LestersLegends.com

Photo Courtesy of Shelly Castellano ICON SMI

Need some help with your fantasy hockey team? You’ve come to the right place. Try these hot players on for size.

In Need of Goals
Mike Modano, C, Dallas Stars
4 goals last week with 1 assist, a +4 plus/minus rating, 1 power play point, 11 shots on goal, 31 face-offs won
5 percent Yahoo! ownership

Sergei Samsonov, LW, Carolina Hurricanes
3 goals last week with 1 assist, a +4 rating, and 6 shots on goal
4 percent Yahoo! ownership

Jussi Jokinen, LW, Carolina Hurricanes
3 goals last week with a +1 rating, 1 power play point, 11 shots on goal, and 2 face-offs won
35 percent Yahoo! ownership

In Need of Assists
Alexei Ponikarovsky, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs
4 assists last week with 1 goal, a +1 rating, 1 power play point, 6 shots on goal and 1 face-off won
55 percent Yahoo! ownership

Valtteri Filppula, C, Detroit Red Wings
4 assists last week with a +1 rating, 2 power play points, 4 shots on goal, and 22 face-offs won
7 percent Yahoo! ownership

Tom Kostopoulos, RW, Carolina Hurricanes
4 assists last week with a +3 rating, 6 shots on goal, and 1 face-off won
1 percent Yahoo! ownership

T.J. Galiardi, LW, Colorado Avalanche
4 assists last week with 1 goal, a +4 rating, 2 short-handed points, 9 shots on goal, and 2 face-offs won
1 percent Yahoo! ownership

In Need of +/- Rating
Tom Poti, D, Washington Capitals
+6 rating, 3 assists, 6 shots on goal
14 percent Yahoo! ownership

Keith Yandle, D, Phoenix Coyotes
+5 rating, 2 goals, 1 assist, 1 power play point, 6 shots on goal
49 percent Yahoo! ownership

Andrew Alberts, D, Carolina Hurricanes
+5 rating, 1 goal, 3 assists, 4 shot on goal
Less than 1 percent Yahoo! ownership

Steve Downie, RW, Tampa Bay Lighting
+4 rating, 3 assists, 8 shots on goal
35 percent Yahoo! ownership

+4 rating mentioned above: Mike Modano, Sergei Samsonov, T.J. Galiardi

In Need of Power Play Points
Jason Demers, D, San Jose Sharks
3 power play points, 2 goals, 2 assists, -1 rating, 8 shots on goal
5 percent Yahoo! ownership

In Need of Face-offs Won
Vernon Fiddler, LW, Phoenix Coyotes
35 face-offs won, 2 assists, -2 rating, 6 shots on goal
2 percent Yahoo! ownership

Eric Belanger, C, Minnesota Wild
33 face-offs won, 2 assists, even rating, 1 power play point, 13 shots on goal
6 percent Yahoo! ownership

Michael Handzus, C, Los Angeles Kings
33 face-offs won, 1 goal, 1 assist, +2 rating, 1 power play point, 4 shots on goal
5 percent Yahoo! ownership

In Need of Goalie Help
Brian Elliott, Ottawa Senators
2 wins, 1.46 goals against average, .950 save percentage
51 percent Yahoo! ownership

Josh Harding, Minnesota Wild
2 wins, 2.34 goals against average, .925 save percentage, 1 shutout
4 percent Yahoo! ownership

Alex Auld, Dallas Stars
2 wins, 2.95 goals against average, .892 save percentage
9 percent Yahoo! ownership

Antero Niittymaki, Tampa Bay Lighting
2 wins, 0.65 goals against average, .978 save percentage, 1 shutout
29 percent Yahoo! ownership

Jose Theodore, Washington Capitals
2 wins, 1.50 goals against average, .957 save percentage
55 percent Yahoo! ownership

Photo Courtesy of Shelly Castellano ICON SMI

Need some help with your fantasy hockey team? You’ve come to the right place. Try these hot players on for size.

