Especially for Yahoo Sports
Last week I stressed Brock Nelson and else Lee like two players who have to be traded in fantasy because they were really warming up, and their hot stretch doesn’t seem to be a fluke. They had always shown good chemistry together and Lane Lambert has allowed the islanders to play more aggressively on offense. They have since combined for five points in three games, including a two-goal, 10-shot effort from Nelson against the Blue Jackets.
We are a month into the season and a lot can change, but the success of that duo also shows that under-the-radar stacks can be very beneficial. When the islands of Nelson and Lee split to get the other lines going, it didn’t take long as playing them together gave them a top scoring line. Both players are now ranked in over 60% of the Yahoo leagues and it’s not too late to grab them.
Here are this week’s trading goals to get your fantasy team out of the basement.
Trade for
Nico Hischier, C, Devils (71% selected)
It’s still rather amazing that the Devils’ top center, a player on target for 92 points, remains so widely available. If scoring 60 points last season wasn’t enough, Hischier has also improved in almost every facet of the game, winning almost 60% of his face-offs – roto leagues take note – and has proven to be a very efficient finisher. who has established a career. 12.2 shooting percentage. According to moneypuck.com, Hischier’s line with sniper Fabian Zetterlund and the extremely underrated Thomas Tatar leads the league with 75% xGoals% (min. 75 The Bharat Express News) and ranks fifth with 3.9 expected goals per 60 minutes.
Elias Pettersson, C/LW, Canucks (98%)
Two seasons ago, Pettersson was a must-have franchise player. Then injuries happened, as well as a bad start for the Canucks last season that ultimately cost the head coach Travis Green his job, further diminishing Pettersson’s value. Even though he scored a career-high 32 goals under Bruce BoudreauPettersson did not play full-time at center and was overshadowed by JT Miller, who eventually scored 31 more points. Fast forward to this season and Pettersson has returned to elite status as the Canucks’ best player, playing full-time at center and also adding penalties to his repertoire, giving him more opportunities to block shots. The Canucks’ struggle to win games has eclipsed Pettersson’s performance this season, so it’s a good time to trade for him as his fantasy value quickly returns to or surpasses its previous peak. He is firmly back in the conversation as a long-term goalkeeper.
Sam Bennett, C, and Sam Reinhart, C/RW, Panthers (66% and respectively 78%)
The two Sams – and the Panthers in general – stumbled out of the gate, but it was only a matter of time before they got back on track. They are a talented squad and their on-ice shooting percentages have been unsustainably low, and so has the center Alexander Barkovwho often played with Reinhart.
However, with Bennett scoring four goals in four games and Reinhart scoring his first two of the season on November 6, it looks like their fortunes are turning. Bennett’s shooting percentage now stands at 8.6, which is still below his career average but is certainly normalizing, and as a high volume shooter it wouldn’t be surprising to see the goals pouring in. Reinhart’s shooting percentage is stuck at 5.9, but while he’s been dropped from the top line, he’s also shot a lot more on the puck, averaging over three shots per game while still playing at PP1.
Tyson Barrie, D, Oilers (70%)
Barrie has a four-game point streak, so it might be hard to grab him, but it’s become crystal clear that he’s still the preferred option on PP1 for the Oilers. Evan Bouchard is Barrie’s main competitor for that role, but unless you’re in a top league, Barrie has been much more productive than Bouchard, who has zero goals and five assists so far this season with a minus-6 rating. There is a good argument that Bouchard is generally the better player, but in fantasy use is important and Jay Woodcroft clearly favored Barrie.
Trade away
Patrick Kane, RW, Blackhawks (97%)
This sounds super obvious, but the Blackhawks are no good. Kane has just 65 points and it would be the first time since the 2011-12 season that he failed to score at least a point per game. It’s not all Kane’s fault; saddled with Max Dom as his center and a rotating cast of wingers including Andreas Athanasiou (three goals) and Phillip Kurashev (two goals), it’s no wonder Kane is having a bad season.
It’s clear that Kane’s fantasy value gets a huge boost when he’s traded, but a trade doesn’t seem imminent, and in the meantime fantasy managers are saddled with an aging first-line winger with a low attack ceiling for at least the next few years. months. In roto competitions, this may result in large opportunity costs. Even if Kane’s fantasy value is currently low, the sales pitch for any potential trading partner would be his unsustainably low 5.1 shooting rate.
Matt Duchene, RW, Predators (83%)
It is not the first time that Duchene has been seen in this room, and that is no surprise. The Predators broke their top line and recently deployed Duchene with Ryan Johansen and Nino Niederreiter. Juuso Parssinen is now the top line center with Philip Forsberg and Michael Granlund and it seems to fit well. Look for the line-juggling to continue as the Preds continue to look for more balanced scores, and if Duchene’s role continues to fluctuate, his production will likely continue to fluctuate. It might be best to trade him now after a two-point performance against the Wild for someone more reliable.
Brock Boeser, RW, Canucks (60%)
For someone who gets paid to score goals, Boeser is utterly disappointing. Although an assist against Buffalo on Tuesday extended his points streak to five games, he has scored zero goals in 11 games so far this season and played less than ten minutes at the same level. He also angered Bruce Boudreau after taking a bad penalty in the third period. Wrist and hand injuries have robbed him of his elite shot and foot speed was never his forte, so it’s getting to the point where he may never score 30 goals. His spot on PP1 is under constant threat from Andrei Kuzmenko, who already has four power play goals. It’s best to see what kind of returns Boeser can pull off, as another long period of bad play could send him to the waiver wire.
MacKenzie Weegar, D, Flames (88%)
If we wait for Weegar to break through, we may not be rewarded anytime soon. The Panthers played a very fast, offensive style that helped Weegar pile up the points, but with fewer minutes on a deep blue line in Calgary, a significant drop in shot attempts and virtually no power play time, it will be very difficult for Weegar to replicate his 44-point season. Weegar has value in stunner leagues, but if you’re after points, Noah Hanifin (51%) and Rasmus Anderson (82%) should be the target audience.
