PLAYERS TO ADD
LEFT WING
Ryan Dzingel has two goals, two assists and is a +2 on the season for the Senators. He’s only been on ice for just over 10 minutes a game, and he’s taken just five shots on net. One of the goals was on the penalty kill. Ryan had just three goals last season in 30 games and doesn’t profile a player you should be overly interested in.
Thomas Vanek is a player to look to if he’s on the wire. Vanek has two 40-goal seasons in his past and is clearly capable of a 25-goal season if healthy and given a shot in the top-6. Vanek is off to a blazing start with six points (3g, 3a) in four games and that includes four points in two contests. He’s also posted four points on the power-play. Note that he’s only taken six shots on net.
CENTER
Artem Anisimov scored 20 goals last season for the Blackhawks. Injured and limited to 52 games in 2014-15 he scored seven times. Back in 2013-14 though he scored 22 times. Alas, he’s been the quintessential 15-goal, 40 point kinda skater. You pick him up when hot, you ignore him when he’s cold. He’s hot now. Anisimov had one of his best career games the last time on the ice with four points (2g, 2a), giving him five points in two games. Add away but be cautious to understand who he ultimately will be.
Alex Killorn has scored 17, 15 and 14 goals the past three seasons. The former third round selection has yet to live up to expectations, no one can disagree with that. He’s pretty much stagnated as ‘just a guy.’ Things might just be taken a turn for the better in his 27 year old season. Killorn has scored three times in four games including once on the power-play. He’s also seen a full minute more on ice this season than he has the last four seasons showing he’s gaining some trust from the coaching staff.
RIGHT WING
Troy Brower has scored three goals, one every other outing, this season. He’s exactly who he is though. In his 11th NHL season the odds of a breakout are small. The last three seasons he’s played 82 games each time and has averaged 21 goals a season with point totals of 43, 43 and 39. This is his first season in Calgary, but he’s still the same guy. He’s been involved with three hits in all five games, and he’s even started to take some draws winning four his last three games (at least it’s something for a winger).
Lee Stempniak is a solid hockey player. Always has been. His days of fantasy relevance though, well, they’ve never quite been there. Lee has had a hot start but he’s scored on three of six shots, and that’s just not going to continue. Kinda just a guy, meaning more of a short-term fill in than a season long hold.
DEFENSE
Michael Matheson is averaging 20:01 minutes per game including going over 20 minutes on ice in three of four games. He’s posted a point in three of four games. He’s also taken at least three shots in 3-straight contests. An offensive minded D-man, he’s often skating with Jason Demers who is helping to pick up the slack with the youngster. The 22 year old is part of a solid young core defense in Florida
Marc Methot is averaging 19:54 minutes per game. He always plays a third of the game having been over 20 minutes per game each of the last five years. Over the last 114 NHL games he’s scored six goals with 23 points. So why note him here? He was a +22 skater last season and has already jumped out to a +7 mark in four games. It’s a category we almost always overlook in fantasy.
Yohann Auvitu is averaging 16:57 minutes per game. He has one point in four games. He has taken 15 shots on net though and is garnering an average of more than three minutes on ice per game on the power-play. Keep an eye on that.
GOALTENDER
Louis Domingue is getting work with Mike Smith sidelined (it’s unclear how long Smith will be away with his lower-body injury but it’s seemingly more like a week-to-week thing than a day-to-day injury – just a guess though). Add him at your Louis risk though (he will be backed up by Justin Peters). Domingue, a 5th rounder from 2010, is 24 years old and a year removed from a 15-18-5 campaign for the Coyotes last season as he posted a 2.75 GAA and .912 save percentage. He’s been much worse than that in two abortive efforts this season as he’s allowed seven goals in 37 minutes. Told you to proceed with caution.
