out that way.
Hughes’ start to the 2024-25 season was delayed due to an off-season injury. Since his return, Hughes has only two assists in 11 games. He sits behind Dougie Hamilton on the depth chart in terms of power play deployment, which is unlikely to change any time soon due to Hamilton’s good start.
Luke Hughes’ time may come, but it is not here yet, which is why he is a defenceman to drop.
Devon Toews is Not Rosterable Right Now
The duo of Cale Makar and Devon Toews have been one of the best defence pairings in the NHL in recent years. That does not always translate to success for some players in fantasy hockey. Toews had a 50-point season last year, but in some leagues, he was at a streamer level.
In his 14 games played this season, Toews has one goal and four points, with little peripheral coverage. On Fantrax, Toews’ draft rate was 97%. In Week 6, he is rostered at 75%. Although he missed four games due to injury, he can be as low as the 500th-ranked player in some leagues.
His Individual Points Percentage, PTS/60, and SOG/60 is the lowest it has been since 2018-19. Things are not clicking for Toews right now, which could indicate a buy-low window. As more Colorado players return to the line-up, things could pick up for Toews. At his current value, Toews can be replaced from the free-agent pool and added again if he turns things around.
Lane Hutson is Not Fantasy Relevant Yet
Lane Hutson has looked very promising in his young career, with deceptive skating and impressive playmaking abilities. However, his performance is not translating to fantasy hockey yet. A comparable to Hutson is Quinn Hughes early on in his career.
In 2019-20, Hughes had eight goals and 53 points in 68 games. He averaged less than two shots on goal per game with only seven recorded hits and 46 blocks that season. Depending on your league scoring format, he may not have been incredibly valuable at that point.
Hutson has 10 assists and is on a 48 point pace. He is shooting and hitting less than once per game on average. 60% of his assists have been secondary, so it is possible that his PTS/60 could decline moving forward into the season. On a rebuilding Montreal team, a decrease in production can be expected.
If you are in a keeper or dynasty league, then Lane Hutson should stay on your roster for future seasons. However, in a redraft league that has a scoring format that is not limited to points, consider dropping Hutson.
Main photo by: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