In Need of Goals
Benoit Pouliot, LW, Montreal Canadiens
4 goals last week, +3 plus/minus rating, 2 power play points, 16 shots on goal
16 percent Yahoo! ownership

Scottie Upshaw, RW, Phoenix Coyotes
4 goals, 1 assist, +2 rating, 1 power play point, 13 shots on goal
15 percent Yahoo! ownership

Sam Gagner, C, Edmonton Oilers
3 goals, +1 rating, 1 power play point, 14 shots on goal, 15 face-offs won
12 percent Yahoo! ownership

In Need of Assists
Jussi Jokinen, LW, Carolina Hurricanes
5 assists, 2 goals, +2 rating, 4 power play points, 6 shots on goal, 2 face-offs won
24 percent Yahoo! ownership

Tomas Fleischmann, LW/RW, Washington Capitals
4 assists, 1 goal, +2 rating, 2 power play points, 7 shots on goal, 17 face-offs won
44 percent Yahoo! ownership

Ruslan Fedotenko, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins
4 assists, +1 rating, 1 power play point, 6 shots on goal
5 percent Yahoo! ownership

In Need of +/- Rating
Paul Kariya, LW, St. Louis Blues
+5 rating, 1 goal, 2 assists, 12 shots on goal
22 percent Yahoo! ownership

Shaone Morrisonn, D, Washington Capitals
+4 rating, 3 assists, 1 shot on goal
1 percent Yahoo! ownership

T.J. Oshie, C, St. Louis Blues
+4 rating, 1 goal, 2 assists, 4 shots on goal, 20 face-offs won
8 percent Yahoo! ownership

In Need of Power Play Points
Jussi Jokinen, LW, Carolina Hurricanes
Already mentioned.

Peter Regin, C, Ottawa Senators
3 power play points, 1 goal, 2 assists, -1 rating, 6 shots on goal, 19 face-offs won
1 percent Yahoo! ownership

Marc-Andre Bergeron, D, Montreal Canadiens
3 power play points, 3 assists, +1 rating, 3 shots on goal

In Need of Face-offs Won
Antoine Vermette, C, Columbus Blue Jackets
35 face-offs won, 2 goals, 1 assist, -1 rating, 7 shots on goal
22 percent Yahoo! ownership

Scott Gomez, C, New York Rangers
34 face-offs won, 1 goal, 2 assists, +1 rating, 9 shots on goal,
47 percent Yahoo! ownership

In Need of Goalie Help
Brian Elliot, Ottawa Senators
3 wins, 1.00 goals against average, .965 save percentage, 1 shutout
33 percent Yahoo! ownership

Ty Conklin, St. Louis Blues
2 wins, 1.46 goals against average, .958 save percentage, 1 shutout
24 percent Yahoo! ownership

Antero Niittymaki, Tampa Bay Lightning
2 wins, 1.39 goals against average, .950 save percentage
23 percent Yahoo! ownership

Photo Courtesy of Shelly Castellano ICON SMI

Need some help with your fantasy hockey team? You’ve come to the right place. Try these hot players on for size.

In Need of Goals
Antti Miettinen, RW, Minnesota Wild
Miettinen had six points last week (4 goals, 2 assists) with a -2 plus/minus rating. He added two power play points, nine shots on goal, and won a face-off. Antti is owned in 5 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Raffi Torres, LW, Columbus Blue Jackets
Torres had 3 goals last week with a -2 rating. He had 13 shots on goal. Raffi is owned in 4 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Brandon Dubinsky, C, New York Rangers
Dubinsky had five points last week (3 goals, 2 assists) with a +4 rating. He added a power play point, a short-handed point, ten shots on goal, and won 23 face-offs. Brandon is owned in 23 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Rostislav Olesz, LW, Florida Panthers
Rostislav had four points (3 goals, assist) last week with a +2 rating. He had a power play point and four shots on goal. Olesz is owned in 3 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Guillaume Latendresse, LW/RW, Minnesota Wild
Latendresse also had four points (3 goals, assist) last week with a +2 rating last week. He had a power play point and 12 shots on goal. Guillaume is owned in 29 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

In Need of Assists
Manny Malhotra, C, San Jose Sharks
Malhotra had five points last week (1 goal, 4 assists) with a +5 rating. He had two power play points, 9 shots on goal, and won 31 face-offs. Manny is owned in 1 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Anton Stralman, D, Columbus Blue Jackets
Stralman had 4 assists last week with a -2 rating. He added three power play points and 11 shots on goal. Anton is owned in 12 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Valterri Filppula, C, Detroit Red Wings
Filppula also had four assist last week, but had a +2 rating. He had two power play points, nine shots on goal, and won 26 face-offs.

