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In Mondays Open Ice, we took stock of the current goaltender performances by looking at who is a No. 1 and No. 2 fantasy goaltender based purely on statistics. This was an eye-opening reality check on just who is doing what this season.Its easy to hold on to positive and negative biases based on the plethora of preseason research we put into our fantasy hockey leagues, so the occasional reality check is a healthy exercise.Its time to do the same for the defensemen.Again, this is not like our ESPN fantasy hockey rest-of-season rankings, which take into account several variables and attempts to predict future performance. These rankings here are based solely on the ESPN Player Rater, which gauges how valuable a player is based only on the statistics theyve turned in so far. It takes out all biases and preconceived notions, and levels the playing field.We will look at the defenseman tiers based on the same 12-team league size we used for goaltenders.No. 1 fantasy defensemen1. Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks 2. Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens 3. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators 4. Dustin Byfuglien, Winnipeg Jets 5. Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild 6. Kevin Shattenkirk, St. Louis Blues 7. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning 8. Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins 9. Rasmus Ristolainen, Buffalo Sabres 10. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings 11. Cam Fowler, Anaheim Ducks 12. Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue JacketsDiscussion: There are minimal surprises to be found here for those who have been following along closely this season. ... Weber is a shock at second overall based on what we expected coming into this season, but its possible his scorching start is behind him. Weber is pointless in December and has a lone assist in his past nine games overall, which includes him getting zero points when the Habs put a 10-spot on the Colorado Avalanche. Expect him to slide back to a midrange No. 1 as the season progresses. ... Ristolainen is doing better than we could have hoped as the main man in Buffalo. The return of Jack Eichel to bolster the power play will only help his overall numbers. He could be a legitimate No. 1 all season. ... Fowler, despite rumors of his demise when Hampus Lindholm returned, has managed to hang on to the top role for the Ducks. Stick with him, as his usage has been steady, and coach Randy Carlyle wasnt around last season for Lindholms rise.No. 2 fantasy defensemen13. Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames 14. Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks 15. Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers 16. Dougie Hamilton, Calgary Flames 17. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators 18. Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens 19. P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators 20. Justin Schultz, Pittsburgh Penguins 21. Dion Phaneuf, Ottawa Senators 22. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Arizona Coyotes 23. Brent Seabrook, Chicago Blackhawks 24. Torey Krug, Boston BruinsDiscussion: This is where we start to see some serious deviation from what we think we might know. ... It may be time to stop expecting monster seasons from Josi and Subban, after all. While they are both respectable No. 2 fantasy defensemen so far, they were defiantly drafted in every league as No. 1s. Perhaps the middling win-loss record for the Predators spurs coach Peter Laviolette to consider pairing Josi and Subban together? That could certainly turn around their fortunes. ... Markov and Krug are on this list despite atrocious Octobers. It says a lot about their fantasy value that theyve climbed so far back to respectability. ... Phaneuf is contributing in almost every category, getting plenty of power-play ice time with Karlsson, and is available in 40 percent of ESPN leagues. ... Schultz should have been scooped up during the past week in your league and is about to get his recent value put into overdrive with news that Kris Letang will miss a couple of weeks with injuries. A perennial fantasy sleeper that never woke up during his years with the Edmonton Oilers, Schultz seems to have found his niche with the Penguins. Now with the potential for some power-play time coming his way, he should be owned in every league.No. 3 fantasy defensemen25. Keith Yandle, Florida Panthers 26. Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers 27. Sami Vatanen, Anaheim Ducks 28. Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues 29. Matt Dumba, Minnesota Wild 30. Mike Green, Detroit Red Wings 31. Trevor Daley, Pittsburgh Penguins 32. Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues 33. Ian Cole, Pittsburgh Penguins 34. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, San Jose Sharks 35. Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers 36. Jeff Petry, Montreal CanadiensDiscussion: Some disappointments start to show up here in the third grouping. ... Yandle and Gostisbehere were both supposed to be a lot better than a No. 3 fantasy defenseman for their fantasy owners. The weak Panthers power play has been sapping Yandles potential, while too many cooks in the kitchen is holding back Gostisbehere from enough ice time to do proper damage. ... Dumba needs to be owned in more leagues. An offensive defenseman by trade, hes scoring a fair bit considering he barely cracks 20 minutes of ice time most nights. A few more counting stats as coach Bruce Boudreaus trust in him rises, and Dumba could be a contender for a No. 2 fantasy defenseman. Hes owned in only 26 percent of leagues. ... In this range, the difference between the players is becoming negligible. The value from Burns to Werenski (top and bottom No. 1s) is more than four times the difference of value on the player rater from Yandle to Petry (top and bottom No. 3s). ... Guys like Daley, Vlasic and Petry are useful, to be sure, but can be cast aside on a moments notice for the next hot hand.No. 4 fantasy defensemen37. John Carlson, Washington Capitals 38. Jake Gardiner, Toronto Maple Leafs 39. Andrej Sekera, Edmonton Oilers 40. Ryan Ellis, Nashville Predators 41. Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota Wild 42. Alec Martinez, Los Angeles Kings 43. Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild 44. Mark Streit, Philadelphia Flyers 45. Nick Holden, New York Rangers 46. David Savard, Columbus Blue Jackets 47. Deryk Engelland, Calgary Flames 48. Matt Niskanen, Washington CapitalsDiscussion: Looking at this grouping of No. 4 fantasy defenseman is a stark reminder why its wise to stock up on elite talent at the draft. Outside of Carlson, who should turn things around at some point, you cant feel great about rolling any of these guys out on a regular basis in your lineup. But numbers dont lie. Based on the statistics generated in the NHL so far this season, every member of this group should have been on the ice for fantasy owners in 12-team leagues. ... We could make an argument for Sekera and Ellis to be owned in more leagues -- especially Ellis, who has missed a handful of games and still rates this high.So, who is missing from the reality-check rankings? Who missed out on the top four defenseman tiers but we are still holding onto dearly in our leagues?The holy triumvirate of disappointment is John Klingberg, Justin Faulk and Tyson Barrie. Klingberg clocks in at 54th overall, and Faulk at 59th, making them No. 5 fantasy defensemen. Tyson Barrie settles in at 69th overall among defensemen on the player rater. Thats just ugly.Klingberg and Faulk need to stay on rosters. At some point, the Dallas Stars offense and power play will erupt, and Klingberg will be among the catalysts. As for Faulk, hes doing all the right things on the ice but just isnt getting the bounces. Theyll come.As for Barrie, the Avalanche are a hot mess. We would caution against dropping him because hes playing all the important minutes, but its certainly a defensible move at this point.There are three NHL teams with no defensemen among the top four tiers: the Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders. ... The Canucks dont have anyone worth even speculating on until Alexander Edler returns from a broken finger next month -- and even then, its nothing to write home about. The top Canucks defender at the moment on the player rater is Troy Stecher, at 87th among defensemen. Its cool if you just audibly said, Who? ... Devils blueliner Damon Severson, 55th on the player rater, is arguably worth owning in 12-team leagues over some of the meh No. 4 fantasy defensemen. Hes at least playing on the power play for his club, as opposed to someone like Deryk Engelland, who is arguably his teams sixth defenseman. ... Calvin de Haan is the top Islander on the Player Rater, at 62nd among defensemen. This is a product of his steady, if unspectacular, play at even strength, while the rest of the defense takes turns as the go-to guy. Johnny Boychuk, Nick Leddy and Travis Hamonic all have the potential to be solid fantasy players, if only one of them would consistently take the lead for power-play time.Fantasy Forecaster: Dec. 19-25Two days of a three-day holiday break fall during the upcoming fantasy scoring period. Nevertheless, teams will be playing a condensed schedule during the week so