RADIO
Just like you need to buy low and sell high to win in the stock market, the same strategy can pay off in fantasy hockey!
So welcome to my weekly column that will highlight the players you should acquire while their prices are cheap and the players you should trade while their values are at their highest points and have nowhere to go but down. Unless you had the best draft in the history of fantasy hockey, you will need to make some trades to win your league, and buying and selling these players will help maximize the talent level on your fantasy roster.
Here is a look at buy-low and sell-high candidates for week 15 of fantasy hockey:
Week 15 Fantasy Hockey Buy-Low Players
Drew Stafford - RW, WPG
Winnipeg’s second-line right wing has been as inconsistent as this winter’s weather. The veteran goal scorer’s uneven fantasy value due to his subpar assist, penalty and plus-minus numbers could cause some fantasy owners out there with itchy trigger fingers to look to trade him. You should be more than happy to oblige these people if one of them resides in your league.
Stafford has 14 goals (four on the power play) and he averages 18 minutes of ice time per game, which is above-average compared to most second-line wingers in the NHL. Plus the line he shares with Mark Scheifele and Mathieu Perrault is one of the better second-lines in the sport and has stayed intact most of the season. Winnipeg is about to go on a stretch where the Jets play eight of their next nine games at home, so Stafford is primed to go on a tear because his numbers are much better at home than on the road (17 points in 19 home games this year). If you need a wing to score some goals over the next three weeks, Stafford would definitely be a solid pickup either via trade or the waiver wire.
Nick Leddy - D, NYI
After scoring a career-high 10 goals and tying his career-best with 37 points during the 2014-15 campaign, Leddy has been in a drought that Californians could relate to. He did not score a goal during the first three months of the season and has been a fantasy non-factor most of the year. But thanks to injuries to teammates Johnny Boychuk and Travis Hamonic that have decimated New York’s blueline corps, Leddy has been stepping up and scoring more. Leddy has scored five points over his past seven games, including netting his first goal of the season.
Leddy’s playing time has not consistently increased, as some nights he will play 19 minutes and other nights he will log 26. His presence on the power play will not be threatened with Boychuk sidelined though. Look for Leddy to continue to score at a higher clip in the short term. He has three 30-point seasons to his credit, so his points-per-game average should keep ticking upward.
Week 15 Fantasy Hockey Sell-High Players
Leon Draisaitl - C, EDM
Draisaitl has been one of the biggest surprises in fantasy hockey this season. The former first-rounder probably was not drafted in many fantasy leagues since Edmonton was filled with highly-skilled young centermen stuffing up the depth chart, but after first pick overall Connor McDavid suffered his serious clavicle injury and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins slumped on the second line, Draisaitl vaulted into the No. 1 center spot. The third pick overall of the 2014 draft responded by meshing well with power forward Taylor Hall and scoring 32 points in 33 contests. So with a point-per-game average, a plus-7 rating and with star potential bursting out of his skates, why sell Draisaitl now?
The first reason is he is showing signs of hitting a scoring wall. The kid has not scored a goal in 13 games even though he is playing 20 minutes a night. He has still supplied some assists (six over his last half-dozen outings), but a combination of fatigue and the league catching up to him may be occurring. Add in that McDavid is on the mend and will likely be back after the All-Star break and that could mean less ice time and power play minutes for Draisaitl. While I think Draisaitl is the real deal and should be kept in certain keeper leagues, the German playmaker could net you serious star power or several skillful pieces if you trade him before his scoring slump gets any worse.
Lee Stempniak - RW, NJ
I trust car salesman, soap opera villains and infomercial hosts more than I trust Stempniak. I know he has been a pleasant surprise this season with New Jersey. I do not think any fantasy pundits predicted he would be on pace for a 57-point season at the halfway mark like he is now. And he is a plus-1 (for his career he is minus-27) and already has 22 penalty minutes (his career high is 40). Kudos to him!
But Stempniak is a 32-year-old journeyman who has played with eight different teams over his career. The man has only broken the 50-point barrier once, and that was back during the 2006-07 season. He has been a fantasy non-factor in recent years. Fantasy owners have seen his act before. He goes on scoring spurts when he joins a new team, then eventually slows down, gets demoted to third or fourth line duty and ends up on another squad. Stempniak has one point in his last five games. Do not hold onto him thinking he will turn it around and score 60 points by season’s end. Ain’t gonna’ happen. Sell high while you can get something solid in return.
