Fantasy Hockey: Flyers’ Studs and Duds.
Oct 11, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Wayne Simmonds (17) celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period against the Montreal Canadiens at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
With the first month of Hockey in the books, the fourth week of fantasy hockey is finishing up. Let’s take a look at the Philadelphia Flyers’ studs and duds, and which players you might want to target on the waiver wire.
Studs
Claude Giroux- Giroux is still proving he is a dominant fantasy player. Giroux is currently ranked 8th in Yahoo leagues, tallying two goals and 11 assists. Five of his points have been off the power play. Giroux has been shooting the puck more as he already has 47 shots on goal. He should surpass the 80 point mark this season.
Jakub Voracek– Voracek has been scorching with 15 points thus far, including 12 assists. He is currently ranked 18th in Yahoo leagues. If you can find a way to trade for him, I would suggest you do it. Voracek could be headed for another breakout season. He could finish the season with 60-70 points.
Wayne Simmonds– Simmonds is doing what Simmonds does best. He is the best all around player for the Flyers as far as fantasy is concerned. He has six goals, two assists , four points on the power play and 22 hits. He is currently ranked 29th in fantasy on Yahoo. Simmonds should go on to have a repeat season, as he should accumulate around the 50-60 point range.
Mark Streit– After Kimmo Timonen was ruled out for a majority of the season due to blood clots, Streit has done a nice job of filling in. He has been the most productive defensemen for the Flyers. Streit currently has a total of eight points (2G and 6A). Five of his points have been off of the power play. He should lead all Flyers defensemen in points and hit right around the 45 point mark.
Duds
Zac Rinaldo- The Flyers have been a more disciplined team this year and have committed few penalties, having only totaled 80 penalty minutes. That is 3rd best in the league right now. Rinaldo is safe to drop, as he has no fantasy value. He has no points, eight penalty minutes and 23 hits this season.
R.J. Umberger– Umberger was acquired in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Umberger has not really shown any fantasy upside, as he only has three points and is a minus-five. He was a candidate to compete for the first line left wing position, but has found his place on the third line. Umberger had 34 points last season, but is not worth owning at this time.
Matt Read– Read only has four points so far this season. Read is a good bet to hit the 40 point mark again, but is starting off slow. Until he picks up his game, it is best he just stays on a watch list before you think about adding him to your roster.
Waiver Wire Targets
Michael Raffl– Raffl again has meshed well with playing alongside Giroux and Voracek. Raffl has scored four goals in the last three games. He amassed 22 points last season and currently has seven. If he stays on the line with Giroux and Voracek, he would be a good pick up, as a 40 point season seems likely for him. Raffl is only owned in 6% of Yahoo leagues.
Vincent Lecavalier– Lecavalier is set to return to the lineup in Saturday night’s game against the Florida Panthers after sustaining an injury to his foot from a shot. Lecavalier has only played in three games and has three points, but he did spend time on the power play before he was injured. He could be worth a pick up and accumulate 40 points if he stays healthy. He is only owned in 15% of Yahoo leagues.
What To Watch for
The goalie situation for the Flyers is up in the air right now. Ray Emery has outplayed Steve Mason. Emery currently has a 2.77 goals against average compared to Mason’s 3.83 goals against average. Emery has won every game he has started with the exception of one, while Mason has lost every start. It would be beneficial to own them both for now until one fully takes over the starting job.
If you have not joined a fantasy hockey league, the final draft day is Dec. 8 on Yahoo.com. What are you waiting for? Get out there and join a league and see what you are missing.