Hello again everybody. Hope you all had strong fantasy hockey weeks as we turned the calendar over to December this week. This season feels like it's been zooming along fairly quickly thus far. The Leafs have really picked up their game lately as they sit atop the standings in the East, while out West, the Calgary Flames have been red hot as they have been turning a lot of heads with how they've performed thus far. 

While Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid continue to wreak havoc on opposing teams' defenses, this week I want to give some love to some of the unsung heroes. In roto leagues, you need to get contributions in all categories to field a competitive team that's worthy of winning the league title. Scoring can come in many forms, but finding players who can chip in with the extra peripheral stats like hits and blocked shots can be tricky.  This week I will highlight some great options to help bolster those all-important peripheral stats. Let's take a look!

Brandon Tanev

2021-22 Stats: 24 GP, 8 G, 5 A, 13 PTS, 42 Shots, 86 Hits, 14 Blocks, 14:50 ATOI

Tanev has been one of my go-to guys for a few seasons now in fantasy hockey. He's not flashy, he's not fancy, but provides value in multiple areas. I thought this year he may even breakout into something a bit more considering he is on a young expansion team in Seattle. While he is averaging his highest amount of ice time in his career (14:50), I thought he would maybe see closer to 16-17 minutes a game with a little bit of deployment on special teams.

Currently he only finds himself on the second penalty-killing unit outside of his normal five-on-five duties, but despite that, he makes the most of his time on the ice. He's already buried eight goals this season, which is a nice added bonus. Should he stay healthy I don't see why he couldn't finish the year with 20 goals and maybe 45 points. On its own, the offense isn't enough to warrant him a spot on your roster, but he brings a lot of other things to the table as well.

Tanev has always been known to be a gritty and physical player who isn't afraid to get in "the dirty areas". He has already racked up 86 hits this season which is over 3.5 per game. With most of your fantasy forwards, you are lucky to get one or maybe two. There aren't a ton of forwards that put up those kinds of hit numbers, and usually the ones that do aren’t able to offer you a 45-point upside to boot. 

Tanev is usually good for around one blocked shot per game, though this season he only has 14 through his first 24 contests. While his blocks are slightly down so far, his shot totals are actually the highest in his career so far. His 42 shots give him an average of 1.8 a game, and while that's not groundbreaking by any stretch, it's passable given the hits he gets you. The Kraken have been a curious case so far. While I don't think they will have a miracle run like the Golden Knights did in their inaugural season, I do think they can be a competitive team every night. Tanev is currently rostered in 50 percent of all Yahoo leagues, so there's a chance you could go out and scoop him up. He could be even more useful if his deployment improves over the course of the season, so keep an eye out for that.

Mario Ferraro

2021-22 Stats: 2 G, 8 A, 10 PTS, 20 Shots, 51 Hits, 70 Blocks, 24:15 ATOI

Ferraro is currently in the third year of his entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks. The 23-year-old Canadian blueliner has found a permanent home alongside former Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns. The Sharks find themselves right in the thick of things in a very competitive Pacific Division this season. Ferraro is averaging over 24 minutes a game so far this year, as the Sharks have shown they have a ton of trust in the young defensemen.

Ferraro is by no means an offensive defenseman, and that's fine, especially playing on the Sharks with Burns and Erik Karlsson. He's got 10 points so far this season, but any offense from him should be considered an added bonus. This man is a warrior and has no qualms with sacrificing his body to make a play. Whether that means fearlessly blocking shots or laying down the boom on his opponents, Ferraro isn't afraid to get physical.

He has dished out 51 hits so far this season, which averages out to be just over two per game. That's a great number that shouldn't be overlooked, but the stat that really impresses is his blocked shots. He currently leads the league in blocked shots with an astounding 70. To give that some context, the next highest player is Brayden McNabb of the Golden Knights with 54. That's almost three blocks per game, which is absolutely insane. 

In my two main fantasy leagues, I am required to dress four defensemen. I normally try to take two high-upside offensive defensemen, and two defensemen that hit and block. While Ferarro does come with offensive limitations, he absolutely holds his own on the defensive peripheral stats. He is only rostered in 27% of all Yahoo leagues, so he is definitely available to be had. Ferraro alone should be able to bolster your position in blocks by a couple spots if you play him enough. And when you consider he is playing over 24 minutes a night, I think these numbers are pretty sustainable too. 

Radko Gudas

2021-22 Stats: 0 G. 5 A, 5 PTS, 38 Shots, 104 Hits, 39 Blocks, 18:34 ATOI

Gudas has been in the league 10 seasons already. He has a good reputation for being a big burly d-man who is a pain in the ass for the opposition to play against. He's nasty and he's not afraid to get in your face. The 31-year-old Czech defender is a true old-school defenseman, and while he isn't flashy, he gets his job done for sure. 

Much like Ferraro, Gudas isn't on your squad to rack up points for you. He has but five assists through 23 contests this season, so anything you get from him offensively should be considered a nice added bonus. With that disclaimer out of the way, let's get into the fun stuff. Gudas has 104 hits in 23 contests this season. That's over four hits per game. In a full 82-game slate, Gudas would be on pace to get 370 hits this season. That number hurts just reading it. I think if any one player can move the needle on category in roto by himself, you should consider rostering that player. 

While Gudas clearly isn't a scorer, he surprisingly has a respectable 38 shots on goal, which is an average of 1.7 shots per game. That's not terrible all things considered. He also averages approximately 1.5 blocks per game, with 39 in total so far this season, which is above average for that category.  

Gudas is effective at what he does and can definitely be useful to your fantasy hockey team if you have room for him. The middle-pair defensemen is only owned in 54% of all Yahoo leagues, so if you're lucky he could still be around. He doesn't get any special teams deployment besides the second-unit penalty kill, but it doesn't seem to affect his numbers all that much. The only real concern is he is in his thirties, and at some point, playing that physical brand of hockey will take its toll on a player. As long as he can stay healthy though, I'd consider giving him an add!

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Well, that's all for this week folks! There's plenty of unsung heroes in fantasy hockey, so this week I just felt like a great opportunity to highlight a few. You need a little bit of everything to go the distance in your fantasy league, so don't turn your nose up on guys that might not put up huge goal totals. Keep an open mind and always watch those waiver wires! Until next week, have a good one and thanks for reading!