In his “Fantasizing” column, Mike finds some bargain bin players that are widely available and does a great job on that, so I don’t want to infringe on his territory, but there is some terrific talent out there that might just be available in your pool. While he looks at guys who are less than 50% owned in Yahoo! pools, these are guys that are owned in roughly 75% of leagues.
James Neal – 75% owned - 9 goals, 8 assists, +7, 6 PIMS, 4 PPP, 45 SOG
Neal is off to a torrid start in Dallas, averaging around 18 minutes of ice time per game and four minutes on the PP. He is quickly establishing himself as one of the top LW in the game so grab him while you can. He will never be below 75% owned again. Ever.
Paul Stastny – 77% owned - 4 goals, 12 assists, +6, 14 PIMS, 5 PPP, 38 SOG
An injury last year submarined Stastn’y value but he is an unbelievably talented player. He will probably cool down once Colorado stops winning every game, but is still a bonafide second center.
Ales Kotalik – 67% owned – 6 goals, 9 assists, -6, 12 PIMS, 12 PPP, 41 SOG
Kotalik is certainly enjoying playing for the Blue Shirts and their potent PP. He is tied with Tomas Kaberle for the league lead in PPP.
Ryan Kesler – 61% owned – 5 goals, 11 assists, even, 10 PIMS, 7 PPP, 45 SOG
This is an absolute travesty that Kesler is only owned in 61% of leagues. He is a fantastic young player who has really stepped up along with Samuelsson to fill the void left by Daniel Sedin’s injury. He is playing about 19 minutes per game, with a large role on the PP and PK.
Mikael Samuelsson – 75% owned - 8 goals, 6 assists, -1, 6 PIMS, 7 PPP, 56 SOG
I was very sceptical of Samuelsson at the start of this year considering he left a juggernaut in Detroit for Vancouver. I knew he would see a lot more ice time with the Canucks but I wasn’t sure how he would handle the increased responsibility. Well, he has been lights out and is peppering opposing goalies with shots. He isn’t a great contributor in PIMS or +/- but is solid everywhere else.
