2018 Fantasy Hockey Injury Report: December 11
Published: Dec 11, 2018
Welcome to the Fantasy Hockey Injury Report. Once a week, we’ll take a look at some injuries around the league that may affect your fantasy hockey team. Injuries will always happen and you can’t predict when, but it’s important to be ready for the aftermath and to have a plan ready. Let’s take a look and some players who are on the shelf for the upcoming week and beyond.
Artem Anisimov - Chicago Blackhawks - Center
Injury: concussion, day-to-day.
Forward Artem Anisimov suffered a concussion Sunday against the Montreal Canadiens and he is unlikely to play Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets. The team hasn’t said if Anisimov would miss more than one game, but it’s likely that he’s out for at least a week.Concussions are one of those injuries where you can’t put a real timetable on when a player may be ready to return, so this could be a short-term injury, or one that last months. For now, Anisimov can be dropped.
Jake DeBrusk - Boston Bruins - Winger
Injury: upper-body, day-to-day.
The Bruins’ forward has already missed two games with an upper-body injury and there’s a good chance that he misses a third one tonight. The team hasn’t come out and confirmed what the upper-body injury is, but it’s believed to be a concussion. He took a puck to the head on November 26, but managed to finish the game. The team is take the necessary precautions needed to make sure their young winger comes back at 100%. For fantasy owners, DeBrusk can be dropped if you need the extra roster spot. In deeper leagues, maybe wait a couple of more days to see if the 22-year-old is close to a return.
Curtis McElhinney - Carolina Hurricanes - Goalie
Injury: lower-body, no timetable.
Just as McElhinney was starting to get into a grove, he goes down with a lower-body injury. The team hasn’t confirmed what the injury might be, but there is no timetable for his return, which usually isn’t a good sign. Until we have more information, it’s best to take a “wait and see†approach. Once we get a clear idea of how serious the injury may be, fantasy owners can decide if it’s best to hold onto him, or move on from him.
Jordan Staal - Carolina Hurricanes - Center
Injury: concussion, out indefinitely.
Concussions seem to be the injury of the week. Jordan Staal is the latest victim and the team has come out and said there is no timetable for his return. The 30-year-old has collected 11 points (5G, 6A) in 27 games so far this season. He’s a borderline fantasy hockey relevant player, so there’s no need to hold onto him if he is part of your roster. There are lots of options on the waiver wire to replace him.
Matt Duchene -Ottawa Senators - Center
Injury: Lower-body, out indefinitely.
It hasn’t been a great year to be an Ottawa Senators fan, and it just got even worse with the loss of Matt Duchene. The centerman is expected to miss multiple weeks with a groin injury. The team hasn’t come out to say if Duchene would need surgery, so many are hoping this injury heals on its own with some rest. The 27-year-old was having himself a season, collecting 34 points (12G, 22A) in 29 games. For fantasy owners, this is a tough blow. The Ontario native was a steal at the draft and was becoming a key player in most lineups. It’s impossible to replace Duchene’s production via the waiver wire, so let’s just hope that the multiple weeks is limited to just two or three and not six or seven.
Bobby Ryan - Ottawa Senators - Winger
Injury: concussion, no timetable.
Let’s keep the concussion theme going. Bobby Ryan is the latest victim to be diagnosed with a concussion and the team has stated that they have no timetable for his return. If for some reason Ryan was on your fantasy hockey team, you can drop him and never claim him again. He isn’t the player he once was and his production hasn’t been there for a couple of years now. The veteran forward is a loss for the Senators, but it may also be a blessing for fantasy owners who were still hoping for Ryan to find his offence again. Let go and move on!
Anthony Mantha - Detroit Red Wings - Winger
Injury: hand, four-to-six weeks.
The Red Wings have confirmed that their talented young winger will be out about four-to-six weeks with a broken hand. Mantha was having himself a slow start to the season, collecting just 14 points (9G, 5A) in 27 games, before breaking his hand. Expectations for Mantha were high coming into this season, but it looks like he will fall well short of those expectations. In redraft leagues, If you can’t afford to keep Mantha on the bench, you can drop him. When it comes to hand injuries, recovery tends to be longer than expected.
Antti Raanta - Arizona Coyotes - Goalie
Injury: lower-body, out for season
We finally have some closure on Antti Raanta. The Arizona goalie is expected to miss the rest of the season with a lower-body injury. The team has come out and confirmed that it is “likely†that he won’t return this year, but at this point, it’s best to move on from him. There were really high expectations for Raanta coming into the season, and sadly, injuries took all those expectations away. The team has said that after doing a procedure, it was determined that more damage was found than previously expected. The goaltending situation in Arizona is already a mess, but at least now fantasy owners can drop Raanta and look forward to drafting him again next season with the same high expectations.
Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.