Merry Christmas!

I hope you enjoy a tremendous holiday season, however long it lasts for you, and that whatever time off you have is filled with family, friends, great food and some true rest and relaxation.

If you have a decent amount of days off, this is a great time of year to really evaluate your fantasy roster and decide where improvements can be made for 2012.

Ideally you're on top of your team on a daily basis – and chances are if you're a Ramblings regular here at DH or are a loyal reader of my other blogs then you're a fantasy addict like the rest of us – but this is a good time of the season to really take a step back and look at the big picture.

Single season owners roto owners are somewhat more limited in what they can do because it's entirely possible half the league is already out of the race. But if you have even the slightest chance of coming back, have a close look at the categories in which you can come back from your current deficit. Remember that both PIM (especially PIM) and assists (surprisingly enough) can be the easiest areas to make up ground quickly via free agent additions.

If you're already at or near the top, can you sustain this pace? Or has it been built on the likes of players destined to fall back down to earth as the season wears on?

H2H rosters should be crafted for a strong playoff run, so investing in slumping or injured stars in the first half of the season can pay huge dividends near the end. It may cost you a few rungs in the regular season ladder, but it's all about keeping your eye on the prize of a championship.

The deeper the keeper league, the less concerned you need to be with where you are in December and January. Sure, you'd like to win every season. But keeper leagues are all about building and strengthening your core, which will be the fuel for success in future seasons.

Yes, it's great to have superstar point producers as your go-to guys. But it's when you tap into having Claude Giroux as your seventh or eighth keeper a few years ago that you see him emerge into a legitimate elite asset now and that's when your inner circle of keepers becomes a truly dynamic force… radiating a powerful strength.

It's when you make a play for Evgeni Malkin when he's down on his luck injury-wise that you reap the rewards when he returns to his downright dominant form now.

It's when you target a Tyler Seguin that stumbles his way through his rookie season in a limited role on a Cup contender and eventual winner that you benefit from his sophomore explosion.

It’s when the seeds of dought have been planted in the mind of Evander Kane’s owner through his first two seasons that you make a play for him, where he blossoms in this third season.

The longer any player struggles, the more likely even the most seasoned fantasy owner will begin to have doubts. No matter the player's pedigree.

But enough fantasy talk for today. More ramblings on current info next week for me. A Christmas turkey and Christmas Vacation for the 20th time awaits.

Enjoy the holidays. And if you didn't see it yet, you can peruse today's Q&A where I go into a little background on my path to becoming a fantasy hockey writer and what kinds of things are involved in a typical Saturday night.

Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Be safe, healthy and happy.