Daoust gives us some names to consider if you need to fill other categories besides goals and assists.

In roto leagues it is extremely important to put together a balanced roster that can produce in every category. Obviously, your star players will do the heavy lifting in the offensive categories. But for the most part these star players are not going to be major contributors in other areas like hits and PIM. Sure, there are exceptions such as David Backes and Milan Lucic but they are certainly few and far between.

This is where goons and agitators can become valuable commodities. You may love them or hate them but most importantly these guys are going to deliver the goods in the physical department. On top of that, many of them can produce respectable offensive numbers and are solid all-around hockey players. And most importantly, since they are not scoring machines they usually come cheap which makes them great compliments to more expensive star players on your fantasy roster.

The numbers are going to show that many agitators and fighters are quite valuable in terms of their all-around production and sometimes reach an elite level for the given format. Using fantasyhockeygeek with this year's stats we will look at the value of the production of various players in three formats: points-only, Yahoo standard (G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP, GWG) and the United Hockey League (UHL), which is composed primarily of dobberhockey forum members. The UHL is a head-to-head roto league with the following scoring categories for skaters: G, A, +/-, PIM, SOG, GWG, PPP, SHP, Hits, Blocks and FOW.

Here we see examples of players who pick up a lot of hits and PIM compared to five guys better known as point producers in various formats. The key is that the added categories not only add value to the gritty players but they also put them on par with or better than many offensive-minded players who may be perceived as better due to name value.

If you are in a keeper league with farm positions it is definitely worth the effort to invest in future multi-category studs. Remember that in multi-category leagues the term "upside" is different than in points-only leagues. Your mind should be focused on owning the prospects that will produce the most in your format in the future. Here are some examples of prospects who may become strong contributors in hits and penalty minutes:

·    Adam Lowry
·    Anthony Peluso
·    Patrick Maroon
·    Michael Latta
·    Brad Ross
·    Mark Cundari
·    Adam Clendening
·    Sena Acolatse
·    Mark Borowiecki