Josh Manson

After spending the first seven-plus years of his career with the Ducks, Manson was traded to Colorado last March. He fit in seamlessly with his new club, serving as a steady, stay-at-home rearguard in helping the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup. There were rumors of Manson potentially returning to Anaheim in free agency this past summer, but he ultimately elected to stay in Colorado, signing a new four-year, $18 million extension. Manson has posted no more than 16 points in any of the past four seasons, so his fantasy value is limited to extremely deep leagues which value hits.

Another in a long line of injured Ducks a season ago, Manson dealt with at least three ailments over the course of the year in 2020-21. All told, he was limited to just 23 games, managing a goal and seven points. Manson did post 37 points in 80 games back in 2017-18, but that felt like a fluke at the time and that has proven to be exactly the case. The 30-year-old doesn't have a single power-play point in his NHL career, and while Manson can help fantasy owners in terms of both blocks and hits, he doesn't bring enough of either to the table to overlook what figures to be a poor point total in addition to an ugly plus-minus rating.

Manson struggled with just nine points and a minus-10 rating in 50 games last season. He's only two years removed from a 37-point breakout campaign, but he's fallen well off that pace since. The 29-year-old blueliner should, however, remain a consistent physical presence -- he had 113 hits and 65 blocked shots in 2019-20. At full health, Manson should reach the 20-point mark with 150 hits and 90 blocked shots, but he'll also draw the toughest defensive assignments as a top-pairing option. Fantasy managers shouldn't count on Manson for power-play production, either, as he only saw a trace amount of time with the man advantage last year.

Manson took a large step back in 2018-19, managing just three goals and 16 points in 74 games after breaking out to the tune of seven goals and 37 points in 80 contests in 2017-18. Nearly every Ducks player regressed to an extent last season due to the team's struggles as a whole, but it was still disconcerting to see Manson's point total more than halved while appearing in a similar number of games. Anaheim likely won't be much better this season, so there's no guarantee that Manson will rebound above the 20-point mark in 2019-20. The 27-year-old will, however, continue to be a physical force regardless of his club's struggles, and should be able to post 180-plus hits and 60-plus PIM for a fourth straight campaign this year. Manson will have very little value in standard fantasy formats this season, but he should be a useful depth piece in leagues that reward the rough stuff.

Manson enjoyed a breakout 2017-18 season, racking up career highs in goals (seven) and assists (30) through 80 games -- he never had more than 17 points in his previous two seasons. The 26-year-old saw an uptick in usage as well, averaging 20:21 of ice time without being deployed with the man advantage. Manson may have a tough time finding a role on the power play, as the Ducks have plenty of skilled forwards to fill those spots, so he'll likely struggle to surpass the 45-point mark next season.

Manson is a no-frills defenseman with size at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. The American, who will turn 26 in October, has recorded just 35 points (10 goals, 25 assists) in 181 career regular-season contests, though he's spent 187 minutes in the sin bin. An effective patrolman within his own zone, Manson projects as more of a stay-at-home type and thus qualifies as a poor fantasy option.