Fantasy Report Card - Arizona Coyotes
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theScore will be giving out fantasy report cards discussing the fantasy value of key players on each of the 30 teams. This edition focuses on the Arizona Coyotes.
ANA | ARI | BOS | BUF | CGY | CAR | CHI | COL | CLB | DAL | DET | EDM | FLA| LA | MIN | MTL | NAS | NJ | NYI | NYR | OTT | PHI | PIT | SJ | STL | TB | TOR | VAN | WAS | WPG
G Mike Smith
The face of inconsistency, Smith is much more appealing in daily fantasy tournaments than he is in any season-long league. He does have a massive workload -- when able to stay healthy -- as he routinely faces upwards of 30 shots on goal. When he's on, he'll be among the best daily options on any slate, but he's equally as likely to have a shortened night. It's clear what he is at this point of his career. Grade: C
RW Radim Vrbata
One of the latest free-agent signings from this past offseason, Vrbata already has last year's point total within his reach. His production dropped 36 points from 2014-15 to 2015-16 with the Vancouver Canucks, but he is having an equally dramatic rebound. His shooting percentage is up from last season but is still below his career average. He's averaging a three-year high in ice time and is among the lone safe fantasy options from Arizona. Grade: A-
C Martin Hanzal
Though sidelined from November 2 to 16, Hanzal is having his worst offensive season. He's been equally disappointing in plus/minus, lacking the offense to counteract the degree to which his team is being outpossessed and outscored. He's averaging little more than two shots on goal per game, providing no area of strength to fantasy owners still hanging on. Grade: F
C/LW Jordan Martinook
One of the lesser-known Coyotes youngsters entering the season, Martinook has performed among the best thus far. Unfortunately, this is hardly enough to make fantasy owners take notice. His average ice time is up for the second consecutive season, as is his shooting percentage, though he's not taking enough shots for this to be of benefit. Owners in any format can turn elsewhere. Grade: F
LW Max Domi
After a 52-point rookie season, Domi was expected to approach 70 points this year. He will fall far short of this mark, especially while losing time to injury. His shooting percentage has dipped in his sophomore year, with perhaps a slight uptick coming in the second half of the year. He has had significantly less success on the power play, accounting for just 25 percent of his total production. Grade: D
RW Shane Doan
Doan can no longer be considered a fantasy asset in any format. After a 47-point season a year ago, he'll fall well short of that mark as a 40-year-old. Like many of his teammates, a poor plus/minus rating will do more harm to a fantasy roster than his point production will provide as a positive. Grade: F
LW/RW Tobias Rieder
The negative trend continues with Rieder going nowhere in his development. He's actually averaging less ice time than a year ago, with his production down across the board. There's no reason to expect a turnaround of any sort. Grade: F
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Even Ekman-Larsson, one of the few viable fantasy options in Arizona, is having a down season. After tallying a career-high 55 points last season, he'll be somewhat lucky to reach 40 this year. He's on pace for fewer than 150 shots on goal, after easily topping 200 each of the past two seasons. Grade: C-
D Alex Goligoski
Goligoski is averaging over 23 minutes of ice time in his first year with the Coyotes, but his production is unavoidably well down from his final year with the Dallas Stars. He's seeing more time on the power play, but he's shooting less and suffering from inferior complementary talent. Grade: D-
Player to watch: C Peter Holland
Cast aside by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Holland had a two-assist game in his first appearance for Arizona. He scored the shootout winner against his former team in his second game. He has averaged over 15 minutes with the Coyotes thus far, playing a second-line role. He also centers the second power-play unit. He's not a season-long option, but he warrants some daily fantasy consideration in the right matchups.
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