All fantasy owners need help in the short term AND the long term. The Looking Ahead feature identifies one player to plug into lineups in the short term, a second to invest in for the long term, a third to bench for the coming week, and a fourth who will struggle to meet expectations for some time. All players discussed are selected based on their upcoming schedule. Stats in this article updated through October 26^th

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Brendan Perlini, W, Arizona (Available in 99 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – Perlini’s healthy again after putting up 1A in 3GP before going on IR (upper body), and given his scoring prowess – Perlini put up 19pts in 17 AHL games and 21pts in 57 points as a rookie for Arizona last year – he’ll have an immediate chance to make an impact. With Arizona having a packed schedule and their poor start to the year, Perlini will get power play time (presumably replacing Anthony Duclair on the first unit) and top six minutes.

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

Adrian Kempe, C, Los Angeles (Available in 84 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – With the injury to Jeff Carter, there was some uncertainty around who would fill that spot; the Kings originally slot Nick Shore in for little more than a game, but although he drives possession at a tremendous rate, Shore isn’t much of a point-scorer. Kempe jumped up to 2C against the Senators and assisted on the Kings’ first goal, scored a late tying goal, and scored the shootout winner. Working with Pierre Turgeon to change his release over the summer, Kempe has become a completely different player this season – he’s already put up more points (5-2-7) than he did in 25 games last year – and with Carter sidelined indefinitely, grab Kempe immediately and don’t let him go.

The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

Mitch Marner, W, Toronto (Owned in 95 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – There’s no question that Mitch Marner has all the tools to be a very effective player in this league, but in his current role on the 4^th line his value is next-to-completely shot. With Toronto continuing to pile up wins, there’s no reason for Mike Babcock to change his lines around, and Marner’s ice time is a huge cause for concern: since getting moved to the 4^th line, Marner’s topped out at 15:36 in five games and has fired six shots on net. He did get two assists in a 4^th-line mis-match against Los Angeles, and he’ll continue to get playing time on the second power play unit of the Leafs to try to put points on the board, but he should take a seat until he replaces one of Zach Hyman, Connor Brown, or Leo Komarov.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay (Owned in 100 percent of Yahoo! Leagues) – There are no fantasy hockey players or fans that think Victor Hedman is washed at age 26, but it’s time to lower expectations on the big Swede. Although Tampa Bay is an offensive dynamo with a healthy Steven Stamkos and the coming-out party of Brayden Point, Hedman has struggled to find himself on the scoresheet – just 1G and 4A with 23S – while watching rookie Mikhail Sergachev put up 4G and 5A with 21S. Dobber himself touched on this in his ramblings, but Hedman’s value will continue to slip, especially in points-only leagues. He’ll still put up 40 points because he’s an immense talent, but as Tampa averages 4.1 goals per game and people still think of Hedman as the main power play quarterback – Sergachev is sitting just a minute behind Hedman in their last three games – Hedman’s value won’t be higher than right now.

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)

Arizona – The Coyotes will have a good chance to break their poor start to the year over the next few weeks, with seven games between the 27^th and Nov. 8^th. That stretch includes some tough road back-to-backs (vs. Philly/Detroit, vs. Washington/Pittsburgh), but that’s more a concern for Antti Raanta and Louis Domingue. Coyotes players – specifically in leagues that don’t track plus/minus – may never be more valuable than through this stretch, as the Penguins, Sabres and Red Wings have all been horrific at keeping pucks away from their net.

Philadelphia – The Flyers have only taken less than 30 shots on goal twice in their first nine games, scoring an average of 3.33/game with the bulk of that scoring coming from their top line. Although they only have five games in this next stretch, they play Arizona, Toronto, Chicago, and St. Louis – numbers three, seven, twelve and thirteen in terms of goals allowed. Expect their studs to continue their high level of offense.

Minnesota – They’re still incredibly banged-up, but just got Mikael Granlund back and should see the return of Nino Niederreiter during this period. They have a four-game homestand against some porous defensive teams (Chicago, Pittsburgh, Winnipeg, Montreal) before a final road game against Boston to close out this stretch, so there’s a lot of value in using their studs even if the team itself seems in a tailspin.

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

Buffalo – The Sabres look like a disappointing team yet again fresh off a 5-1 loss to Columbus, and have only four games between the 27^th and Nov. 8^th. Those four games come against an interesting mix of teams, with a game against a goaltending tire fire in Arizona (worst SV% in the league), but they also play San Jose who’ve allowed the least shots against per game. The other two matches come against strong possession teams in Washington and Dallas.

Nashville – Nashville swings through California on a West Coast swing which includes a back-to-back against Anaheim and Los Angeles, before ending this period on the road against Columbus. Beyond one game against Chicago, they’ll be facing strong defensive teams.

Ottawa – The Senators are a low-event team thanks to The System, and with injuries to Bobby Ryan, Kyle Turris and Zack Smith, their top six are currently very thin. With only four games upcoming, although three are home games, avoid the nation’s capital this month.