The defense position can ruin a season for fantasy players. Most leagues play with three-to-four DEF roster spots and most spend an early pick on one which can hurt your draft. Sometimes you’ll see defensemen get over drafted because there are only a handful who will finish near the top in scoring. In fact, none of them will finish near the top in scoring as only seven hit the 60 point mark last season. There were 21 forwards to score at least 80 points in 2017, so you’re really missing out on offensive players by taking one in the first couple rounds. Focus on getting a Top 10 d-man and maybe two in the Top 15 with some power play upside. Defensemen provide a lot of help in leagues with penalty minutes, hits and blocks. You can fill out the end of your draft with those types. The following defensemen profiles should help you make smart choices in those latter stages.
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Defensemen Profiles for Fantasy Hockey
Tyson Barrie, Colorado Avalanche
Fantasy Quality: strong fantasy asset with upside to be solid D2
Tyson Barrie scored a career-high 14 goals, 57 points and 30 power play points in 2017. Pretty impressive considering he only played 68 games. It was Barrie’s second 50-point season in the last four years, which included a 49-point campaign over that span. He makes for a solid D2 on your fantasy team and sometimes falls down draft boards.
Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks
Fantasy Quality: number one fantasy defenseman
Brent Burns has been a top fantasy defenseman over the past three seasons. He didn’t finish at the top last season, but he’s a good bet to each year. Even with the addition of Erik Karlsson, Burns will still log a lot of minutes and maybe he’ll get back into that 70-point column. Burns only had 12 goals and 67 points compared to two straight 20-goal and 70-point seasons prior to 2017. Burns has at least 245 shots in five straight seasons and at least 320 in his last three. If he’s not the first defenseman off the board, he should be the second.
Dustin Byfuglien, Winnipeg Jets
Fantasy Quality: touches a lot of fantasy categories
Dustin Byfuglien is one of the better all-around fantasy hockey defensemen out there. He only scored eight goals last season, which was only the second time in the last 11 seasons where he failed to scored double-digit goals. His 45 points from are the second-fewest he’s had in the last eight years, not including the lockout season. The Jets’ defenseman can easily get back into the double-digit goal column with 50-plus points. He’ll always chip in with hits, shots and blocks. He’s had at least 112 PIM in four straight seasons, 190 plus shots in five straight years and at least 180 hits in four of his past five seasons. Byfuglien already reached his peak in terms of production, but he’s still a steady contributor. There are not a lot of defenseman out there who can hit all categories like he does.
John Carlson, Washington Capitals
Fantasy Quality: decline likely; value in drafts
John Carlson led all defensemen with 68 points last season. He was drafted well outside the Top 10 at his position and finished second, depending on your format. Carlson contributed across the board (115 goals, 32 PPP, 237 shots and 146 blocks). The power play in Washington is deadly, and he’s been a big part of it for years which won’t change this season. His point total may decline considering he had fewer than 40 points in back-to-back seasons before last year, but he does have a 55-point season on the resume. He’s one of the better targets as he’s going outside the Top 10 at his position again this season. There’s no reason to think he can’t get 10 goals and another 50 points. It’s his career-high 33 power play points where you’ll see the biggest difference. He had 16 or fewer in three straight seasons prior.
Thomas Chabot, Ottawa Senators
Fantasy Quality: great best ball play; dynasty pick
Thomas Chabot didn’t blow anybody away with his nine goals and 25 points as a rookie but there were plenty of positive takeaways. Chabot showed his offensive upside with 94 shots and eight power play points. He played 13-to-14 minutes per game over the first three months of the season, compared to 20 minutes per game over the final two months. He’s in for a huge fantasy boost this season as the Senators traded Erik Karlsson. Chabot now enters his second NHL season on the top defensive pair and top power play unit. He’ll hurt you in plus/minus leagues, but all his counting stats will add up. You can spend a last round pick on him as your fourth defensemen. Chabot is a strong dynasty and best ball pick.
Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
Fantasy Quality: little value in redraft formats
This year’s first overall pick will get every chance to play in the NHL this season. The 18-year-old, 6-foot-3 defenseman can get up and down the ice with ease. Dahlin has offensive upside, and should get power play time on the second unit. He’s a better keeper and dynasty pick as opposed to redraft leagues. Expect 20-35 points and don’t be surprised if you see him share power play time on the top unit with Rasmus Ristolainen. The Rasmus boys are going to be a great duo for years to come.
Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
Fantasy Quality: very strong fantasy asset; Top 5 potential
Drew Doughty picked up a career-high 50 assists and 60 points last season, which was his 10th season in the NHL. Doughty is getting drafted in the Top 10 at his position, but he has Top 5 upside. Certainly the Kings paid him like a Top 5 defenseman (8-yr/$88M). Doughty is one of two defensemen in the Top 10 last season to have at least 200 shots, 100 hits and 100 blocks. He’s more valuable in those leagues, plus he’s had at least 18 power play points in his last four seasons. Ilya Kovalchuk will help that PP unit as well. On top that, Doughty led the NHL in ice time per game last season (26:50), and is a good bet to do the same this season.
Matt Dumba, Minnesota Wild
Fantasy Quality: solid fantasy target
Matt Dumba went from 11 goals to 15, and 34 points to 50 from 2016 to 2017. Dumba also had a career-high 136 hits, 12 power play points, 176 shots and while playing 23:49 per game. It was a big jump forward and the Wild locked him up to a five-year, $30 million contract. His price becomes a bit too much for those in salary cap leagues, but he can duplicate his season from a year ago no problem.
Alexander Edler, Vancouver Canucks
Fantasy Quality: undervalued asset
Alex Edler is an underrated fantasy hockey defenseman as he touches a lot of categories. Edler scored 34 points with 15 coming on the power play, which is not bad considering the team he plays on. He put 172 pucks on net, blocked 203 shots and had 157 hits. Edler played over 24 minutes per game last year and that won’t change in 2018. His usage rate will be high and makes for a very solid D4.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Arizona Coyotes
Fantasy Quality: solid D2 with upside to be D1
Oliver Ekman-Larsson is one of the few defenseman who can touch most categories for you. OEL finished with 14 goals and 42 points last season. He has double-digit goals and 39-plus points in five straight seasons. He also has at least 15 power play points in all five of those seasons. Ekman-Larsson has played at least 23 minutes per game in six straight seasons and has at least 199 shots in four seasons in the NHL. He’s also had at least 124 hits six times. Ekman-Larsson has the potential to get back in the 50-point club as the younger players improve and the acquisitions continue to pour in. There is one major negative for those who play in plus/minus leagues as he’s minus 53 over the last two seasons and has been in the minus for the last five seasons.
Ryan Ellis, Nashville Predators
Fantasy Quality: undervalued asset; strong late round target
Ryan Ellis is the third fantasy hockey asset on this Nashville blue line. He isn’t going anywhere either as the club locked him up to a eight-year deal with $50 million. Ellis is a fantasy stud, and makes for one of the better third or fourth defensemen on your team. He picked up 32 points in 44 games last season after recovering from offseason knee surgery. Ellis had 16 goals and 38 points in 71 games the year before. He was well on his way to a career season and likely will in 2018. Ellis chips in on the power play despite being on a team with P.K. Subban and Roman Josi. Ellis also contributes in shots and blocks categories.
Justin Faulk, Carolina Hurricanes
Fantasy Quality: bounce-back candidate
Justin Faulk had a very disappointing season last year and was available on the waiver wire for parts of the season. His 31 points were his lowest output since his 2012-13 season. His eight goals were his lowest total in five seasons and he was a career-worst -26. Faulk’s name was thrown around in plenty offseason trade rumors, but the team has decided to keep Faulk for now. Faulk could still get traded which would boost Dougie Hamilton’s value even more, but both are expected to split power play duties, and although they are right handed shots they could pair up on the same unit. Faulk still put up 200 plus shots last season, which was the third time he’s done that in the last four years. He also had 19 power play points in 2017.
Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
Fantasy Quality: underrated fantasy defenseman; touches all categories
Mark Giordano has failed to hit the 40-point mark in back-to-back seasons after scoring 40-plus in his previous three seasons. Giordano has still been productive over the last two seasons with 12 goals and 39 points in 2016-17 followed by 13 goals and 38 points last season. He’s had 160-plus blocks in three straight seasons and 200-plus shots in two of his last three campaigns. Giordano has had double-digit power play points in five straight seasons and it’ll likely be six in a row with the loss of Dougie Hamilton. Giordano should be on the number one power play unit and that gives him 50-point upside.
Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers
Fantasy Quality: Top 5 upside at his position
Shayne Gostisbehere is one of the better values in Fantrax’s salary cap setting. The Flyers’ defenseman has five years left at $4.5M per season and is coming off a career season in third season. The 25-year-old had 52 assists, 65 points and 33 power play points last season. Ghost is a beast on the power play as he’s registered 78 power play points in 218 games over his last three seasons. He struggled at times in his sophomore season, but saw an increase in ice-time (21:27) per game in 2017-18. 10-15 goals with 60-65 points and half off them coming on the power play is an extreme possibility. He’ll also give 240 combined shots and blocks.
Mike Green, Detroit Red Wings
Fantasy Quality: power play upside; injury risk; nothing more than a D4
Mike Green has had a fantastic career, but offers very little in the fantasy department anymore. Green only managed eight goals last season and has scored 10 or fewer in six of his last eight seasons. His 33 points and 66 games played were his lowest since the 2012-13 season. Green has battled injuries over the past couple season and is a minus-40 in his three years with Detroit. Green makes for an injury fill-in when healthy himself, and has the upside to be a number four defenseman for you in deeper leagues. He still has power play upside as he had 13 PPP in 2017-18.
Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
Fantasy Quality: solid target on the back-end
Dougie Hamilton wasn’t able to build off a career 50-point season in 2016-17 as he had six fewer points despite playing a career-high 21.32 minutes per game. Hamilton did improve on his 13 goals and 222 shots by scoring 17 times on 270 shots. He scored a career-high six power play goals and is certain to get more power play time in Carolina. Hamilton was sometimes buried in Calgary and that’s unlikely to be the case with the Hurricanes. His 270 shots would have led all Carolina skaters last season. He’s an offensive force who has had north of 80 hits twice over his six seasons.
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Fantasy Quality: Top 5 defenseman; could finish first at his position
Victor Hedman’s 63 points were the fifth most at the position last season, but it was nine fewer than he had the previous year. Hedman had a career-high 17 goals, 216 shots, 139 hits and 25:51 minutes per game in 2017. There’s still much more room to grow for the defenseman as he enters his 10th season in the NHL at age 27. He’s a fade in first rounds of drafts as you’re better off taking a player with 90-point potential within the first 15 picks. With that said, he’s a strong target if he falls late into the second or early third.
Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
Fantasy Quality: very strong fantasy defenseman
Seth Jones made a considerable jump in his sixth NHL season and third with Columbus. Jones played a career-high 24:36 last season and finished with career-highs across the board. The smooth skating defenseman had 16 goals, 57 points, 124 hits, 24 power play points and 249 shots. Jones had 15 more points, 17 more power play points and 97 more shots last season than his previous season. The minutes will continue to be there and he’s only going to improve. Jones will also remain on the top power play while playing for one of the better offensive teams in the league.
Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks
Fantasy Quality: strong fantasy asset; if not first off the board, second at position
Erik Karlsson is coming off his worst season since 2010-11, excluding his injured year in 2012 that saw him play only 17 games. Nine goals and 62 points is nothing to hang your head about, but by his standards it was a down season. Karlsson had 17 goals and 71 points the year before and hit the 82 point mark in 2015-16. Karlsson has been the consensus number one defenseman taken off the board over the last three drafts, but not this year. His eight fewer goals, nine fewer points, 81 fewer blocks, nine fewer power play points and 22 fewer shots have him as the third defenseman off the board on average. Karlsson is a good bet to bounce back especially with the trade to the San Jose Sharks. He may not get as much ice time, but his point totals will likely rebound. His 4.6 shooting percentage last season was the lowest since his rookie season. Karlsson has been above seven percent in six of his last seven season before last year. SJ has a lot of fantasy production to offer.
Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks
Fantasy Quality: could bounce back; nothing more than a D3
Duncan Keith was borderline droppable in fantasy last season. He has a career-worst -29 rating, his first season in the negative since 2010. Keith scored a career-low two goals and his 32-point season was the worst since his rookie campaign, excluding the lockout year. Keith is not really known for his scoring (fewer than 10 goals in 10 of his 13 seasons), but his 32-point total was a bit surprising. Keith played two fewer minutes per game last season than the previous year and was hardly a factor on the power play (10 points). He could bounce back to hit the 40-point total, but can no longer be considered a D1 or D2 for your team.
Oscar Klefbom, Edmonton Oilers
Fantasy Quality: bounce back candidate; strong late round target
Oscar Klefbom failed to improve on what was a career season in 2016-17. The Oilers’ defenseman went from 12 goals to five and 38 points to 21 in only 66 games compared to 82 two seasons ago. Klefbom’s 136 blocks were 10 shy of his career-high and his 203 shots were the most he’s had in a season. Klefbom’s year was cut short due to a shoulder injury which needed surgery, but he’ll have every opportunity to bounce back this season. He’ll also have every opportunity to play the point on the number one power play unit which is huge for his value. He won’t cost you a thing on draft day and he has a ton of upside. Look for him to get back to the 16 power play points he had in 2016-17.
John Klingberg, Dallas Stars
Fantasy Quality: solid D1 with huge ceiling; Fantrax salary cap asset
John Klingberg had a massive breakout season and finished second among defensemen with 67 points. He led all defensemen with 59 assists and had a career-high 23 power play points. Klingberg also played a career-high 24 minutes a night. He’s had at least 40 points in his first four seasons and has racked up 172 assists over that span. Klingberg has a fantastic contract which makes him one of the better steals in Fantrax’s salary cap league.
Torey Krug, Boston Bruins
Fantasy Quality: solid D2, power play upside
Torey Krug tied a career-high with 14 goals last season, but set a career mark with 59 points. He continues to improve offensively each season (39 points, to 44, to 51 to 59). He has at least 197 shots on goal in four straight seasons and 49 power play points in his last two seasons. He’s a top-10 defenseman who won’t get drafted as one so consider him a steal if he ends up on your team.
Nick Leddy, New York Islanders
Fantasy Quality: decent number 4 defenseman
Nick Leddy’s 42-point campaign had him tied for 23rd among defenseman in scoring last season. Depending on your format he was a top 25-30 defenseman. Leddy has hit the 40-point mark and double-digit power play point total in three straight seasons. He’s also scored double-digit goals in three of his four years with the Islanders. Like everybody else on this team, they will miss John Tavares’ presence on the power play. Ryan Pulock is on the rise and should be more of a target for you, but Leddy will still lead this back-end in ice time per game this season. He’s played north of 22 minutes a game for three straight seasons. Think of Leddy as someone who could be a third defenseman for you, but try to make him your fourth. It’s not an elite status, but Leddy provides hits, blocks and shots as well.
Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins
Fantasy Quality: injury risk; D1 upside
It was very encouraging to see Kris Letang return from a neck injury to play 79 games last season. Letang looked like his old self, scoring 51 points with 20 coming on the power play. Letang added 222 shots and now has at least 50 points in three of his last four seasons. When he plays, he’s a top 15 defenseman, but he’s missed over 100 games in the last five seasons. Not only will he provide points and shots, he contributes with hits and blocks as well. High risk, high reward. Don’t take him too early, though
Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
Fantasy Quality: solid all around prospect, some injury concern early on in career
Charlie McAvoy didn’t rack up a lot of power play points (seven), but he was an impressive plus-20 as a rookie with seven goals and 32 points. McAvoy threw his body around as well (133 hits), but only fired 77 pucks on net. That number one power play spot on the back-end belongs to Torey Krug, but McAvoy is a great keeper/dynasty play. He’s capable of playing heavy minutes and is a future 50-point guy. Think of him as a solid third or fourth defenseman with upside.
Jake Muzzin, Los Angeles Kings
Fantasy Quality: undervalued fantasy asset
Jake Muzzin is one of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL, especially in fantasy. Muzzin touches every category and is coming off a career-high 42 points. Muzzin potted eight goals and added 14 power play points. He only had 154 shots last year, but has had 170-plus shots in four of his past five seasons. He’s also had at least 160 hits in five straight seasons. Shots, hits, power play time, plenty of ice time and 40 point upside is what you’ll get with Muzzin. Make him one of your late round targets if you play with hits and shots.
Darnell Nurse, Edmonton Oilers
Fantasy Quality: underrated late round pick; fills categories
Darnell Nurse and the Edmonton Oilers agreed on a two-year, $6.4 million contract as NHL preseason opened up. Nurse set career-highs across the board in his third NHL season. Nurse finished last season with six goals, 26 points, 67 PIM, 161 hits, 153 bocks and 194 shots. He also checked in with a career-high 22:15 per game. He touches every category besides power play points. He’s one of the most underrated fantasy defensemen out there and is worthy of a late-round pick in leagues with hits, and blocks.
Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues
Fantasy Quality: breakout potential
Colton Parayko has been pretty consistent over his first three years in the NHL. He has 33, 35 and 35 points respectively. Parayko continues to get more and more ice time, though, and is in line for a breakout season. Parayko played 19 minutes per game as a rookie, 21 per game as a sophomore and he played 22 per game last season. He had nine power play points and has at least seven in all three seasons. The Blues’ defenseman hits all categories too: 212 shots, 120 hits, 141 blocks in 2017.
Jeff Petry, Montreal Canadiens
Fantasy Quality: strong late round candidate; touches all categories
In leagues with goals, assists, shots, special teams points, hits, blocks and takeaways, Jeff Petry finished as the fifth best defenseman last season. Petry benefited big time from the loss of Shea Weber, who is expected to miss the first three-to-four months of this season. Petry is not even getting drafted and that’s a huge mistake. Don’t think of the Canadiens as a team with scoring problems, think of a defenseman who will play 22 minutes a night with tons of power play time. Petry had a career-high 12 goals, 30 assists, 178 shots and 23 power play points in 2017. He also has a 338 hits and 283 blocks in the last two seasons. Not many will think of him as a top defenseman so you can draft him as your third and he’ll have the upside to be top-20 at his position. He had 22 points in first 49 games last season and 20 points in final 33.
Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
Fantasy Quality: strong fantasy target
Alex Pietrangelo scored a career-high 15 goals and 54 points last season. He also set career-highs in hits (164) and shots on goal (216). The loss of Kevin Shattenkirk increased Pietrangelo’s usage. He finished outside the Top 10 among fantasy defenseman in leagues with power play points and hits. Pietrangelo only had 13 power play points last season, but the Blues PP should be better in 2018. Pietrangelo’s 164 blocks were the 15th most last season. 2017 was not a fluke and he may improve on his overall numbers including PP production.
Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia Flyers
Fantasy Quality: strong target; touches a lot of categories
Ivan Provorov showed no signs of a sophomore slump last season scoring a career-high 17 goals and 41 points while chipping in with 148 hits, 169 blocks and 203 shots. He led Philly in ice-time per game (24:09) and can improve on his totals from 2017. The former seventh overall pick made a major jump in year two and has a very bright future ahead of him. Provorov touches a ton of categories and should be considered a high-end number two defenseman on your fantasy team. He has tremendous value in Fantrax’s salary cap format.
Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs
Fantasy Quality: strong upside pick
Morgan Rielly finished tied for 15th among dfensemen in scoring last season. His 52 points crushed his career-high of 36 set three seasons ago. Rielly had a career-high 46 assists and 24 on the power play. His power play point total were 20 more than he had in 2016-17 and 25 to 30 will certainly be attainable this coming season. Rielly is not known for his defensive game and is a career -70 in his five seasons, all of which have been minus seasons for him. With that said, he makes for a solid second defenseman for your team with room to grow.
Rasmus Ristolainen, Buffalo Sabres
Fantasy Quality: touches all categories; strong target
Many thought Rasmus Ristolainen would break out last season and he didn’t. Instead the Sabres’ defenseman managed only six goals and 41 points. He’s now hit at least 41 points in the last three seasons, though. Rasmus has the potential to take it to another level. Ristolainen touches all categories while playing heavy minutes. The Finnish defenseman averaged 26 minutes per game last season for the second straight year. He’s averaged 42 points, 23 power play points, 190 shots on goal, 180 hits and 136 blocks per season over his last three seasons. The former eighth overall pick will be entering year five in the league and it’ll likely be his best yet. Ristolainen is a category filler and should be a target of yours heading into drafts.
Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
Fantasy Quality: undervalued; strong target
Roman Josi sometimes gets forgotten about in Nashville with P.K. Subban getting a lot of the spotlight. If you’re playing in salary cap leagues, you can make the case for Josi being a much better asset as he makes five million less per season than Subban. Josi has scored at least 12 goals and 40 points in five straight seasons. He scored 14 goals and 53 points last year, while adding 20 power play points. He led all Predators’ defenseman with 253 shots in 2017 while playing 24 minutes a game. Subban will go first, but Josi is a nice consolation prize.
Kevin Shattenkirk, New York Rangers
Fantasy Quality: solid late round flyer with upside
Kevin Shattenkirk is working his way back from knee surgery that caused him to miss half of his first season with the Rangers. To say year one was a disappointment is an understatement. Shattenkirk scored five goals and 23 points in 46 games. Only 13 of those points were even strength, and he was a career-worst -14. He’s a great candidate to bounce back and is going late enough to take a shot on.
P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators
Fantasy Quality: strong target with Top 5 upside
P.K. Subban scored a career-high 16 goals last season and his 59 points were one of his career-best set in 2014-15. Subban touches a lot of fantasy categories and may go a bit higher than he should due to his name. Subban is a fine fantasy asset, however, as he had 207 shots, 82 penalty minutes, 111 hits, 90 blocks and 25 power play points. He’s had 100-plus hits and blocks five times in his career. Subban has hit the 200 shot total in three seasons now and he’s had at least 20 power play points in five seasons.
Ryan Sutter, Minnesota Wild
Fantasy Quality: underrated fantasy asset
Ryan Sutter is rock solid and sometimes gets passed over in fantasy drafts. Sutter played another 26 minutes a game last season and ended up with another 50 points. It was the third time in his last three years he’s hit the 50-point mark. Suter doesn’t provide a lot in the goal department, but has four 40-point seasons in his last five. Be cautious of his 23 power play points, though, as he only had 12 the season before and 22 of those 23 points were assists. He doesn’t seem flashy, but he can be productive for you.
Sami Vatanen, New Jersey Devils
Fantasy Quality: decent number 4 defenseman for fantasy teams
Sami Vatanen only played 57 games with the New Jersey Devils last season, but they were an impressive 57 games. Vatanen was traded from Anaheim after just 15 games in which he had one goal and four points. It was a slow start, but Vatanen has always shown offensive upside especially on the power play. The move to NJ not only gave Vatanen more ice time overall (22 mpg as opposed to 21), but more on the power play. Vatanen scored 28 points with the Devils and 11 came on the man advantage. There is still room to grow, but the Devils don’t score a lot and SM is nothing more than a fourth defenseman.
Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
Fantasy Quality: last round pick in leagues with IR slots; boost in hits, blocks and shots
Shea Weber was still a solid fantasy defenseman in his first season with the Canadiens. He scored 17 goals, had 42 points, 140 hits, 22 power play points and 183 shots. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to improve on that season as he spent most of last season sidelined with a fractured foot. In fact, Weber played 26 games on that foot before deciding to shut it down for the rest of the season. Things don’t look better for him in year three since the P.K. Subban trade, as Weber will be sidelined for the first three-to-four months of the season due a knee injury. He’s only worthy of a last round pick in a deep league with a couple IR spots. If you play with hits, shots and blocks he’ll be a great asset when he returns, so keep an eye on his time frame. In the meantime, Jeff Petry gets a huge boost.
Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
Fantasy Quality: strong late round pick with upside
Zach Werenski had a career-high 16 goals in his sophomore season, but scored 10 fewer points overall. 37 points and 10 on the power play was a bit of a let down compared to the 47 and 24 PPP as a rookie. Seth Jones stepped his game up and Werenski took a back seat. That doesn’t mean Werenski doesn’t have value. In fact, he’s one of the better late-round targets in drafts as he still has the upside to be a D3 for your team. He has 395 shots in his first two seasons and 182 blocks. He’ll fill out categories and people are down on him after not improving in year two. The power play upside is there as well.
Keith Yandle, Florida Panthers
Fantasy Quality: value in drafts; solid point producer
Keith Yandle was quietly very good last season as he topped his 41-point total in year one with Florida by putting up 56 points in 2017. Yandle tied a career-high with 48 assists and his eight goals were the most he’s had in six seasons. He doesn’t provide an outrageous amount of blocks, hits or penalty minutes, but if you’re playing with just points and power play points he’s a borderline Top-12 defenseman. He won’t get drafted as one either. Yandle has had 20-plus power play assists four times in his career and has 33 in two campaigns with Florida.
Did you find these defensemen profiles to be useful? Look for more fantasy hockey profiles in the coming days and stay tuned in to all of our Fantasy Hockey content as the regular season gets underway.