Fantasy Hockey Picks 11-16-14
These fantasy hockey picks will give you the added boost you need to climb to the top of the leaderboard!
Be careful to not miss the 5 PM Eastern Standard Start time. Get in your Late afternoon NFL contests then turn your focus to NHL to diversify your action. These GPPs often overlay on Sundays and that is something you don’t want to miss.
Goalies:
Frederik Andersen ($18,900) - The Ducks are leading the league in points so far in this young season. The Panthers have to travel across the country to start a California road trip which is brutal for east coast teams every year. The Ducks should score plenty of goals to allow Andersen a few mistakes and to still get the win.
Viktor Fasth ($12,500) - Make sure that Fasth is in, but if so this price is too low for any goalie. Arizona killed many of our hopes and dreams after dominating the game against the Canucks and my top play of the night Friday of Ryan Miller. Luckily Miller was very highly owned and I was able to salvage a few wins. Arizona goalie Mike Smith is allowing 3.43 goals per game this season which is atrocious. If Fasth can get the win he will have no problem paying off this discounted price.
Centers:
Ryan Kesler ($13,100) - Comes into this game on a 5 game point streak and shows no signs of slowing down. With Corey Perry out of the lineup, Kesler has been asked to carry more of the offensive load and he is stepping up to the challenge. Perry might be back with the team for tonights game, but Kesler’s confidence should be riding high and he will continue to produce.
Joe Thornton ($12,300) - Thornton is also on a 5 game point streak but he is actually starting to score goals again. Reunited with Thomas Hertl on his skating line has done wonders for Jumbo Joe. The chemistry these two had last season before Hertl went down to an injury was incredible. Look for Joe to post another solid fantasy game tonight against the Hurricanes.
Others: Mikael Granlund, Gustav Nyquist
Left Wing:
Johan Franzen ($13,350) - Keeping the theme of riding the hot hand, Franzen is also on a 5 game point streak. He has a goal in each of his last 3 games and seems to be really looking for his shot. The backup goalie for MTL is expected to get the nod tonight which will only boost the value of Red Wings players.
Benoit Pouliot ($7,400) - I know I have written him up the last few times EDM has played but for good reason. He is simply out producing the asking price. With 4 points in his last 3 games and a matchup against Mike Smith who is giving up goals at 3.43 per game rate there is no reason to fade Pouliot.
Others: Matt Belesky, Evander Kane
Right Wing:
Patrick Kane ($12,700) - Until he becomes one of the highest priced wingers I am going to use him every night. With 11 shots and 1 goal in his last two games it appears that he is really looking for his shot. With the injury to Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa finally slowing down, the offense needs to rely more on Kane. He seems to realize this and is taking charge. Watch out for Kane when he actually looks to score instead of setting up his team mates.
Michael Frolik ($5,800) - The beat writer for the Minnesota Wild expects goalie Niklas Backstrom to be in net tonight. This bodes well for the forwards of the Jets. The biggest drawback on Frolik is that he doesn’t get power play time but that is not a big concern in this matchup as the Wild very seldom find themselves with a man disadvantage.
Others: Jordan Eberle, Jakob Silfverberg
Defense:
Brent Burns ($11,900) - Is still playing like he is in a forward role like he was last season. Burns is always looking to join the rush and appears to have the green light to go deep into the offensive zone. The amount of shots Burns puts up per game gives you a huge advantage over most defensemen and makes him have a much higher “floor”
Johnathan Ericsson ($5,000) - This is just mainly a price play. Since I did not list a lot of value options in the forward section I thought I would get some value here. Ericsson is averaging 20 minutes of ice time per game on the teams top defensive pairing. At home that means he should be matched up against the top forwards for the other teams and the chance for blocked shots are always there. He also skates with the teams best offensive defenseman in Kronwall so he can pick up an assist here and there.
Others: Cam Fowler, Justin Schultz