In Need of +/- Rating
Chris Phillips, D, Ottawa Senators
Phillips had a +7 rating, two points (goal, assist), and four shots on goal. He’s owned in 2 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Luke Schenn, D, Toronto Maple Leafs
Schenn had a +5 rating, two points (goal, assist), and one shot on goal. He’s owned in 2 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Jay Leach, D, San Jose Sharks
Phillips had a +5 rating, one assist, and six shots on goal. He’s owned in less than 1 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Manny Malhotra, C, San Jose Sharks
Already mentioned. +5 rating last week.

In Need of Power Play Points
Anton Stralman, D, Columbus Blue Jackets
Already mentioned. Three power play points last week.

In Need of Face-Offs Won
Antoine Vermette, C, Columbus Blue Jackets
Vernette won 43 face-offs last week. He added two assists, a -2 rating, and five shots on goal. Antoine is owned in 22 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Kyle Chipchura, C, Anaheim Ducks
Chipchura won 39 face-offs last week. He added an assist, a -1 rating, and three shots on goal. Kyle is owned in less than 1 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

In Need of Goalie Play
Jose Theodore, Washington Capitals
Theodore won four games last week with a 1.68 goals against average, and a .951 save percentage. He’s owned in 47 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Mike Brodeur, Ottawa Senators
Brodeur won two games last week with a 1.00 goals against average, and a .969 save percentage. He’s owned in 10 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Rick DiPietro, New York Islanders
DiPietro won two games last week with a 0.96 goals against average, and a .962 save percentage. He’s owned in 32 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Brian Elliott, Ottawa Senators
Elliots won two games last week with a 1.00 goals against average, and a .962 save percentage. He’s owned in 15 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Photo Courtesy of Shelly Castellano ICON SMI

Need some help with your fantasy hockey team? You’ve come to the right place. Try these hot players on for size.

In Need of Goals
Patric Hornqvist, RW, Nashville Predators: 4 goals last week, 36 percent Yahoo ownership

Kyle Okposo, RW, New York Islanders: 4 goals last week, 35 percent Yahoo ownership

Rob Schremp, C, New York Islanders: 3 goals last week, 1 percent Yahoo ownership

Eric Belander, C, Minnesota Wild: 3 goals last week, 6 percent Yahoo ownership

Guillaume Latendresse, RW/LW, Minnesota Wild: 3 goals last week, 12 percent Yahoo ownership

Tyler Myers, D, Buffalo Sabres: 3 goals last week, 36 percent Yahoo ownership

James van Riemsdyk, LW, Philadelphia Flyers: 3 goals last week, 23 percent Yahoo ownership

Antoine Vermette, C, Columbus Blue Jackets: 3 goals last week, 21 percent Yahoo ownership

In Need of Assists
Josh Bailey, C, New York Islanders: 6 assists last week, 4 percent Yahoo ownership

Jay McClement, C, St. Louis Blues: 5 assists last week, 1 percent Yahoo ownership

Jeff Schultz, D, Washington Capitals: 4 assists last week, 3 percent Yahoo ownership

Guillaume Latendresse, RW/LW, Minnesota Wild: 4 assists last week, 12 percent Yahoo ownership

Arron Asham, RW, Philadelphia Flyers: 4 assists last week, 1 percent Yahoo ownership

Matt Cullen, C, Carolina Hurricanes: 4 assists last week, 5 percent Yahoo ownership

Brandon Bochenski, RW, Tampa Bay Lighting: 4 assists last week, less than 1 percent Yahoo ownership

In Need of Plus Minus Rating
Jeff Schultz, D, Washington Capitals: +8 rating, 3 percent Yahoo ownership

Pascal Dupuis, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins: +5 rating, 2 percent Yahoo ownership

Saku Koivu, C, Anaheim Ducks: +5 rating, 18 percent Yahoo ownership

Tom Poti, D, Washington Capitals: +5 rating, 3 percent Yahoo ownership

Jay McClement, C, St. Louis Blues: +5 rating, 1 percent Yahoo ownership

In Need of Power Play Points
Brandon Bochenski, RW, Tampa Bay Lighting: 4 power play points, less than 1 percent Yahoo ownership

