San Jose Sharks Place Nine Players In ESPN’s Fantasy Top 300
With the calendar about to turn to September, NHL training camps are just around the corner. Last week, we detailed how the San Jose Sharks placed four players in the Top 100 of Yahoo’s fantasy hockey rankings.
On Friday, ESPN released their own fantasy hockey rankings, expanding their list to look at the Top 300 players. San Jose placed nine players on ESPN’s list of the top fantasy players for the upcoming 2015-16 season.
Leading the way is none other than Joe Pavelski, who checks in at number 16 and is the eighth-ranked center. Pavelski has led the San Jose Sharks in scoring in each of the past two seasons, including 70 points a season ago (37 goals and 33 assists).
Logan Couture is the next Sharks player on this list at number 34, 10 spots below where he was in the Yahoo rankings. Many are expecting a big year from Couture, who ranked second on San Jose with 67 points (27 goals and 40 assists) last season. Expect Couture to surpass those numbers as he will be highly motivated to take the next step in his game.
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Brent Burns, number 46, is the only Sharks defenseman on the list, and he’s rated as the fourth best defenseman in terms of fantasy production. Burns netted 17 goals from the blue line last season, along with ranking second in the league with 60 points by a defenseman.
Rounding out the San Jose Sharks players in the Top 100 are Joe Thornton (number 77) and Martin Jones (number 99). Thornton is a tough player to project in terms of fantasy production as his numbers dropped by 11 points last season. He’s still an elite playmaker who will get plenty assists playing alongside Pavelski.
Meanwhile, Jones is an unknown and this ranking comes on the basis that he will see regular action in San Jose. Jones has put up good numbers in his brief NHL career, but nobody knows how he will hold up over the course of an 82-game season. He should be a mid-round target who has boom-or-bust potential in terms of fantasy.
Patrick Marleau is the only Sharks player who falls in the 101-200 range, checking in at number 112. Marleau was ranked in the Top 100 by Yahoo, but the down season last year probably has him lower by ESPN’s standards. Marleau has always been a streaky scorer throughout his career which makes him a nervous pickup in fantasy leagues.
Finally, San Jose places three more players on the list, all in relatively close proximity: Tomas Hertl (number 230), Joel Ward (number 246) and Tommy Wingels (number 262).
Of the three, Hertl is the most intriguing because he showed the ability to score goals before injuring his knee during his rookie season. He didn’t look fully recovered last year, but he could be worth the gamble in later rounds if he rediscovers his strength and scoring touch.
Overall, the San Jose Sharks should be better equipped to produce for fantasy owners next season. The Sharks have bolstered their lineup from last year which should lead to more wins on the ice and improved results in fantasy hockey.
Next: Couture, Pavelski Expected To Produce For Fantasy Owners