Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
It’s almost September, which means that it’s almost that time of year when fantasy hockey drafts are held. The Washington Capitals had four players in Yahoo Sports’s top 100 players. On Friday, ESPN released their list of the top 300 NHL players for fantasy purposes. Yes, ESPN does apparently care about hockey.
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On ESPN’s list, the Caps have nine players, tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Anaheim Ducks led the way with 12 players on the list while the Dallas Stars had 11.
Leading the way atop ESPN’s list, to the surprise of no one, is Washington Capitals right wing and captain Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin is turning 30 this season, but he’s still the best goal scorer in the league. He’s earned that title and until someone wrestles it away from him, he’s going to continue to be your best fantasy hockey option.
Falling just outside the top 20 are two Washington Capitals stars. Braden Holtby placed 21st (third among goalies) and Nicklas Backstrom placed 28th (eleventh among centers). Holtby is definitely a goalie who you should target for your fantasy team because he’s going to get you wins. I don’t agree with it, but that’s a stat that really counts in fantasy hockey. He’s also going to save a bunch of shots. Backstrom isn’t going to give you too many goals unless he starts shooting the puck more, but he is going to pad your stats with a ton of assists. Check how your fantasy league scores power play points. If their value is higher than regular assists, Backstrom is a borderline top 20 player.
The only other Washington Capitals player in the top 100 is T.J. Oshie, who came in at number 45 (10th among right wings). If he receives the privilege to play alongside Ovechkin and Backstrom on the first forward line and gets the honor to take over Troy Brouwer‘s spot on the first power play unit, Oshie is bound to have a career year.
Coming in at 113 is John Carlson (14th among defensemen). This one I don’t really get. I get that defensemen aren’t nearly as valuable as forwards are in fantasy hockey. Why I don’t get is how there are 13 defensemen projected to be more productive than him. He’s in the prime of his career, he’s coming off a career season and he didn’t even get much time on the Washington Capitals first power play unit during said career season. He should be a top 10 defenseman, IMO.
Coming in at 136 is second line center Evgeny Kuznetsov (41st among centers). That’s right around where he should be. However, thanks to a very strong performance in the playoffs, everyone knows what he’s capable of. He could go quite high in most fantasy leagues. To be honest, he’s not worth drafting before at least the 10th round (at least not yet). That depends on the size of your league as well.
New acquisition and three time Stanley Cup Champion Justin Williams is ranked 186th (36th among right wings). He had a bit of a down year last year, but it wasn’t that much of a down year because his lack of points was largely due to a low individual point percentage. If that rises, he’ll get you points because he’ll likely be playing alongside Kuznetsov. Until the day that possession stats are incorporated into fantasy hockey, Williams is the kind of player who is valued more in real hockey than fantasy.
Ranked at number 200 is Washington Capitals left wing Marcus Johansson (47th among left wings). Coming off a breakout season, this is a pretty accurate ranking for Johansson. His role at even strength is still largely unknown, but what is known is that he’s going to be getting playing time on the first power play unit. Playing on the Washington Capitals power play is like being picked to be in the same group as a bunch of smart kids in school. It’s almost going to be impossible for you to NOT do well. MoJo is a solid late round option.
The final member of the Caps on ESPN’s list is defenseman Matt Niskanen, who is ranked 270th (49th among defensemen). Nisky is a solid late round option.
The only player who I think was snubbed is Andre Burakovsky. With consistent playing time, he could rack up fantasy points for you. I highly recommend drafting him. Tom Wilson could be worth a last round flyer as well. He racks up hits and this year, he might just rack up points. He also provides you with penalty minutes, which your league might count.
Next: Five Reasons The Caps Could Win It All In 2015