Fantasy Hockey For Dummies
It’s been another successful fantasy hockey season for Trey. I’m quickly proving to be the biggest and baddest analyst in the game when it comes to fantasy hockey. There is still some time to go but team Icing Daubert is on the verge of his third title in three seasons of playing. It has everything to do with Sean Allen but that’s a story for another day.
I figured I would create a set of rules that dummies can follow to have them have more fantasy success even if they know nothing about hockey. So… let’s get right to it. Here are the five golden rules you should follow when drafting your fantasy hockey team.
I also have a blog sort of goes over lessons learned from my first year of playing fantasy hockey. However, I now consider myself an expert so I’d like to make some additional amendments.
Don’t Pick Players Over The Age Of 30
There are obvious exceptions to this rule but if you know absolutely nothing about hockey, just stick to this rule. Players age really fast in this sport. Guys like Joe Pavelski don’t grow on trees. More often than not, you will get burned on ADP because of that breakout star that you passed on for an aging player. Again, I don’t follow this to a T but I prefer my team at least littered with young players. Especially when you consider the fact that the fantasy finals are the last couple of weeks of the regular season. The perfect time for those vets to take time off or reduce ice time before the playoffs.
Don’t Pick Players On Bad Teams
Go to the standings. Pick four or five teams you think will be really bad. Automatically cross those players off your list. You’re welcome. Consider it like this. Goals and assists count the same in fantasy. If choosing between two similar players, don’t you wan the one more likely to collect cheap assists?
Never Pick Goalies Early
Some of you think I’m crazy in my theory to approach with the same mentality as running backs. That’s fine and dandy. However, when it comes to fantasy, I’m not sure it’s arguable. Linus Ullmark, Logan Thompson, and Pyotr Kochetkov have been the heroes this year at the goalie spot. All of whom could have been taken DEEP in drafts or added as undrafted free agents.
It’s too risky of a proposition to take a goalie high and while passing on premium talents at forward. You need those goal scorers to win. You can’t pass on them while also missing on a goalie who disappoints. That right there will automatically tank your season.
Also, don’t have more than four on your team. Otherwise you’re wasting skater spots. Three is probably the right number but four is acceptable. Anymore than that and it’s just not worth it.
Draft Powerplay Specialist Defensemen
Familiarize yourself with who is on the powerplay unit. Blocked shots obviously matter a lot but you still want to find a way to collect cheap assists at all costs. Which D man is running the quarterback spot on the powerplay? Snatch as many of the good ones up as you can.
Make Sure Your Lineup Is Correct
This sounds obvious but I know first hand how many points league mates leave on the table by not paying attention. Make sure the guys that are playing are in the lineup. You can do this days in advance so you don’t have to constantly check. When it comes to goalies, Daily Faceoff is a great tool to use to see who’s between the pipes that night. Why are you starting a goalie that isn’t playing that night? They don’t start every game. Make sure you get it right when they do.
