No Man is an Island
Superstar-in-waiting John Tavares is mired in a horrendous slump. After recording 19 points in his first 21 games, the well has run dry and he recorded only ten points over the next 26 contests.
Audit your fantasy squad – January edition
Welcome once again to “An Expert’s Audit”. This audit will be posted here as well as on my fantasy hockey blog at www.fantasyhockey.hockeyanalysis.com . I also do weekly reviews of teams for people who email in to me for a look-see. These audits will continue to appear here monthly and if you’re interested in having your keeper team “worked over” then you can begin by emailing Dobber (contact link at bottom of website) about it. But send it in by the 15th, as I will be starting on my next one at that point.
Projections at the Halfway Mark
Littered throughout the forum are plenty of questions regarding what’s so-and-so’s upside for the rest of the season. Or he’s on a ... point-per-game pace can he keep it up? This injured player is coming back what’s going to happen to player x? Do you like player x or player y? There’s a very simple solution to finding the answer to each of those questions, and it lies within the numbers. For those of you who have been avidly following my columns, you would realized that I’m a heavy stats-oriented guy, so this week I’m going to try to rationalize some projections by attaching some numerical values along with them.
Men with Mystery
When it comes to young and relatively unknown talent in the NHL, it’s easy for a goalie scout to decipher their upside compared to others because it’s visible with the naked eye. Without even trying, I clearly see Pekka Rinne’s quick hands, Jonas Hiller’s awesome lateral movement and even Jaroslav Halak’s great composure. Although their future is still up in the air, recognizing their unique puck-stopping traits proves they have some tremendous potential.
If you were to look back at every prediction I’ve provided for Dobber Nation over the last eight months regarding prospects, it would be tough to find any that would now be considered completely off base. Well, I did go back over the last week while working on the Mid-Season Guide and found one glaring right back at me. Yes, I was wrong about Jimmy Howard’s ability to win at this level, so allow me to be the first in line for 50 lashings with a rusty nail-studded leather strap - I feel like I deserve it.
What Can Deadline Day Do For You? Part I
Fantasy hockey is all about the numbers. Identifying trends, patterns, and making correct projections is usually the difference between consistently winning and consistently losing hockey pools. I like to look for short-term arbitrage (capitalizing on market imbalances) opportunities in order to maximize player values. I rarely win my pools because of strong drafts alone; it is often with shrewd trading throughout the year at certain times that I am able to move up in the standings.
I posted an article a few weeks ago about using the World Junior Championship to your advantage, and the following strategy is somewhat similar. It involves identifying young players and prospects on struggling teams.
Don’t Bail on These Guys
The Isles looked to be in trouble. Losers of seven in nine – and they didn’t own a winning record to start with, the team was flailing. John Tavares hit a wall and that brought fantasy-surprise Matt Moulson down as well. The strong play of goaltender Dwayne Roloson was being wasted. But things have changed lately because the focus on offense has shifted from one first round draft pick to another.
Band-Aid Boys in Training
As most loyal Dobber readers know, some players are more prone to injury than others. When they’re on your fantasy team, they hurt your team's performance, but a player can very easily return from injury and still be just as good (as long as the injury is not a serious one). But major or frequent injuries at a young age can derail development by reducing playing time or negatively affecting long-term health.
Mapletree Marty’s Picks – January 09, 2010
I checked my email this morning to find out I was getting tossed into the fire again, which sounds kind of nice since its mius-36 here this morning...Last week looked like a crap shoot as the afternoon games saw me go 0-4, but a strong evening session 7-1 saw $3 turn into $130 thanks in part the Isles and Thrashers going to a shootout, Colorado winning in Columbus, the Flames scoring an empty netter against the Leafs, and Marleau outscoring Dustin Penner. Luckily, there’s only one afternoon game this time around. After last week, Notch still leads the way at .629 winning % and I’m barely ahead of my own mutt of a dog at .516, Thunder brings up the rear at .513. At least we’re not a bunch of losers! Notch will be making his picks next week and the week after, as I will be in Jamaica. Enjoy the games everyone:
Mid-Season Mock
The World Juniors are in the books, the CHL trade deadline is over and teams all around the world are gearing up for the stretch drive. Who tops this month's extended mock draft?
Western Super (Physical) Powers
Year in and year out, the WHL has produced some of the show's biggest and baddest skaters- many outside the first round. Shea Weber, Milan Lucic, Dustin Byfuglien... the list goes on and on. Who in the 2010 class is a possible second-day surprise?