Yep. That's a verbatim. On Saturday, I screenshotted a thread in r/fantasyhockey that led with: "Someone just dropped J.T. Miller in our points league."
I actually laughed out loud. Then I thought: "I wish I played in leagues like that."
But that would be like shooting fish in a barrel, even if that idiom may offend a few people. I am an animal lover, after all.
This is easy-target-time for some of you. I personally don't play in leagues like that. Too many expert formats. And honestly, too many people in my leagues with deep hockey knowledge. I've often chalked that up to being Canadian - hockey is in our blood from the time we arrive in our great land, and time in arenas is a birthright.
It's a generalization. But it fits sometimes. I know you're not offended - you're already in the enlightened crowd. And that's why you subscribe.
Yes, I do use different executions in leagues that are all Canadian vs. mostly American. Playing in a mostly US league means there are often a lot of players on Canadian teams who shouldn't be available but are, simply because they value their southern teams more.
What's universal? Every league I'm in seems to ignore a lot of the Western clubs, especially the ones three hours away by time zone. Those players and teams have delivered me a lot of fantasy goodness over the years.
But I digress. Drop J.T. Miller (98 percent Yahoo!)? In any league? You know
Yep. That's a verbatim. On Saturday, I screenshotted a thread in r/fantasyhockey that led with: "Someone just dropped J.T. Miller in our points league."
I actually laughed out loud. Then I thought: "I wish I played in leagues like that."
But that would be like shooting fish in a barrel, even if that idiom may offend a few people. I am an animal lover, after all.
This is easy-target-time for some of you. I personally don't play in leagues like that. Too many expert formats. And honestly, too many people in my leagues with deep hockey knowledge. I've often chalked that up to being Canadian - hockey is in our blood from the time we arrive in our great land, and time in arenas is a birthright.
It's a generalization. But it fits sometimes. I know you're not offended - you're already in the enlightened crowd. And that's why you subscribe.
Yes, I do use different executions in leagues that are all Canadian vs. mostly American. Playing in a mostly US league means there are often a lot of players on Canadian teams who shouldn't be available but are, simply because they value their southern teams more.
What's universal? Every league I'm in seems to ignore a lot of the Western clubs, especially the ones three hours away by time zone. Those players and teams have delivered me a lot of fantasy goodness over the years.
But I digress. Drop J.T. Miller (98 percent Yahoo!)? In any league? You know what WTF is, and I'll use it here. Like in fantasy baseball, you need to pretty much write off the first few weeks since what your team looks like is rarely what it is. Good or bad.
This week, I'm in a massive (and tight) battle in one league where both teams are delivering decade-level performances. My team isn't that good, and neither is his. But it sure makes for some fun. And it'll go right down to the wire.
I might actually try to trade a couple hot guys after this week.They sure look good on paper right about now.
Speaking of which, let's take a look at who caught my eye this week.
Jake Allen, G, New Jersey (23 percent Yahoo!) - Go get him now. I'll wait. Allen is the top dog for the next few weeks, courtesy of a lower-body injury Jacob Markstrom (85 percent Yahoo!) suffered midweek. He's previous played the orchestral first chair, albeit 10 years ago. But still, Allen's effective enough to do this until Markstrom returns. And h just won two games over the Panthers and Oilers this week. It's not like it was the Sabres or Flames…
Zach Benson, LW, Buffalo (13 percent Yahoo!) - Benson made his season debut on Wednesday with a four-assist bang. That won't be replicated this season, though he's a top-line winger on a team desperate for offense. And he skates with a sniper named Tage Thompson (99 percent Yahoo!) who knows exactly what to do with tasty dishes served up to him. It's hard to remember that Benson is only 20. Buffalo hasn't ruined him (yet). This may be his time to explode.
Jackson Blake, RW, Carolina (11 percent Yahoo!) - OK, I admit it. I ignored Blake last season as he's Jason's son. Yes, my lifelong Isles' bias comes through some days, much to my detriment. Daddy was a solid player, and Jackson could be more. The younger Blake offers elite puck skills and a high hockey IQ. He plays with speed and is an excellent playmaker with a regular gig on the Canes' second line and currently hopping the boards on PP1. Blake is growing on me, especially with the chemistry he and Logan Stankoven (36 percent Yahoo!) are developing. His four-game scoring streak (one goal, three assists) to start the season was snapped Friday. I think he'll surprise this year.
Josh Doan, RW, Buffalo (4 percent Yahoo!) - The Sabres' season has gone sideways. Maybe they can recover like Grey's Anatomy did after the bizarre musical episode 15 years ago. After all, GA is still successful (who watches that anymore?). Buffalo's roster is going to be turbulent where players will likely move up and down, so rostering them is tough. Right now, Doan is that guy. He's on the second line and heads into Monday on a two-game, five-point streak (two goals, three assists; nine shots). And both of the goals came on the man-advantage. Doan is smart and competitive like his dad (Shane), but he's probably best suited for a top-nine gig and not something in the top-six. Right now, you can do worse if you're streaming.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, Toronto (9 percent Yahoo!) - OEL picked up a goal and three assists this week alongside eight blocks, six shots, and a PPP. That made him the second most-valuable defender in a lot of Yahoo! leagues the previous seven days. Ekman-Larsson won't deliver that kind of offense all season long. But he does have the skill to be a 40-45 point man - he did it in Arizona during the start of his career, and experience makes you wise. Plus Toronto's offense is waaaaay better.
