Hello and welcome back to Geek of the Week! In this week's article, I am going to take a look at some of the "peripheral" categories in fantasy leagues: hits, blocks, penalty minutes, and plus-minus. Some players have emerged from the minors as great banger options, while some have just flipped a switch lately and have started to contribute much more to these categories lately. I'll review their latest stats and take a look at the value they can bring in multicategory leagues.

Jake Walman

Walman's move from San Jose to Edmonton does not necessarily help his offensive output, going from the top power-play quarterback to Edmonton's fourth or fifth defenseman. However, Walman has found a great role on Edmonton so far where he can aid in blocks and shots while totally flipping his plus-minus. He is plus-2 on Edmonton in his eight games, which is much better than his minus-12 in his 50 games with the Sharks. He's also really sacrificed his body in Edmonton, averaging 2.88 blocks per game, up from his 2.1 in San Jose. With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl out, these block numbers should continue with Edmonton not having possession of the puck as much as usual. With Edmonton having a good fantasy playoff schedule, especially if you're league goes until April 17, Walman can be a great pickup to fill blocks, shots, plus-minus, and maybe even grab 0.5 points per game.

Luke Schenn

Schenn is another defenseman who has been traded to a new team. He has been counted on for hits in the past, but he's showing he can add some blocks on the Jets as well. Since joining Winnipeg, Schenn has upped both his hits and blocks. He's averaging 6 hits per game and 2.2 blocks per game. He has also flipped his plus-minus expectations, going from a minus-16 rating with the Predators to already a plus-2 rating in his six games played with the Jets. Don't expect offensive production, but Schenn will be able to provide great peripheral coverage for your teams in the fantasy playoffs.

Martin Pospisil

Pospisil has shown flashes in the past of being a potential banger stud. He had a slow start to the season, being moved up and down the lineup, struggling to get meaningful minutes, and in turn meaningful production. Lately, he's riding shotgun on the top line with Nazem Kadri, a great opportunity to pick up some points. He has in fact picked up two assists in his four games in this role. What is more enticing though is his hit production, which has increased of late. In the last 20 games, he is second in the league in hits, averaging 4.35 per game, trailing only Kiefer Sherwood. Calgary is tied for the most games left to play and can provide some serious hit production for your teams in the fantasy playoffs. He also is fairly consistent in penalty minutes, picking up plenty of minor infractions.

Mathieu Olivier

Olivier is another player who has upped his hits lately, up to 4.3 in his last 20 games. Olivier is also not afraid to drop the gloves, as he has 3 majors in the same span and is averaging 1.75 PIM per game. As the playoff race heats up and Olivier settles into a bottom-six role (with the return of Sean Monahan and Yegor Chinakhov), I'm expecting a few more fights for Olivier for him to pad the PIM category. Olivier has picked up six goals in his last 20 games as well, another boost if you're considering him for just hits and penalty minutes.

Dylan Samberg

One last player of note. Samberg has upped his blocks lately, picking up 3.5 blocks per game in his last 12. He is a stable presence on Winnipeg's blue line and consistently is a plus-rating player. In a given fantasy week with three games played, you could expect a plus rating, nine blocks, a few shots, and potentially a point. He could also be a great Sunday streamer if you need blocks and plus-minus is close.

Hope you enjoyed this week’s breakdown!

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