Tyler Myers, D, Buffalo Sabres: 3 power play points, 36 percent Yahoo ownership

Kurtis Foster, D, Tampa Bay Lighting: 3 power play points, 15 percent Yahoo ownership

Patric Hornqvist, RW, Nashville Predators: 3 power play points, 36 percent Yahoo ownership

Josh Bailey, C, New York Islanders: 3 power play points, 4 percent Yahoo ownership

Steve Sullivan, LW, Nashville Predators: 3 power play points, 15 percent Yahoo ownership

In Need of Face-Offs Won
Matt Cullen, C, Carolina Hurricanes: 53 face-offs won, 5 percent Yahoo ownership

Jay McClement, C, St. Louis Blues: 45 face-offs won, 1 percent Yahoo ownership

In Need of Goalie Help
Michael Leighton, Philadelphia Flyers: 4 Wins, 2.50 GAA, .916 save percentage, 23 percent Yahoo Ownership

Dwayne Roloson, New York Islanders: 3 Wins, 1.95 GAA, .922 save percentage, 55 percent Yahoo Ownership

Mathieu Garon, Columbus Blue Jackets: 3 Wins, 2.10 GAA, .916 save percentage, 12 percent Yahoo Ownership

Photo Courtesy of Shelly Castellano ICON SMI

Need some help with your fantasy hockey team? You’ve come to the right place. Try these hot players on for size.

In Need of Goals
Radek Dvorak, RW, Florida Panthers: 3 goals last week, 2 percent Yahoo! ownership

Andy McDonald, C/LW, St. Louis Blues:  3 goals, 27 percent ownership

Chris Kelly, C, Ottawa Senators:  3 goals, 1 percent ownership

Blake Wheeler, RW, Boston Bruins:  3 goals, 38 percent ownership

Jon Sim, LW, New York Islanders:  3 goals, less than 1 percent ownership

Eric Belanger, C, Minnesoat Wild:  3 goals, 5 percent ownership

Jochen Hecht, C/LW, Buffalo Sabres:  3 goals, 5 percent ownership

Curtis Glencross, LW, Calgary Flames:  3 goals, 9 percent ownership

Saka Koivu, C, Anaheim Ducks:  3 goals, 14 percent ownership

Darren Helm, C, Detroit Red Wings:  3 goals, 1 percent ownership

Michael Handzus, C, Los Angeles Kings:  3 goals, 5 percent ownership

In Need of Assists
Daymond Langkow, C, Calgary Flames:  4 assists, 28 percent ownership

Frans Nielsen, C, New York Islanders:  4 assists, 1 percent ownership

In Need of Plus/Minus Rating
Jochen Hecht, C/LW, Buffalo Sabres:  +6 rating, 5 percent ownership

Anton Volchenkov, D, Ottawa Senators:  +6 rating, 1 percent ownership

Bryan Allen, D, Florida Panthers:  +6 rating, less than 1 percent ownership

In Need of Face-Offs Won
Chris Drury, C, New York Rangers:  45 face-offs won, 18 percent ownership

Eric Christensen, C, New York Rangers:  35 face-offs won, 1 percent ownership

In Need of Goalie Help
Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wing:  2 wins, 2.02 goals against average, .935 save percentage, 64 percent ownership

Dwayne Roloson, New York Islanders:  2 wins, 2.85 goals against average, .905 save percentage, 54 percent ownership

Photo Courtesy of Shelly Castellano ICON SMI

Need some help with your fantasy hockey team? You’ve come to the right place. Try these hot players on for size.

Kim Johnsson, D, Minnesota Wild
Johnsson had three goals last week to go along with a +3 plus/minus rating, two power play points, and eight shots on goal. He has nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 32 games this year, but five in his last seven games. Kim is owned in 1 percent of Yahoo! and 1.8 percent of ESPN leagues.

Brandon Sutter, C, Carolina Hurricanes
Sutter had three goals last week with a +1 rating, two power play points, 16 shots on goal, and 2 face-offs won. He has 16 points (10 goals, 6 assists) in 30 games this year, and is riding a four-game point streak. Brandon is owned in 1 percent of Yahoo! and 0.8 percent of ESPN leagues.

