Brad Marchand vs. T.J. Oshie

Rick Roos

2013-08-21

TJOshie

Who is the better fantasy own – Brad Marchand or TJ Oshie?

Welcome to Cage Match, which I've now officially taken over from Steve Laidlaw. I hope to carry on the outstanding tradition of the column, while also adding some personal touches.

In pitting Brad Marchand against T.J. Oshie, this week's match focuses on two very comparable players who are already solid fantasy contributors. However, along with their respective benefits, each player also has some red flags and question marks that definitely make it useful to do the in depth side-by-side comparison that you've all come to expect from Cage Match.

0 (Oshie)

3 (Marchand)

3 (Oshie)

6 (Marchand)

6 (Oshie)

1 (Marchand)

1 (Oshie)

2011-12

55 (Marchand)

54 (Oshie)

2 (Marchand)

3 (Oshie)

2 (Marchand)

0 (Oshie)

8 (Marchand)

12 (Oshie)

3 (Marchand)

2 (Oshie)

2010-11

41 (Marchand)

34 (Oshie)

4 (Marchand)

2 (Oshie)

3 (Marchand)

2 (Oshie)

4 (Marchand)

6 (Oshie)

2 (Marchand)

1 (Oshie)

The numbers are pretty comparable, certainly close enough that no player would be that much better or worse than the other in this area. It does bear pointing out that according to this data Oshie is more likely to give you a multiple point game, although it also suggests that he's less likely to give you a point scoring streak or enjoy a monster game (i.e., three or more points) as compared to Marchand.

So Who Wins?

If Oshie had not been so bitten by the injury bug, I think he'd be the easy winner. But all those games missed do make a difference. That being said, in nearly every other area Oshie is either a clear winner (ice time, power play scoring) or it's basically a wash (linemates, windexiness, other secondary categories). And as I said above, even though Marchand has proven to be durable, he poses at least some a risk in terms of suspensions, being a target for other teams, and possibly having his production decreased by playing hurt.

So the winner is Oshie unless

(1) you're in a pure points league, or

(2) your league doesn't count power play statistics and/or hits and blocked shots, or

(3) if somehow you're not allowed to replace injured players on your roster during the season.

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