Frozen Fantasy: Category Targets

I will make this short and sweet. The stretch drive is on and categories are tight.

You need to be aggressive to make up ground.

This week, I'm playing in a consolation game after getting knocked out of the quarterfinals in Friends and Family last week. That's why I dropped Tyson Barrie, the fifth leading scorer from the blueline, for Anthony Duclair.

I needed more offensive power. Edmonton had just two games this week.

Bu-bye, Barrie. You can't help me on my bench.

And Sunday morning, I will dump three guys that aren't playing that day, no matter who they are. So I can add guys that will let me make a run at goalie points and SOG. Period.

I am finishing with a win and those two will secure my current lead.

So get ruthless. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, or so said Jim Kaat, perhaps the best-fielding pitcher in MLB history.

You either go for it and win. Or simply lose.

Let's take a look at who caught my eye this week.

Multi-Category Guys

Sam Bennett, LW/RW/C, Florida (44 percent Yahoo!)[Goals/Hits/FOW] – The trade was a get-out-of-jail card for Bennett, who has exploded in the Sunshine State. Wow. Four games, five points, 15 hits and a plus-6 rating. New opportunity, new outlook, new future? This fourth-overall pick finally looks the part and might just earn a solid new contract from the kitties. Snag Bennett if he's out there – he went from being available in 97 percent of leagues to 56 in a matter of days. 

Sam Reinhart, C/RW, Buffalo (45 percent Yahoo!) [Goals/SOG/FOW] – Reinhart's hattie Friday night gave him five goals in his last four games. On 14 shots. And he padded his value with 20 face-off wins. Reinhart has quietly taken a step forward this year. It's the fifth time in six seasons he's hit 20 goals, except this time he's done it in only 46 games. Just beware his abysmal plus-minus if you play that category. Reinhart is minus-25 and has never recorded a plus season.

Jaccob Slavin, D, Carolina (27 percent Yahoo!) [SOG/Hits/Blocks/Plus-Minus] – Slavin led all defenders with 15 SOG from Friday-to-Friday and also contributed solid results across the board in a lot of non-standard categories. Try a plus-5 rating, five hits and eight blocks. He's an unsung stud on the back end that'd be a perennial Norris candidate if he could deliver 45 points. He doesn't – Slavin is too focused on being a shutdown guy. But his game can help yours in sneaky ways.

Assists

Anthony Duclair, LW/RW/C, NY Rangers (26 percent Yahoo!) – Like Bennett, the 25-year-old Duclair appears to have finally found a fit in the Sunshine State. People forget about his strong production last year in Ottawa, but he's hard to miss in Florida. Duclair had a five-game, eight-point streak (two goals, six assists) snapped Thursday night. He, Bennett and Jonathan Huberdeau have incredible chemistry and they hold the puck like there's Velcro on their sticks. Huberdeau is unavailable and Bennett is quickly becoming untouchable, too. But Duclair might be out there and his value is just as good right now.

Carson Soucy, D, Minnesota (3 percent Yahoo!) – Soucy is quietly having a career year. Projected over a full season, he'd be a 30-35 point guy with 100 hits, 80 blocks and possibly a league-elite plus-30 or 35. Right now, which is impressive given it's his second full year. Short term, Soucy has three helpers and a plus-5 rating in his last four games heading into Saturday. Bare minimum, he needs to be a name you file away for seasons to come. Guys like Soucy could deliver Ryan Suter-like seasons and we both know how valuable that is.

Goals

Luke Kunin, RW/C, Nashville (2 percent Yahoo!) – Kunin's big step forward this season got derailed by a month-long injury absence. But he's now healthy, riding shotgun on the second line and is suddenly putting up goals. He's scored in three straight games heading into Sunday and has four points, 12 hits and 10 SOG in that span. Kunin can't be trusted yet, but a streak is a streak. And at this time of the season, that's pretty much all that matters.

Jakub Vrana, LW, Detroit (49 percent Yahoo!) – Like you, I cringed when that Anthony Mantha-Vrana deal went down. Aside from a WTF for the Caps, I feared Vrana's value would plummet with the Wings. Man, was I wrong. Vrana's four-goal outburst was pure skill and he has five in four games in his new uni. He and Filip Zadina are going to be a powerhouse for a lot of years. Right now, Vrana is worth a roll of the dice as the fantasy season draws close to a close. He might explode again at any time.

FOW

Casey Mittelstadt, C/LW/RW, Buffalo (21 percent Yahoo!) – The man ruined by the Sabres could finally be finding his groove. No, he's not the player he was hyped to be after that glorious World Junior performance. But Mittelstadt is a capable middle-six pivot with versatility. And gets a lot action at the dot despite losing more face-offs than he wins. He won 43 Friday-to-Friday and that was behind only Aleksander Barkov, Sidney Crosby and Mika Zibanejad in the entire NHL. That's elite production if you need to stack that category.

SOG

Jack Hughes, LW/C, New Jersey (40 percent Yahoo!) – Hughes has fired at least four shots in each of his last five games and 23 total in that span. Prior to that? He had just 102 in his first 42 games. Something has fired him up and we all need to take advantage. They weren't empty shots, either – he picked up two snipes and two helpers in those five games. Sure, young guys can be inconsistent, but Hughes' pedigree suggests this is just the tip of his potential. Plus his multi-position qualification gives you plenty of roster flexibility.

Goalies

Devan Dubnyk, G, Colorado (42 percent Yahoo!) – Great team. Talented. You need to put him on your roster. Sure, Ryan O'Reilly made him look silly with a slick backhand top cheddar on Saturday. But Double-D is a must add if you need help in your blue paint.

Braden Holtby, G, Vancouver (42 percent Yahoo!) – I pushed Holtby out of my dynasty nest last season – his year-over-year decline was too much for me, so I sold on name alone. His start this year seemed to validate my decision. But maybe I judged too soon. Holtby has been brilliant post-COVID. He beat Toronto twice and only allowed five goals to that potent offense. Vancouver's goalie coach, Ian Clark, is the best in the business – flat out brilliant, if you ask me. He's teaching Holtby to be more controlled in his movements, to rely less on pure athleticism. The goalie struggled to start the year, but he finally looks calm and controlled right now. Like he's figuring it all out. Holtby has a lot to prove before season's end, so his numbers could be good. Very good, regardless of Thatcher Demko's presence. 

Back to category targets.

Go for it. I am.

If Andrei Vasilevskiy isn't in net Sunday, he's no good to me.

There is no tomorrow in that league. In other leagues, I can't dump a guy that valuable. But I won't hesitate to blow off a stud the moment he plays his last game next week, especially if he only has two games.

A close loss is still a loss. Fantasy hockey ain't horseshoes.

Until next week.