Hey DraftStreet, We’re Here!

The daily fantasy sports scene at DraftStreet is about to get a load of The Hockey Writers. This is going to be fun. Fellow writer, Toli Metter has you covered on Tuesdays. For the first couple weeks I am going to tread lightly with certain recommendations.

Daily fantasy hockey will be a different reality. Throw out what happened last year immediately. That will not help you. As a matter of fact, it is more likely to hurt your fantasy aspirations.

THW Says Hello To DraftStreet

That is correct. The Hockey Writers has a Freeroll going tonight and it figures to be a great way to “hop into the pool”. We are going to focus on the hockey part of the operation strictly. Here are your positional breakdowns.

• 2 LW
• 2 C
• 2 RW
• 2 D
• 1 G
• 1 FLEX

The FLEX is a utility position so do not panic. Also keep in mind, you can only use four players from any one team at a max. Remember, scoring formats do vary from daily league to daily league. This is what the scoring matrix looks like from DraftStreet.

Now we are talking! DraftStreet has a great user interface which makes life easier for its users. The goal in this first post is to make novice players think a bit more strategy based. So it is time to quickly go over a few particulars.

Goaltenders

All you need to know is that five saves negates one goal allowed. Generally goalies have a lower point potential but still they can make a difference. Let’s break this down. What would happen if your goalie posted a 30 save shutout? Here is what it looks like.

• 1 win = 3 pts
• 0 GA = 0 pts lost
• 30 saves = 9 pts
• 1 SO = 2 pts

That breaks down to 14 points. Hey that’s pretty good! The problem is that is close to the top end of production. Yes the risk is greater as well. A goalie can cost you several points if they are pulled early. Picking your goalies is crucial but not the end of the world either. Talking to other veteran daily players and honestly goalies are never quite given that absolute priority. The fun dilemma is always what are you willing to spend on a goalie? The best bet is taking the middle of the road route. Let’s quickly concentrate on defense (Forwards will be left for next week).

Defense

It is so hard to find great defense at a reasonable price. Blocked shots are a nice wrinkle but still not all that helpful. The same can be said for penalty minutes too somewhat. Offensive defensemen are the ones to target. Am I going for an Erik Karlsson type over Mark Stuart? You bet! When you find those high shot total, high point potential guys, you really have struck gold.

Also spotting new schemes and players adapting well to them is essential. For example, Zdeno Chara is being used as a rover on the Boston power play. It has been a nice revelation so far. Here is a little video evidence of why Chara could return to fantasy prominence.

http://youtu.be/Sx_tdDRs48I

This could make Chara more of a value early on in daily leagues. He also blocks shots. That makes him the perfect second defender to pick up after your first high end offensive defenseman. That is the key. It is about the points after all. Let’s take a look at a possible Boone Jenner like pick for tonight.

The Boone Jenner Special

Tomas Hertl (San Jose) — This is the ultimate Christmas present as Hertl gets the Joe Thornton treatment along with a big bulky guy like Brent Burns. That is a likely power play in some way which means Hertl may see as much as 16 or 17 minutes. Hertl has above average speed  and plus talent hands wise. He is at the cheap and could be a nice addition against a Vancouver team searching for an identity.

Editor’s Note: The Freeroll (meaning no entry fee) is a single day event happening tonight and with $500 in prizes it’s a great way to see if you like the system or not. Just click this link to read more about it.

As always you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisWasselTHW and yes I will take on all daily questions. Good luck and let’s win some money.