Week 3 NHL Risers and Fallers for Fantasy Hockey

Joe Hannon recaps some NHL forwards, defensemen and goalies rising and falling after Week 3. These players might be fantasy hockey waiver wire pickups or potential sleepers for your fantasy hockey teams.

What's up RotoBallers. Below is a quick rundown of NHL forwards, defensemen and goalies whose fantasy hockey values are rising and falling after week 3 of fantasy hockey action.

The rising players may not be ready to contribute to your fantasy teams quite yet, but they are worth watching as the NHL season unwinds. Some could be considered fantasy hockey sleepers, or waiver wire pickups depending on your league size.

As for those trending downward, it's probably time to trade or drop them and make better use of those fantasy hockey roster spots.

NHL Players Rising After Week 3 of Fantasy Hockey

Tommy Wingels (F, SJ) - 51% Owned

The only player with more shots on goal than Tommy Wingels this season is Zach Parise. The young forward could be in for a career year after posting 38 points in 77 games last season. If Tommy continues to have outings like the one he had against the Ducks this past Sunday, he could see an increase in power play minutes and overall ice time. Wingels scored a goal, fought Corey Perry, had 5 hits and 10 shots on goal. He was named the first star of the game. Pick him up now if he is still available.

Jared Spurgeon (D, MIN) - 62% Owned

With five points in seven games, Jared Spurgeon is off to a hot start this season. He has always had potential but injuries have limited his production in previous years. The Minnesota Wild have been shaky early on, but Spurgeon is averaging over 22:00 minutes per game and has a +6 rating. He is a serviceable second-tier defenseman going forward.

Niklas Svedberg (G, BOS) - 20% Owned

Let's be honest, it's going to take a lot more than a few rough starts for Niklas Svedberg to supplant Tuuka Rask for the goaltending gig in Boston. However, Svedberg has been excellent in his three starts, posting a .951 save percentage and a 1.57 goals against average on the season. Svedberg is a good back-up goalie to keep on the bench to play during each of his spot starts.

NHL Players Falling After Week 3 of Fantasy Hockey

Alexander Semin (F, CAR) - 80% Owned

Once a first round fantasy draft pick, Alexander Semin is hardly worth owning at this point. After scoring 40 goals in 2009-10, his offensive production has tailed off steadily. Semin managed just 42 total points in 65 games played last season. Alexander hasn't scored in five straight games and has just two assists and a -6 rating in seven contests overall. There are plenty of other offensive options for fantasy owners.

Brian Campbell (D, FLA) - 61% Owned

The upside for Brian Campbell is that he skates as a part of the top defensive pairing and power play. However, despite averaging over 24:00 minutes of ice time per game, Campbell has just 2 points in 7 games. The 35-year-old veteran has only six shots on the season. Unless he starts getting pucks to the net, the Panthers could opt to give young defensemen Dmitry Kulikov and Aaron Ekblad more time on the power play.

Steve Mason (G, PHI) - 80% Owned

In his defense, the Flyers have not played well in front of Steve Mason this season. The fact remains that he is still searching for his first win of the season. His .878 save percentage and 3.83 goals against average are nothing to write home about either. The Flyers have won a few games with Ray Emery between the pipes and it seems to be his job to lose at this point. Mason may eventually be the guy, but he's certainly not right now.