…because at this point in the season, it’s where you’ll find the idle mind.
As a sophomore in college in 1982, the new kids on the block came into my existence. Now I’d have a team I could call my own. A hockey team from Jersey…
Little could I know that 41 years later, I’d find myself here.
And just like Blake and his Canucks and Nate and Josh with their Leafs and Binksy with his Stars, maybe I could have a dance partner too.
It’s always a tricky (Schm)waltz with the devil to write a fantasy hockey article on a Sunday. You’re trying to straddle the fence of getting it done without upsetting the fantasy gods should you be winning your matchup(s).
For the first time this year, I have a chance of winning all three of my weekly matchups. I’ve been close, but could this be the week? Shh!
A dance with the Devils to be sure.
My Leagues:
1. Yahoo Points League: My home league. Ten teams so there’s always a nice selection of free agents available.
2. Apples and Ginos Listener League 2: Again a Yahoo points league but with “banger weighting,” i.e, hits and blocks. This has been a challenge, but a fun challenge. Deep league (12 teams) and with 16 roster spots, you have to get creative. The margins between teams are much slimmer so you always seem to have a shot in any given weekly matchup.
3. Yahoo Categories League: Being partial to Yahoo, I like playing in a Yahoo Public League with Categories. It gives me a chance to see how the same players can have different rankings across leagues depending on that league’s settings. In my view, it sharpens your managerial skills.
Players and Comments:
Here are five for fighting…perhaps for?
No streaming options for the upcoming week here. For those, you’ll have to tune in to the Apples and Ginos podcast. As noted over and over again, the boys do the deep digging to give you their recommendations to maximize your rosters. I look forward to tuning in to each episode and it has made THE difference for me over the past two seasons.
Because we’re at the one quarter mark into the season, I’d like to take a few moments to talk about a few select players I’ve rostered on my teams. The hope is that you’ll find some value and perspective.
Timo Meier: This is not good folks. And yes, I’m concerned.
Timo has been the bane of our collective fantasy team existences. Three seasons ago, I randomly added Timo off the waiver wire. This was my pre-Apples and Ginos and I sorta know what I’m doing life. Since then, I haven’t looked back. (I have peeked though. Especially this year).
Being a Devils fan, I was over the moon when he was traded to New Jersey and signed long term. Admittedly, I had my reservations especially from a fantasy perspective. He would no longer be the only game in town and his days of being a big fish in a small pond were probably over. As Nate and Blake are wont to remind me, I would now have to temper my expectations. But I’m a fan and I’m hanging on.
Still, as of this writing (Sunday night December 10, 2023), something is off here.
There’s been plenty of speculation about what is going on with Timo. From losing the coach’s favor, to a more lingering injury than previously thought, to perhaps even being a bit of a non fit especially in the locker room. Who’s to say?
Even so, like many of you I’ve got no choice.
So hang in there Timo owners. Temper your expectations, but the season is not yet over. Not by a long shot (that is what I’m supposed to be telling myself here, right?).
Filip Forsberg: Another of my core players for the past three seasons. Like Meier, I picked up Forsberg off of waivers and I remember exactly the where and when. A little lesson on setting perhaps? Remember, it’s time AND place. Anyway, while waiting for my daughter to fly east for the holidays, I had some time in my car while trying to stay warm in the parking lot at Newark Airport. What to do? Go on to the Yahoo Fantasy App of course. Like I don’t live on it anyway?! And there was The Stache just lurking. Two seasons ago he went bananas. Last year, while fighting injuries, he tailed off. This year? Perhaps the most underrated player in all of fantasy, he’s off to a torrid start. If he stays healthy, he’s a must roster in both points and category leagues. One of my favorite players in fantasy.
Patrik Laine: You ever notice that it’s never players like Nathan MacKinnon nor David Pastrnak that get the Holy Grail of triple eligibility. Instead we get Laine. Drafted and traded for in two of my leagues, I’m reluctant to part ways with this fantasy unicorn. And even with the Blue Jackets overall team woes and lousy Week 10 schedule, I’m holding on while holding my nose. He’s a maddening player to roster, especially so far this year, but I have to be there for him. The question is whether or not he’ll be there for me…
Evan Bouchard: As far as I’m concerned, he’s exceeded my expectations up to this point in the season. My first overall defenseman drafted in my home league, I was banking on the Oilers to pick up where they left off last year. And while I had concerns initially, Bouch has delivered with huge minutes, lots of points, and peripheral scoring. He’s one of those few fantasy players doing what everyone was hoping for on draft day. It’s funny because now that I’m thinking about it, why does it seem that we mostly obsess over our misses? Is it because there appear to be more of them than the hits? In all honesty though, if you’ve been even somewhat successful in fantasy, I’d bet you have more hits. Sort of like the knock on meteorologists; we only remember the times that they’re wrong. And yet…
Finally, let’s queue up some…
Niko Mikkola: Niko Mikkola?! What are you, The Nutty Professor? Yes, the Florida Panther defenseman is a deep league with blocks and hits play, but I’m using Mikkola as a sort of metaphor for this type of player. The kind that get good deployment and have relatively solid point floors. In deeper leagues, the margin between winning and losing a weekly matchup can be quite thin therefore you need to jam pack your rosters. Over the past two weeks, I’ve done my best to determine the holes in my rosters and to plug those holes with players who meet a profile of a Niko Mikkola. And you should too. It’s often the difference between a win and a loss.
Thanks for reading and I hope this article helps.
Mike@TheFantasyHockeyProfessor
Apples and Ginos 