Jussi Jokinen, LW, Carolina Hurricanes
Jokinen also played well for the Hurricanes last week scoring five points (3 goals, 2 assists) with a +5 rating, 11 shots on goal, and 15 face-offs won. He has 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 38 games this year. Jussi is owned in 7 percent of Yahoo! and 4 percent of ESPN leagues.

Mason Raymond, LW, Vancouver Canucks
Mason had four points (3 goals, 1 assist), a +2 rating, two power play points, six shots on goal, and a face-off won last week. On the year he has 29 points (17 goals, 12 assists) in 40 games. Mason is owned in 44 percent of Yahoo! and 31.6 percent of ESPN leagues.

Matt Cullen, C, Carolina Hurricanes
Cullen had four assists, a +5 rating, 13 shots on goal, and 40 face-offs won last week. On the year he has 22 points (8 goals, 14 assists). Matt is owned in 4 percent of Yahoo! and 1.7 percent of ESPN leagues.
Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Courtesy of Shelly Castellano ICON SMI

Need some help with your fantasy hockey team? You’ve come to the right place. Try these hot players on for size.

Patric Hornqvist, RW, Nashville Predators
Hornqvist has a five-game point streak going. He has eight points (5 goals, 3 assists) during that stretch. He also has a +6  plus/minus rating, one power play point, and 16 shots on goal. Patric is owned in 7 percent of Yahoo! and 3 percent of ESPN leagues.

Scottie Upshall, RW, Phoenix Coyotes
Scottie had six points (3 goals, 3 assists), a +4 rating, one power play point, and 11 shots on goal last week. On the year he has 20 points (12 goals, 8 assists) in 35 games. Upshall is owned in 9 percent of Yahoo! and 1.7 percent of ESPN leagues.

Dean McAmmond, LW, New Jersey Devils
Dean had six points (2 goals, 4 assists) last week with a +6 rating, one power play point, 9 shots on goal, and 19 face-offs won. He has eight points (3 goals, 5 assists) in 16 games with a +9 rating. McAmmond is owned in 1 percent of Yahoo! and 0.1 percent of ESPN leagues.

Alexandre Picard, D, Ottawa Senators
Picard had two goals last week with a +4 rating and eight shots on goal. He has 14 points (4 goals, 10 assists) in 31 games. Alexandre is owned in 4 percent of Yahoo! and 1.6 percent of ESPN leagues.

Alexander Steen, C, St. Louis Blues
Steen had five points (1 goal, 4 assists) last week with a -1 rating, three power play points, 13 shots on goal, and six face-offs won. On the year he has nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) in 21 games. Steen is owned in 1 percent of Yahoo! and 0.2 percent of ESPN leagues.

Andy Greene, D, New Jersey Devils
Greene had four assists, a +3 rating, three power play points, and two shots on goal last week. On the year he has 21 points (5 goals, 16 assists), a +11 rating, and 11 power play points. Andy is owned in 30 percent of Yahoo! and 44.4 percent of ESPN leagues.

Jaroslav Halak, G, Montreal Canadiens
Jaroslav was 2-0 last week with a shutout, a 1.47 goals against average, and a .967 save percentage. He stopped 87 of 90 shots. On the year he’s 8-5-0 with a 2.69 goals against average, and a .916 save percentage. Halak is owned in 20 percent of Yahoo! and 10.6 percent of ESPN leagues.

Jonas Gustavsson, Toronto Maple Leafs
Jonas was 1-0-1 last week with a shutout, a 1.59 goals against average, and a .944 save percentage. He stopped 68 of 72 shots. On the year he’s 7-5-6 with a 2.90 goals against average, and a .906 save percentage. Gustavsson is owned in 24 percent of Yahoo! and 59.7 percent of ESPN leagues.

Photo Courtesy of Shelly Castellano ICON SMI

Need some help with your fantasy hockey team? You’ve come to the right place. Try these hot players on for size.