every NHL team plays at least two games and none play more than three.The Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets are the teams with only two games.Download the forecaster chart PDF hereFor those new to the Forecaster chart, here are some explanations: O (offense) and D (defense) matchup ratings are based upon a scale from 1 (poor matchup) to 10 (excellent matchup) and are calculated using a formula that evaluates the teams season-to-date statistics, their performance in home/road games depending on where the game is to be played, as well as their opponents numbers in those categories. The Ratings column lists the cumulative rating from 1-10 of that weeks offensive (O) and defensive (D) matchups.Team notesFlorida Panthers: With the third-best team shot attempts total (Corsi) at home this season, the Panthers get to stay in Sunrise for three games leading into the break. While they only have six power-play goals during the past three weeks (11 games), the schedule does include the woeful Sabres penalty kill. Nick Bjugstad and Seth Griffith are currently serving on the top power-play unit and could be considered for one-week use in deeper leagues. Shallower pools can note that Reilly Smith has six points in his past eight games playing on a line with Vincent Trocheck and Colton Sceviour.Arizona Coyotes: Home for three games against penetrable defenses, the Coyotes could be in for their best week of the season as they ride a two-game win streak into the weekend. Coach Dave Tippett is trying all kinds of funky new line combinations of late, which could give fantasy owners a wedge to find some short-term value. Brendan Perlini is currently doing his best Max Domi impression, playing on a line with Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata. Hes not getting the power-play time typically required for fantasy awesomeness, but watch his box score on Saturday in hopes that he primes himself for next week. Shallower leagues can check out Vrbatas uptick in shots on goal since Domi was injured. He has 21 shots and three assists in five games since Domi was hurt and is getting top power-play time.Carolina Hurricanes: The Hurricanes appear to match up quite well with their three opponents next week, scoring the highest offensive forecaster rating aside from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Derek Ryans hot streak makes him a no-brainer to stream into your lineup. Lining up with Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask on and off the power play, the 29-year-old rookie has 10 points in his past nine games -- five of which came on the power play. Speaking of the Canes power play, Jaccob Slavin is sharing the point with Faulk on the man advantage, which is notable for deep leagues looking for a blueliner.Columbus Blue Jackets: Scoring a perfect 10 on the forecaster for offense, the Blue Jackets -- and their dominant power play -- get to stay home for three games. The Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens are far from a cake-walk schedule, but this Jackets power play is borderline ridiculous at home, with 13 power-play goals in 14 games. A continued theme in recent advice here: Go get Sam Gagner. Hes still available in more than 50 percent of ESPN leagues and boasts nine power-play points already. Thats how many Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane have, for the record.Goalie notesMike Smith should be a plug-and-play option in all leagues next week. Four of his past six games have been fantasy gems, and the Coyotes are one of two NHL teams next week playing three games with no back-to-back sets involved.Scott Darling has at least one more week to show his stuff as Corey Crawford remains out following an appendectomy. Hes 4-2-1, with a 1.72 goals-against average since Crawford was hurt, and is available in more than half of ESPN leagues.Mr. Hot and Cold, Pekka Rinne, might be best served on your bench for the time being. His goals-against averages by calendar month this season are: 3.22 in October, 1.49 in November and 4.01 in December so far. Yikes.Player notesAlready a hot commodity with his recent point totals, things can only look up for Schultz with Letang on the mend for a couple of weeks. Get him -- and get him in your lineup.Decent even-strength play with Bobby Ryan, propped up by power-play time with Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman, is the formula for Kyle Turris increasing fantasy value. If he was dropped in your league, have another look at him. He has eight points in 10 games.Connor Shearys availability in 65 percent of ESPN leagues is downright criminal. Skating with Sidney Crosby at even strength and now getting minutes on the second power-play unit, Sheary has nine points in his past eight games, with 30 shots in that span.He came for the faceoffs, hes staying for some power-play action on the Oilers top unit with Connor McDavid. Mark Letestu has three points in his past two games and has been a mainstay on the power play for the past eight games, in which he has seven points. Cheap Shoes Online Australia . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Discount Shoes Australia . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. http://www.wholesalesneakersaustralia.com/ . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Cheap Shoes Websites . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Wholesale Sneakers Australia . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Cornerback Ryan Reid and No. 11 Baylor will enjoy their upcoming open date a little more than the last one.Reid returned the first of his two interceptions 64 yards for a touchdown , quarterback Seth Russell accounted for four touchdowns playing only a half, and Shock Linwood earned the school record for career rushing touchdowns in the Bears 49-7 win over Kansas on Saturday.We were just trying to make a statement. A lot of people they thought that Iowa State game, thats who we are, which its not, Reid said, referring to a 45-42 win two weeks ago in the last game when Baylors only lead came on a game-ending field goal. We had to make a statement with our next game, and Kansas was in the way.Baylor (6-0, 3-0 Big 12), which now has another open date, led 42-0 after Russells last pass, a 4-yard TD to Ishmael Zamora with 1:45 left in the first half. KD Cannon, who missed the last game with a groin injury, turned a short pass into a 59-yard score.A week after almost beating TCU at home, Kansas (1-5, 0-3) had five turnovers that led to 21 points for the Bears. The Jayhawks have lost 15 Big 12 games in a row, and dropped 36 consecutive road games since winning at UTEP seven years ago.We made some strides last week, and then today we took several steps back. Thats my responsibility, second-year Kansas coach David Beaty said of the Jayhawks offense, which had only 217 total yards.Russell had two touchdown runs in the first quarter, with Reids TD return coming between those.Now 14-0 when starting for Baylor, Russell was 9-of-22 passing for 144 yards. He led the Bears with 68 yards rushing, and got flipped after he leaped in the end zone for a 26-yard TD when converting a fourth-and-3 to make it 21-0 in the first quarterLinwoods 4-yard score on the first play after a Kansas fumble was his 36th career rushing touchdown and broke a tie with Alfred Anderson for the most in school history. Linwood was already the career rushing leader for the Bears.Reid returned his second pick 52 yards to the Jayhawks 19, but Baylor then had the first of its three missed ffield goals.ddddddddddddTHE TAKEAWAYKansas: Its not a good day when the highlight is the 82-yard punt by Cole Moos , who had the wind to his back and had the ball roll to the Baylor 3 after a great bounce off the turf. Sure, the Jayhawks were five-touchdown underdogs, but this was a bit of a backward step. They were also big underdogs a week in the one-point loss to TCU when they missed three field goals in the fourth quarter.Baylor: While already bowl eligible for the seventh consecutive season, and the only FBS team to be 6-0 for the fourth year in a row, the Bears havent really been tested. Their only opponent with a winning record theyve played is Oklahoma State, which had two fourth-quarter drives end inside the 5. The other opponents went into Saturday with a combined 5-22 record, and that doesnt include Kansas latest loss. The Bears will get tested, still with No. 19 Oklahoma and No. 20 West Virginia on the road.We know that the lions share of our schedule lies in front of us, and the toughest part is the second half, acting head coach Jim Grobe said. Our guys realize that were happy to be 6-0 right now, but we know positively that were going to have to play great down the stretch.BLANK FINISHESBaylor still hasnt allowed a point in the fourth quarter this season. The Bears didnt score either in the final 15 minutes Saturday, but have a 45-0 edge in that quarter this season.POLL IMPLICATIONSDepending on how voters judge the losers of two games matching Top 10 teams, far-from-proven Baylor could move up into the Top 10 for the first time this season. The Big 12 hasnt had a Top 10 team since Oklahoma was third in the preseason poll, then dropped 10 spots after a season-opening loss at Houston.UP NEXTKansas: Plays four of its next five games at home, starting next Saturday against Oklahoma St.Baylor: Another open date before playing at Texas on Oct. 29.---More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '