Indicators of Success: Left Wingers (West 2011)
Continuing with the fourth part of the series, this week we’ll take a closer look at the Western Conference left wingers.
Status Check Part I
Trying to gauge the talent of the players on your fantasy roster is not always an easy task. Of the hot players, which will continue their dominance? On the flip side, which cold players are going to turn things around? Which players may have already turned their season around without everyone else realizing it? While I can’t delve into each and every situation, I’ll take a look at a handful of Eastern Conference players below.
Between the Lines – Prospal, Chara and more
Injuries keep occurring. This is why it is essential to look at weekly lineup combination as opposed to monthly or seasonal. The time is now to pay attention when many of your counterparts may not be due to the Thanksgiving holiday. It is time to take a look at what Week 7 may bring.
Positional Awareness: Forwards vs. C/LW/RW
In the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Team Canada established themselves as the greatest team on earth when they took home gold. They did it with a forward lineup that featured seven natural centremen among its 13 skaters, and another two who’ve been known to play the middle from time to time. Elite NHL pivots like Eric Staal, Mike Richards and Jonathan Toews found themselves stationed on the wing more often than not.
Big Disappointments
After considerable analysis of the 2004-2007 drafts (post lockout) it appears that on average, six elite fantasy prospects across all positions eventually emerge from each draft. ELITE is defined as a forward that can likely flirt with a point per game over a few seasons, defensemen that reach 45-50 points over a few seasons and goalies that are considered Top five to Top 10 for at least four to five seasons.
Looking Ahead – Week 7
A tough decision can be made easier with these charts showing you the best five and worst five schedules for upcoming seven-day periods. Some of you used them last year but for the benefit of new readers here is a refresher. The number next to the team indicates the 'multiplier' to use on a player's point-per-game pace to give you an idea how many points to expect for that week.
Saturday’s Picks – November 19, 2011
A tough week last week for Anthony as he’ll have some wounds to lick after only picking a single winner, however I don’t think there was anyone who wasn’t surprised with the Sens, Coyotes, Devils, Hurricanes, and Blues all winning last week. Two weeks ago Thunder and I tied again in our proline dealings with 3-3 splits, although picking 5 out of 6 winners straight up hopefully helps build confidence for this week. Although I’m only 7-11 with my proline picks this year, my straight up winners looking much better at 11-7. Thunder has been as steady as can be at 9-9, but we all know .500 isn’t going to get you into the playoffs so it’s time for her to step up her game. Anyways, let’s see if we can get some winners for you this week:
Ward: From Meltdown to Rebound
The Hurricanes have suffered a total core meltdown in November. The defense is deplorable, Eric Staal is now a league-worst -18, and Cam Ward is just 2-6 with a 4.34 goals-against average and .878 save percentage this month. Poolies know he’s too valuable to drop; he’s currently projected to play 76-78 games. He’s also an elite talent, so we all know he could turn things around on his own, or be a major beneficiary of any potential coaching staff shakeup.
Depth and Drafting
If you own Tim Connolly, Alexander Semin, Sami Salo and Pascal Leclaire all on the same roster, you should think of trying something else. One can potentially weasel their way out of such sticky situations with deft late-round drafting or perspicacious waiver wire picking. Yea, I may use thesaurus.com, so what? What’s bad is running with a roster of the aforementioned players without the appropriate bandages, er… depth to fill in when they are down and out. Acquiring this depth is most easily done through your draft and a strategical focus and plan can help.
Top 100 Roto Players – November
Download the November PDF right here.
By request, accompanying the Roto Exclusive this time around are columns dedicated to shorthanded points (SHP) and faceoffs won (FOW). In addition, following the Black Aces report this month are two featured articles by Peter Harling and Brandon Landry.