Top 10 Sleepers
Tom Collins
2014-08-26
10 sleepers to target in your draft
We're all guilty of putting a little too much emphasis on sleeper picks.
Every year, we have certain guys we think are slated for breakout seasons, ones that we're sure no one else will predict. After all, selecting a player in the 10th round that outperforms a player chosen in the fifth is a great way to win your pool.
5. Martin Havlat
The ultimate Band-Aid boy (heck, he even gets injured during a line change), Havlat is getting a new lease on life in New Jersey. Havlat has a good chance to be a top-six player in the swamp, and it's not like the guy doesn't know how to score. As recently as 2011-12, he was on a 57-point pace. With the opportunity to get plenty of power play time, Havlat could turn back the clock and get back to that pace pretty easily.
4. Brian Elliott
While Elliott must be getting used to timeshare duties, he now has the chance to be a true number one goalie for the first time in four seasons. Right now, his main competition is rookie phenom Jake Allen, but Elliott's numbers with the Blues are good enough to guarantee him at least half the starts. Yet, Elliott isn't considered a top-tier goalie, but when you think of the defence he has in front of him, it's almost impossible for him to fail.
3. Chad Johnson
As a backup to Jarolsav Halak, Chad Johnson is pretty much guaranteed at least 30 games. Johnson has put up respectable numbers career numbers (20-6-6 record with a .926 save percentage and 2.07 goals against average), while Halak has only started 50 games in a season twice in his career. Look for Johnson to get a lot of work this season.
2. Lubomir Visnovsky
The Isles defencemen missed a good chunk of last season because of injuries, but he should still be one of the team's top power play guys, which means plenty of opportunity to play with John Tavares. With an improved plus-minus thanks to the Halak/Johnson duo in net, and his willingness to block a shot, Visnovsky is more valuable than many may remember.
1. Anton Khudobin
There's a new coach and a new general manager in Carolina, so the team won't be tied to the former Conn Smythe winner Cam Ward. Instead, the new regime wants results now, and Khudobin is their best opportunity to do so. Ward has never had a season as good as Khudobin did last season (Khudobin's 2.30 goals against last year is better than Ward has ever managed in nine seasons with the club), and if Ward's injury situation the last two seasons continues, Khudobin has a great opportunity to be the team's top netminder.
Recently from Fantasy Top 10:
| Top 10 guys who will see a major plus-minus improvement | 18 August 2014 | Written by Tom Collins | Edit |
| Top 10 fantasy players over the age of 35 | 11 August 2014 | Written by Tom Collins | Edit |
| Top 10 bounce-back candidates | 05 August 2014 | Written by Tom Collins | Edit |
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