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DFO Fantasy Mailbag: Dec. 16

Nick Alberga
Nick Alberga(@thegoldenmuzzy)
Dec 16, 2022, 10:33 EST
DFO Fantasy Mailbag: Dec. 16
Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Alberga: Traditionally, I’ve always been into players in contract years, and all things considered, JVR is no different. That said, a lot of this would depend on league format; he’s a no brainer add in deep leagues. On top of that, the Flyers aren’t very good, so there’s that whole conundrum, too. In 11 outings so far this season, the 33-year-old has four goals and 10 points. Personally, I would take a flier on this Flyer.

Brock Seguin: He’s fine in super deep leagues, but you don’t need to dig that deep in a 12-team league. His usage has been nice the last three games, and he’s been pretty productive, but I don’t think that team is scoring enough goals to make him a long-term asset in standard leagues.

Matt Larkin: At 33, James van Riemsdyk is well past his best years. That said, he can be a streamable asset in deep leagues. He isn’t hurting for ice time – he’s been up in the 20-minute range his last couple games – and he can still be an OK source of goals and power-play points. He’s the type of player you pick up for a day when you need a goal. You drop him the next day, then add him again another day. I did that in my own league last week.

Nick Alberga: I know there’s been lots of noise and turmoil lately, but unfortunately, there’s not much you can do but stay patient. For rest of season purposes, DeAngelo is likely much better than anyone currently sitting on your waiver wire. Additionally, I don’t think you’ll get much for him on the trade market right now either. He’ll figure it out. I mean, all this guy has done in his career is produce —regardless of where he’s played.

Brock Seguin: He’s reportedly been dealing with a personal matter, not a healthy scratch. So unless some excellent waiver wire replacements are available, I’d hold onto him for a little longer to see how it plays out.

Matt Larkin: The initial reaction for most people (including me) was to assume Tony DeAngelo had landed in coach John Tortorella’s doghouse. Turns out the healthy scratches have come because DeAngelo is dealing with a personal matter. So that means we can anticipate him to be a lineup fixture once he returns to the team. He should remain a useful depth defenseman in points leagues if you can stomach the ugly plus-minus.

Nick Alberga: In my world, there’s no question. Next to Zach Werenski, who’s done for the year, Boqvist is probably Columbus’ second best blueliner. With all due respect to Marcus Bjork, who’s been shouldering most of the offensive load on the back-end, Boqvist is a considerable upgrade on anything the Blue Jackets have right now. No concern here.

Brock Seguin: Yeah, I think he will. The Blue Jackets’ power-play is ice cold (11.1%) in December, and they’re searching for answers. They tried five forwards on the top unit on Thursday, so it seems like a lock that Boqvist should be on PP1 upon his return. I don’t know how productive he’ll be, but he should be a serviceable No.4 fantasy defenseman for teams in a pinch. Unfortunately, he averages just 1.2 SOG/gm, so unless he bumps that up due to a significant TOI increase, his goal-scoring upside will be extremely limited.

Matt Larkin: I’d be shocked if he didn’t. “M. Bjork” has been holding down that role and playing on the top power play unit, but he’s already 25, barely qualifying as a prospect, and seems like more of a stopgap for a desperate team than a real building block. The Blue Jackets are invested in Boqvist – literally. He signed a three-year bridge contract at a $2.6 million AAV over the summer. With little else to play for this season, they need to let him sink or swim and find out if he can grow into the top-pair defenseman he was supposed to be when Chicago took him eighth overall in the 2018 draft.

Nick Alberga: No, I think regression is inevitable with this Devils team —especially in between the pipes. When it comes to Mercer however, I think his fantasy stock will continue to rise as the year progresses. This kid’s supremely talented. Like most young players, he’s dealt with consistency issues early on. In my eyes, he’s destined to be a top six fixture in no time.

Brock Seguin: We’ve already started to see them cool off, and a lot of Mercer’s value will be tied to playing with Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier. He’s not a long-term option for me, but an excellent streaming target when the Devils have a good schedule, and he’s skating in the top-6. Unfortunately for him, he was on the third line and neither PP unit on Thursday.

Matt Larkin: The Devils will at least regress a bit – if they don’t, they’ll break the NHL records for wins and points in a season! – but at this point it appears their status as a legit contender is sustainable. They have been a dominant play-driving team. Even during their recent three-game losing streak, they have out-chanced their opponent every game, so I expect them to get back on track soon.

It’s never a bad idea to own someone in a superstar’s orbit, so Dawson Mercer is an example of a strong add at the moment. It will be interesting to see how the depth chart shakes up when Ondrej Palat returns from his groin injury, but it doesn’t sound like he’s too close yet.

Nick Alberga: All things considered, there’s no need to panic on Schmaltz. This is just what the Coyotes are, they’ll be wildly inconsistent all season long. Furthermore, over the past few years, Schmaltz has been as streaky as they come. Just wait it out, it will be worth it in the long run.

Brock Seguin: The reality is that the Coyotes aren’t going to score many goals, so his big games will likely be limited. Still, Schmaltz can produce at a 65-70 point pace. His downfall is his lack of shot volume. He was firing the puck when he returned to the lineup but has just 13 shots in his last nine games. If he keeps that up, he’s not scoring many goals, but the assist production should pick back up. Around the same ownership, I’d rather have Arthur Kaliyev (15%) or Shane Pinto (12%) right now.

Matt Larkin: You just have the ride the wave with Nick Schmaltz. He’s streaky. We all remember that seven-point game last season, and he sprinkled in some other multi-point efforts during a 13-game heater in which he piled up 25 points. If you’re in a shallow league, you can hop on and off that train and drop him when he’s cold. In deeper formats, he’s a player you have to hold year-round, as he plays on the top line and centers the No. 1 power play unit in Arizona. He’ll ebb and flow. It’s just the way he is. It makes him more valuable in rotisserie formats in which it doesn’t matter what path he takes to reach his season-ending point total. 

Nick Alberga: I would cut bait; I think you can find a much better option on the waiver wire right now. That said, monitor closely, because a lot of this hinges on Kempe’s deployment. If he moves back into a permanent top-six look, it would be wise to jump back in on him. Drop, but keep close tabs on that situation. 

Brock Seguin: I liked Kempe a lot coming into the season because he’s been tied for Kopitar’s hip for two years, but his upside is capped skating on the third line and no longer playing close to 20 minutes per game. However, I still think he’s serviceable, especially if he moves back up the lineup. He’s got nine points (5G / 4A) in his last 12 games, so I’d hold in a 12-team league. They have San Jose, Anaheim, Calgary, and Arizona coming up before Christmas, so don’t drop him before then.

Matt Larkin: In a 12-team banger league? Yes, I think it’s OK to cut bait on Kempe. With Arthur Kaliyev stealing Kempe’s spot on line 1, he’s dropped down to line 3. He’s still a good bet for 20 goals and 200 shots, so I’d hold him in deeper formats, but you can play the streaming game in a shallower league.

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