Here are the center value rankings for Tuesday, January 5's eight-game slate:
Top Options
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Aleksander Barkov (FLA) | at BUF | 10 |
| Claude Giroux (PHI) | vs. MTL | 9 |
| Mikko Koivu (MIN) | at CLB | 9 |
| Sidney Crosby (PIT) | vs. CHI | 9 |
| Steven Stamkos (TB) | at CGY | 8 |
| Evgeni Malkin (PIT) | vs. CHI | 8 |
Barkov has five goals, five assists and 3.2 shots per game over his last 10 outings and hasn't seen his price rise to untenable levels. He needs to be owned against a weak Sabres team.
Giroux, Crosby and Stamkos are starting to scrub away the stench of their early-season slumps and are starting to round into the form they've been known for in year's past. Their prices have been slow to bounce back to astronomical levels, so all three can be owned with confidence given their elite ceilings.
Best of the Rest
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Scheifele (WPG) | at NAS | 7 |
| Jason Spezza (DAL) | at NYR | 6 |
| Jonathan Toews (CHI) | at PIT | 6 |
| Tomas Plekanec (MTL) | at PHI | 6 |
| Derick Brassard (NYR) | vs. DAL | 6 |
Scheifele was on a roll before missing games due to a concussion. For his mid-tier price, he is worth a look on Tuesday, even against Predators goalie Pekka Rinne.
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Bryan Little (WPG) | at NAS | 5 |
| Jack Eichel (BUF) | vs. FLA | 5 |
| Sean Monahan (CGY) | vs. TB | 4 |
| Mike Ribeiro (NAS) | vs. WPG | 4 |
Little is more expensive than Scheifele without a significantly higher ceiling and only has one point in his last three games. Eichel is priced appropriately; his hot play - 11 points in his last seven games - is balanced out by the intimidating presence of Roberto Luongo in the Panthers' net.
Nothing to See Here
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Tyler Seguin (DAL) | at NYR | 4 |
| Patrice Bergeron (BOS) | vs. WAS | 3 |
| Nicklas Backstrom (WAS) | at BOS | 3 |
| Evgeny Kuznetsov (WAS) | at BOS | 2 |
| Ryan Johansen (CLB) | vs. MIN | 1 |
Seguin has been under-performing his season fantasy production rates lately and even with Henrik Lundqvist struggling at the moment, the Stars' center should be faded without pause. The same must be said about Boston and Washington's centers, who will have to beat the surging Braden Holtby and Tuukka Rask.