Todd Bertuzzi, LW/RW, Detroit Red Wings
Bertuzzi tied for the league lead with four goals over the past week. He had a +1 plus/minus rating, a power play point, 16 shots on goal, and two face-offs won. On the year he has 17 points (8 goals, 9 assists). Bertuzzi is owned in 15 percent of Yahoo! and 7.5 percent of ESPN leagues.

Colby Armstrong, RW, Atlanta Thrashers
Colby also netted four goals last week. He added an assist, a +4 rating, a short-handed point, six shots on goal, and a face-off won. Colby has 12 points (7 goals, 5 assists) in 30 games. He’s owned in 4 percent of Yahoo! and 0.7 percent of ESPN leagues.

Brooks Orpik, D, Pittsburgh Penguins
Brooks had three assists last week and tied for the league lead with a +6 rating. He added a short-handed point and a shot on goal. On the year he has 11 points, all assists, in 29 games. Orpik is owned in 3 percent of Yahoo! and 5.1 percent of ESPN leagues.

Tyler Myers, D, Buffalo Sabres
Myers had three assists, a +4 rating, a power play point, and four shots on goal last week. On the year he has 18 points (3 goals, 15 assists) and a +9 rating in 31 games. Tyler is owned in 20 percent of Yahoo! and 22.9 percent of ESPN leagues.

Steve Sullivan, LW, Nashville Predators
Sullivan had five points (3 goals, 2 assists) including a hat trick last week. He had a +4 rating, a power play point, and ten shots on goal. On the year  he has 22 points (9 goals, 13 assists) in 33 games. Sullivan is owned in 13 percent of Yahoo! and 4.1 percent of ESPN leagues.

R.J. Umberger, C, Columbus Blue Jackets
R.J. had four points (2 goals, 2 assists) last week. He had a power play point, 19 shots on goal, and 44 face-offs won. He did, however, have a -4 rating. On the year R.J. has 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 34 games. He is owned in 21 percent of Yahoo! and 16.1 percent of ESPN leagues.

Brian Elliott, G, Ottawa Senators
Brian was 2-1 last week with a 1.68 goals against average and a .931 save percentage. He recorded his first shutout of the year. He’s now 8-7-3 with a 2.78 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. Elliott is owned in 25 percent of Yahoo! and 16.2 percent of ESPN leagues.

Jimmy Howard, G, Detroit Red Wings
Jimmy was 2-1 last week with a 1.67 goals against average and a .941 save percentage. On the year he’s 10-6-1 with a 2.40 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. Howard is owned in 47 percent of Yahoo! and 39.1 percent of ESPN leagues.

Photo Courtesy of Shelly Castellano ICON SMI

Need some help with your fantasy hockey team? You’ve come to the right place. Try these hot players on for size.

Chris Stewart, RW, Colorado Avalanche
Stewart was tied for second with four goals last week. He also added three assists, a +2 plus/minus rating, two power play points, and 14 shots on goal. On the year he has 19 points (6 goals, 13 assists) in 27 games. He’s owned in 12 percent of Yahoo! and 6 percent of ESPN leagues.

Martin Erat, RW, Nashville Predators
Erat tied for the league lead with five goals (including a hat trick) last week. He added three assists, a +3 rating, three power play points, and 11 shots on goal. He even won three face-offs. He has 17 points (9 goals, 8 assists) in 27 games. Erat is owned in 13 percent of Yahoo! and 3.3 percent of ESPN leagues.

Antti Miettinen, RW, Minnesota Wild
Miettinen also scored four goals last week to go along with an assist, a +4 rating, a power play point, eight shots on goal, and one face-off won. On the year he has 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) in 26 games. Antti is owned in 5 percent of Yahoo! and 1.9 percent of ESPN leagues.

Andrew Brunette, LW, Minnesota Wild
Brunette was tied for third in the league with six assists last week. He added a goal, a +4 rating, three power play points, and eight shots on goal. On the year he has 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) in 29 games. Brunette is owned in 44 percent of Yahoo! and 42.6 percent of ESPN leagues.
Read the rest of this entry »

As the 2000s come to a close let’s look back at the fantasy players who made the biggest impact in their respective sports.

I lead off with the fantasy football player of the decade since it is the most popular fantasy sport. I had a tough time deciding between Peyton Manning and LaDainian Tomlinson. They both were so dominant for such a long time.

