Thirty games or so are in the books and we have a much better read of things than when the season began. Time to assess our roster and determine who out there is about to take off, because in fantasy sports we’re in the business of value speculation. It may be now or never for the trade that could be the difference between second place and the Big Prize everyone seeks.
Here are some ideal “buy low” and “sell high” candidates at the moment.
BUY LOW
Mike Cammalleri (LW) – CAL: The sniper is in a funk with only 2 points in his last 8 games. This is a contract year for the 31 y/o and the Flames, although a competitive group, clearly are not a playoff team. That means Cammalleri will be moved to a team that will have a much better supporting cast, especially where the winger makes his money, the PP (Calgary’s ranks 24th at 15%). Take advantage of a trigger-happy owner right now, before Cammy starts another scoring streak!
Mats Zuccarello (RW) – NYR: OK maybe this guy is hot right now (3-3-6 in his last 5 games) and may not look more like trade bait than a “buy low” candidate, but I believe in “The Hobbit’s” staying power. At 26, this could just be the tip of the iceberg for this offensive dynamo. The former Swedish Elite League scoring champ has uncanny vision and finally has a coach who gets him and is giving him all the ice-time and offensive responsibility he’s been craving. If you’re in a keeper league, go after him before his current owner realizes exactly what he has.
Matt Moulson (LW) – BUF: After registering 4 multi-point games in his first 8 games as a Sabre, the pending UFA has considerably cooled off (2-1-3 in his last 10 games). Make no mistake, he was acquired to be moved and parlayed into a prospect/draft picks bonanza for the troubled Buffalo franchise. Much like Cammalleri, Moulson will soon find himself in a much better scoring environment. A 4-7-11 line in 17 games for a team on record pace for offensive mediocrity (1.60 G/G) is still impressive. An impulsive fantasy owner may be an easy prey for you here to make a steal of deal.
SELL HIGH
Mark Giordano (D) – CAL: The Flames’ new captain came back from injury as hot as he was before, scoring a goal and assisting on another in his first game back. He is currently the only defenseman in the league to average a point-a-game (11-3-8-11). The 7-year veteran’s best season was in 2010-11 (82-8-35-43) and his career PPG average is 0.41. He is “Mister Everything” for Calgary, therefore he can never focus strictly on his offensive game; his point production has always come in bunches and this fast start is just one of those bunches. Time to get as much value back for this asset as you can.
Semyon Varlamov (G) – COL: This one may have come one game too late (coming off an awful 8 GA performance), but Varlamov is still having a career year (13-7-0 and .923 SP). If you can identify an owner desperate for goaltending, the 25 y/o is at the peak of his potential value; even more so in keeper leagues. Focus going forward may become difficult, with the pending trial and possibility of deportation on his mind. Another issue that may hurt Varlamov’s numbers going forward is that the Colorado defense is starting to revert to what we thought they would be before the Avs shot out of the gate with that great October run.
Jaromir Jagr (RW) – NJD: At 41 there is no getting around the likelihood of a dip in Jagr’s PPG in the season’s second half. Yet his line of 31-11-13-24, +9 is very appealing to someone in need of a boost on the wing. You could get much more for Jagr however in a seasonal format rather than a keeper league. The fact that the Devils are an unlikely candidate to acquire offensive help before the deadline is yet another reason to parlay the big Czech into a bigger asset.