Alex Lyon, G, Buffalo (10 percent Yahoo!) - I can't not talk about Lyon, even with the chaos unraveling in the City of Fires. He shut out the Panthers on Saturday, and that's not an easy feat. And when you put it together with his messy win over the Sens, you have the top Yahoo! netminder for the week (ending Sunday). No lie. Two Ws, 99 saves and only seven goals against. Cripes, that catapulted him into the overall top-10 during that stretch. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (32 percent Yahoo!) will start practicing this week, but the Sabres need to win. Now. They'll roll the netminder who does that until they can tamp down their current fire.
Dawson Mercer, RW/C, New Jersey (10 percent Yahoo!) - Mercer doesn't turn 24 for another week. That's still young, right? Maybe, maybe not, given the way the league is today. Mercer was on an upward trajectory with 56 points as a sophomore, only to step back the last two seasons into the mid-30s. He's currently riding a four-game, five-point (three goals, including one PPG, and two assists) run with 10 blocks while skating with Nico Hischier (94 percent Yahoo!) and Timo Meier (90 percent Yahoo!) on the second unit. Mercer seems more… mature, or perhaps settled into his skin. I'm getting on board right now. 60 seems reasonable, and maybe more.
Ilya Mikheyev, RW, Chicago (6 percent Yahoo!) - Mikheyev is the most-available piece of Chicago's second line. He's not receiving PP time, yet he put up three goals and added an assist this week while coming off a 20-goal campaign. Mikheyev is a pure streamer while hot, and a dump-and-run when not. It's hard to time the market, but when you hit, you win. Cash out quickly, as you don't need a lagging stock dragging you down.
Nino Niederreiter, LW/RW, Winnipeg (4 percent Yahoo!) - Niederreiter skates into Monday night on a three-game, five-point streak that includes two goals, two PPP (one PPG) and seven shots. He's a middle-six forward on a deep team who you can use when he's on one of these kinds of rips. But Niederreiter isn't someone who can sustain this over time. Still, managers in deep formats or streaming may be able to use a streaky player with 20-goal upside.
Nick Schmaltz, RW/C, Utah (53 percent Yahoo!) - Schmaltz was fire Friday. I hate that word, and not because I was born before 1997. He had a mammoth outing Friday night (dad joke, I know, but at least it fits). And I promptly nabbed him late that night when he was only on 27 percent of rosters. Schmaltz owned the ice that night as he managed his second career hattie while adding an assist and six shots. He's obviously not going to do this on the regular, but strip off that jersey and the name and you have a first line, PP1 player who's repeatedly increased his shots and averages more than 60 points. It's West Coast bias that Schmaltz wasn't drafted in a lot of leagues. You probably did worse taking a flyer on someone at the draft. Make the move.
Jeff Skinner, LW, San Jose (2 percent Yahoo!) - Skinner is just 33. I know, I thought he was older. He may not have great feet, but his hands. Oh, those hands. Skinner can finish. All day and all night. You can be my wingman anytime. Macklin Celebrini (98 percent Yahoo!) is feeding Skinner the puck, and he's responded with three goals through five outings. None of them are PPG, but he's still on the second unit. Goals are the hardest category in fantasy, and Skinner is basically available for free. He's a bit one-dimensional, so you simply need to offset the rest of his game.
Jordan Spence, D, Ottawa (2 percent Yahoo!) - Spence is a complete hunch for me. I held onto him while he was with the Kings, entirely because of that dreaded potential word. But he has it. And sometimes the system simply isn't a fit. Spence won't deliver three apples like he did this week against the lowly Sabres, though he's probably the third offense blueliner on Ottawa's power play and all of us know Thomas Chabot (63 percent Yahoo!) is an injury waiting to happen. He logged 80 games for the first time last year. At 27! Spence is a stash-if-you-can-afford-to-do-it. Or least put his name in your phone memos and check in often… on both him and Chabot.
Back to shooting fish in a barrel.
Actively managing your team is one way to do that. It's rare that someone who ignores their team most of the season can take a title.
Except in my home baseball league. You know who you are. I owe you money now…
Playing in a Yahoo! Public League can also become that barrel. Maybe you were the one who opened that subreddit. Do you play public leagues? I'm curious how it is. I don't, but only because I only have so much time. And I carry a lot of teams every year.
One of which just drafted, and I had four picks taken away because I defaulted my roster too many times as I was overextended. You can bet your favorite craft beer that won't happen again.
May we both get a shot at the barrel at some point in our fantasy careers. I do know someone who gave up on Kirill Kaprizov (100 percent Yahoo!) many years ago only to see him finally arrive and star. On someone else's team.
Sigh. Until next week.