Peyton is on pace for his ninth 4,000+ passing season. Should he throw two more TDs this season, which is all but a given, his low water mark for passing TDs in a year will be 26. He has also never missed a game.

Meanwhile LT is approaching his ninth consecutive double-digit TD season. Prior to this year he had at least 1500 total yards in every year. He had six years with 1700+ total yards, three with 2100+. He had six straight years with 15+ combined TDs. He set the NFL record with 31 combined TDs in 2006. He had 50+ receptions from 2001-2008. The accolades can go on and on.

It truly could go either way, but considering the run of greatness LT had in a position that has a much shorter shelf life than Manning’s, I had to take LaDainian Tomlinson as the fantasy football player of the decade.

If you thought switching over to baseball would make it easier, you’d be mistaken. Here the choice is between Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols. A-Rod had 1190 Runs, 433 HRs, 1243 RBIs, and 179 SBs. That’s an incredible 119 Runs, 43.3 HRs, 124.3 RBIs, and 17.9 SBs for a decade. His OPS was .914 or better for nine of the ten years. He had five seasons with an OPS greater than 1.000. He hit .304 for the decade. A-Rod won three MVPs, two Gold Gloves, seven Silver Sluggers, and was named to nine All-Star teams.

As good as A-Rod was, Pujols was even better. Like LT, Pujols started in 2001 with a bang. In nine years he had 1071 Runs, 366 HRS, 1112 RBIs, and 61 SBs. That’s good for averages of 119 Run, 40.7 HRs, 123.6 RBIs, and 6.8 SBs. I know those numbers are a shade below A-Rod, especially the SBs, but here’s where Pujols more than made up the ground. His batting average for the decade was .334. It never dipped below .314. A-Rod’s best BA of the 2000s was .321. Aside from his low water mark, all of Pujols’ BAs topped that. Albert’s OPS for the decade was 1.055. His lowest OPS was .955. Seven times he was 1.000 or better. Four times he was 1.100 or better. Pujols also won 3 MVPs to go with eight All-Star game appearances, a Gold Glove, and five Silver Sluggers.

The decision wasn’t easy by any means, but in the end Albert Pujols edged A-Rod out.

The fantasy basketball player of the decade also came down to a choice between two amazing players. LeBron didn’t play long enough and Shaq lost his steam so it came down to Tim Duncan vs. Kobe Bryant.

Duncan was such a quiet force, but year in and year out he put up incredible numbers. He has always been a solid scorer, never dipping below 18.5 ppg. He averaged a career best of 25.5 in 01-02. He was one of the leagues best rebounders for a decade, never grabbing less than 10.6 rpg. Not much is said about his passing, but he always had at least 2.7 apg. Last year was the only one in which he failed to reach 2.0 blocks per game. He almost always hit 50 percent of his shots or better. His one downfall has been his free throw shooting.

Kobe has been one of the best offensive players the game has ever seen. He averaged 27 or more ppg six times before this year. He wasn’t just a scorer though as he averaged 5.2+ rpg and 4.5+ apg every year. He was a force on the defensive end as well, with as least 1.3 spg. His field goal percentage was good, not great. It never dipped below .433, but he never had a .500 season either. He made with excellent free throw shooting. He even improved his three-point shooting over the course of the decade.

As much as I prefer Duncan’s personality, I have to choose Kobe Bryant in this debate.

Fantasy hockey was a little more difficult. Jaromir Jagr dominated the early part of the decade. Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby have dominated the latter part of the decade. Joe Thornton was pretty solid throughout, but does he really have the star power to nail down this award?

In the end I decided to go with Martin Brodeur. He entered the decade as the game’s best goalie, and he has pretty much maintained that status. He led the league in Wins five or six times (depending on whether you count 99-00 or 09-10 as part of this decade). His Goals Against Average never was above 2.57. In fact, only three times was it above 2.30, including last year in which he was limited to 31 games.He had at least nine shutouts four times. Brodeur won four Vezina Trophies. From 1997-98 through 200708 he was either first or second in Wins. Simply put, Brodeur was the best Goalie in the game and the most dominating hockey player of the decade.

Agree with my choices? Disagree? Feel free to share your thoughts and state your case.

Images courtesy of Icon SMI.