David Bowie on a fantasy hockey site?  Yes it has come to that ladies and gentleman and welcome to the Fantasy Hockey season.  My apologies to everyone if you were in a ESPN league that had only a three day week.  You are on Week 2 already but for mostly everyone else we are still in Week 1.  For those who have the ten day Week 1...this is for you.

I open by saying if you have Roberto Luongo, Martin Brodeur, or Cam Ward.  Do not panic!  Yes the numbers are bad and all are over a 4.00 GAA and under a .900 save percentage.  The reality is that it is still early.  Does anyone really think that these numbers will continue all season?  There are many more oddities in the season all right here.  Please remember these are not for the fantasy faint of heart.  A suggestion would be to breathe deeply before hyperventilation sets in.

The important things this time of year is getting into a habit of setting your lineups each day.  Actually, it is probably the hardest thing to do next to making that tough roster decision at the end of the week.  Do not base everything solely off Week One.  Take a look at what some of these guys have done last year or even two years ago.  Sure, someone is going to explode in a big way and keep rolling with it.  More than likely though, trends indicate that studying the numbers a bit more leads to fantasy success.

Some other things you want to consider: Dropping all Toronto goalies until their defense figures out a way to speed up.  There is a reason why Toronto cannot win despite a more defensive system.  The personnel still does not match what it actually needs to do.  This will impact fantasy values for these guys especially in leagues where some defensive categories (blocked shots) can be affected.  They will still hit but even then if something is too fast....they are not going to get many hits.

On the flip side, a team like Calgary can make up for its not so fast defensemen because they are more offensive.  A killer shot from the blueline can cure several ills.  With Jay Bouwmeester and Dion Phaneuf firing bombs now...teams have to think twice on the penalty kill.  If you have these guys...you will reap major rewards as the season goes on.  Keep an eye out for teams with two bombers on the man advantage...they will help forwards that may be on your team.

Finally I hope you are finding your leagues to be fun and more importantly enjoyable.  For a beginner that is paramount.  Fun and heading toward respectability.  If you win your league that is an obvious bonus.  Next week we will have a full week under the books and will be able to dive into looking at your team by taking a look at one of my own. 

If you have any questions at all....shoot me an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  See you next week and enjoy the hockey!

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Tags: Fantasy Hockey  Week One