Author: TJ Streett

Kubina Suspended, Pick Up Sekera

Tampa defenseman Pavel Kubina was suspended three games today for an elbow to the head in a game against Chicago Wednesday night.

Analysis: Pavel Kubina is your average fantasy defenseman. With just 22 points in 67 games, parting with Kubina should have been done weeks if not months ago. Although Kubina’s plus/minus was solid, losing him for three games makes you want to look elsewhere. Owned in just ten percent of fantasy leagues the red hot Buffalo defenseman Andrej Sekera is who you’re looking for. Sekera has amassed 2 goals and 8 assists in his last six games. Sekera is a plus 6 in that stretch with a solid 14 shots on goal. Sekera’s ice time is over twenty minutes a game although his power play minutes and points aren’t anything to write home about.

Projection: Kubina will return from suspenion the average fantasy defenseman that he is. Andrej Sekera is one of the hottest and most available fantasy defenseman in the NHL right now. Even if Sekera cools off just a bit the risk is worth it. Expect about a half of a point per game from Sekera the rest of the season with a solid plus/minus rating.

Jeff Green As A Celtic

Just five games in to his stint with the Celtics, Jeff Green has been a fantasy disappointment.

Analysis: Jeff Green has played five games now with Boston and has yet to tally an assist, it’s mind boggling. Not that he was much help in the assist department in Oklahoma City but anything helps. Green’s minutes are down but he’s still getting over twenty minutes a game. He’s averaging a miserable ten points per game as a Celtic, down about five points from his season average. Green’s rebounds are extremely low as well. He’s averaging just 1.6 boards per game while his season average sits at 5.2 boards per game. His three pointers made are down one from his season average. These numbers don’t come as a huge surprise but slightly shocking nonetheless. To put in directly, Jeff Green has become an average fantasy forward. There really is only one positive in his move to Boston- his field goal percentage is over fifty-five percent in his five games as a Celtic but it means little when he’s not taking many shots.

Projection: Jeff Green isn’t at the point where you just drop him. He’s on an aging team and some more minutes down the stretch may be in order. Patience is key in this situation, you don’t want to drop Green only for him to land on a rival fantasy squad to kill you in the last few weeks of the season. Green won’t produce like he did in Oklahoma City but he’s not this bad either.

Al Montoya Is A Top 20 Netminder

In just eight games started former top ten pick Al Montoya has amassed some staggering numbers.

Analysis: A sub 2.00 goals against average will grab anyones attention but doing it on the Islanders is a different kind of animal and that is exactly what Montoya is doing. Montoya has a sub 2 goals against average with a save percentage north of .93 with 5 wins in just 8 starts. He really is one of the most athletic goalies in the game today and it’s ashame it took him so long in the AHL to hone his talents. Montoya will be getting the majority of the starts as the season winds down and his availability in most leagues leaves many with decisions to make at goaltender. At this point Montoya projects better than James Reimer and Craig Anderson going forward but lags slightly behind Cam Ward.

Projection: Al Montoya will win more than half of his starts the rest of the year. His GAA should bump up a bit into the 2.4 range and his save percentage should fall near 92%. Al Montoya will be a top 20 netminder the rest of the season and he can give your secondary goaltending numbers a real boost.

James Harden Is Producing

Still available in fifty percent of fantasy leagues, Oklahoma City shooting guard James Harden is producing in five fantasy categories.

Analysis: Over Harden’s last five games his fantasy line looks like this- 18.6 PPG, 1.4 3PM, 91 FT%, 1.4 SPG with a field goal percentage of 48%. His minutes are up above the thirty minute mark, up about five minutes from his season average. It is becoming more and more apparent that with the departure of Jeff Green to Boston, James Harden is the Thunder’s third option on offense. Over the last two weeks in standard fantasy basketball leagues Harden has been a top 20 player and the fact that he is still available in about half of leagues is just ridiculous.

Projection: Don’t expect Harden’s minutes to drop below thirty a game from here on out due to the importance of the Thunder’s playoff push in the western conference. What you can expect is about 15 PPG, more than a steal and a three made per game with solid free throw and field goal percentages. Pick him up now.

What To Do With Valtteri Filppula

After missing eight games with a knee injury Detroit center Valtteri Filppula has now played in five consecutive unimpressive games.

Analysis: Filppula isn’t a slouch now, he does have 32 points in 55 games but he has been shaky as of late. Filppula only has one goal and zero assists since returning from injury but his minutes are relatively the same. It all comes down to team need on whether to pick up or cut the 26 year old Finn. Filppula is solid in goals, assists, plus/minus and shots, however, he doesn’t get the power play points, ice time or penalty minutes he could get somewhere other than Detroit. If he remains on your squad you have to at the very least give him a few more games to rack up some points or completely falter. If he’s not on your squad he is available in forty to forty-five percent of fantasy hockey leagues and he is under the radar so you have some time to decide.

Projection: No matter what, Filppula’s plus/minus will be solid and that is carrying his value at this point since his return from knee injury. The goals and assists should come if you can be patient, however, he will not give you much in the power play point department nor will he accumulate many penalty minutes. Expect 8-10 points the rest of the season with a plus one rating and just under two shots per game.