Jacob Markstrom is seeing time in net with Ryan Miller sidelined, though it sounds like it might be a short absence, especially since Miller suited up as a backup Thursday night. Jacob has gone 3-0 with an excellent set of ratios (1.65 GAA, .932 save percentage), and though he’s not going to dispose of Miller his strong early season work could certainly lead to more appearances in the short-term, and it’s also a reminder that Markstrom could be a viable option for the club were Miller to hit the shelf for an extended period.
Ray Flowers can be heard Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday, 8 PM EDT, Wednesday 7 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 9 PM EDT PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).
Player News
David Montgomery rushed 12 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions’ Week 3 win over the Ravens, adding 13 yards on one reception.
Montgomery played well behind backfield mate Jahmyr Gibbs as far as snap rate and opportunity count are concerned. He put the Lions on his back when it mattered most, however, with carries of 72 yards and 31 yards in the fourth quarter, the latter of which put the Lions up by 14 points with under two minutes to play as he found paint for the second time. The bulk of Montgomery’s fantasy value remains tied to his high touchdown expectancy in one of the league’s top offenses, making him a more difficult weekly start than others drafted around him this offseason.
Jared Goff completed 20-of-28 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown in the Lions’ 38-80, Week 3 win over the Lions, adding six yards on four carries.
Goff’s 28 pass attempts were a product of the team’s successes on the ground, with David Montgomery (151 yards and two touchdowns) and Jahmyr Gibbs (67 yards and two touchdowns) taking over the game in the second half. The veteran signal caller made numerous elite throws, the highlight of which came on fourth down with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when he dropped a dime into the bread basket of alpha wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. That drive would eventually culminate in a 31-yard Montgomery touchdown to push the lead to 14 points, a lead the Lions would not relinquish as they vault into a tie atop the NFC North with the Packers and Vikings. Up next for Goff and the Lions is a matchup against the surprisingly stout Cleveland defense in Week 4.
Ronald Acuña Jr. walloped his 19th home run of the season and walked three times, leading Atlanta to an 11-5 blowout win over the Nationals.
Acuña has caught fire down the home stretch following a prolonged slump coming out of the All-Star break, homering four times in his last 11 games. The 27-year-old generational talent took Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore deep in the opening frame and wound up reaching base safely in four of his six plate appearances in the one-sided affair. He’s looked like a fantasy superstar again of late, batting an absurd .346 (18-for-52) with four homers, 13 RBI and two steals over his last 15 games.
Nasim Nuñez went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in Monday’s blowout loss to Atlanta.
Nuñez walloped his first career leadoff homer when he took Atlanta ace Chris Sale deep to right field. It was his fourth round-tripper since returning to the big leagues back in early September. He came a few feet shy of his second big fly on the night a couple frames later and finished the one-sided affair with a season-high three hits, reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances. He’s shown enough down the home stretch to be considered a serious contender for an everyday role next spring.
Michael Harris II went 3-for-5 with three RBI and three stolen bases in Monday’s lopsided win over the Nationals.
Harris kicked off an impressive three-hit performance with a 109-mph line-drive to right field that brought home Ha-Seong Kim from second base in the second inning. He scorched a run-scoring single as part of Atlanta’s five-run outburst in the ensuing frame. He wasn’t done yet as he drove in another run on a fielder’s choice in the fourth before adding a sixth-inning single. The three steals matched his previous career-high mark set back on July 16, 2022 during his stellar rookie campaign. It also puts him one theft shy of reaching the 20-steal threshold for the third time in the last four seasons.
Chris Sale was charged with five runs over five innings on Monday in a win over the Nationals.
Sale received a touchdown and a two-point conversion worth of run support from Atlanta’s offense by the fifth inning and was cruising along, despite coughing up early solo homers to Nasim Nuñez and Dylan Crews, before Andrés Chaparro delivered a bases-clearing three-run single with two outs in the frame that slashed the deficit to three runs at the time. He managed to wriggle out of the jam without any further damage, finishing with six strikeouts and two walks in the shortened outing. He’ll close out the season on Sunday with a home matchup against the offensively challenged Pirates.