That figure was cited in a presentation to the FSU board, aiming to paint the picture of the ACC being far behind the SEC and Big Ten, whose combined contracts are reportedly going to be nearly $1.1 billion annually. And with the 12-team Playoff, it doesnt have to be the jump to the Alabama or Georgia level. It also exists for Shane Beamer at South Carolina and Ole Miss, Auburn, Florida. But I may counter: Thats not what people were saying a year ago about Tennessee. alone for now, here's a rundown of ESPN.com's variety of fantasy hockey leagues, available to suit any taste. Note: Submitted questions have been lightly edited for clarity and length. Now it's official: Patrick Kane is a member of the New York Rangers, with an eye on making his debut against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. Haula didn't accumulate relevant fantasy points himself, but he was the perfect lubricant on a second line with wingers Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak that fueled an excellent second half by both. But the founding philosophy remains the same: the best overall team by season's end sports the crown. A shot-blocking machine (sixth in the league), the depth defenseman is about to put up a few more points too. A balanced smorgasbord of skilled contributors in all aspects of the game will provide you with the greatest chance of campaign-long success. He's fantasy relevant either way, it's just a matter of outcomes. But the marquee conference games will mean much better ratings than the typical Georgia versus Samford game. An evening's haul including an assist, three hits, four shots, and three blocked, and - without much obvious fantasy fanfare - the Rangers' newly minted captain is 3.1 fantasy points to the good. Jefferson is the only returning QB who was in the SECs top five in yards per attempt last year. Sean Allen is a fantasy analyst for ESPN.com. But in Josh Heupels second year, he briefly got the program to No. More so than Tarasenko has and will. As discussed in Friday's fantasy preview, Duclair won't be long for potting goals and putting up points, near his 31/27 assists in 74 games-pace of 2021-22. Both wild cards have plenty to prove with a top-tier club in T.O. (William Purnell / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images), The Jordan Rashada situation was a black eye. Perron's overall production is never going to blow your fantasy mind, but the contributions on special teams add a fair bit of extra shine. He merits mid- to late-round selection in most fantasy drafts that reward power play production. Murray first, and then Samsonov. The Sens could be on the verge of competing again, but won't be the defensive stalwarts that the Wild were. Campbell posted 3.44 fantasy points per 60 minutes with the Leafs last season, but was much better than that before a series of injuries seemed to derail his play. Plus, we get you ready for the NHL trade deadline with some potential long shots who could make a move. Or perhaps you've already waded through these puck-friendly fantasy waters and feel inspired to dive into a different type of pool. It's a small sample, to be sure, but offers a glimpse of what could be with the two snipers flanking Crosby. With stellar production from hits, blocks, and shots, these players are resistant to scoring slumps. Regardless, as a coveted asset with his new club, the former Leafs D-man could be worth grabbing in deeper fantasy leagues. Otherwise, no need to rush the puck-mover into your fold, unless utterly desperate. In this case, the strategy of loading up on players who satisfy most stats, as opposed to striving for balance across the fantasy board, has merit. Only more so. The 31-year-old is also a pending unrestricted free agent, along with the highly underrated Erik Gustafsson (20.7%). If you are playing in a deeper league and need to take a late goalie gamble, this might be the spot. But there's inarguably a greater sense of satisfaction with enjoying fantasy success on the blades of a roster built over time, from rebuild to peak performance. Maybe top-15 in Carolina over San Jose. (We also could include the two soon-to-arrive programs in this: Steve Sarkisian and Brent Venables are recent hires but havent entirely lit things on fire yet. -- Allen, The Hurricanes have their new power-play quarterback. Unless he replaces Morgan Rielly on Toronto's No. . Ok. While this style of league lacks the charm of despising another individual manager over seven exclusive days in head-to-head combat, it - unlike classic roto leagues - serves as an excellent introduction for newbie managers to get their feet wet. It's not too late to play! But that also means victory, when achieved, tastes all the sweeter after such a season-long grind. What is the best-case scenario for Arkansas offense with KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders coming back? The 2022 NHL free agent class had a busy Wednesday, with many players finding new homes around the league. Inside scoop: How trades could reshape Rangers, Capitals, Goalie spotlight: Seven pickups down the stretch, NHL Betting: Everything you need to know for in-game wagers, Waiver watch: Meet the most consistent players to pick up now, Hold or trade: Second-half fantasy outlook for NHL All-Stars, Trade reaction: Ryan O'Reilly to the Maple Leafs, Rankings update: Updates on Barzal, O'Reilly and more. The Jordan Rashada situation was a black eye, but the Gators do have a commitment from top 50 prospect DJ Lagway, the sixth-ranked QB in the 2024 cycle, and if they can get through the next year or two before Lagway is ready, they could be OK. No one's going to relinquish Connor McDavid as a keeper in 2022, but some very good players will inevitably re-enter the draft in these modified leagues. Edit: Looks like your phone says 7:01 - and all of your 7:00 games have the exclamation. All decisions are yours to make. One more point: The move to nine games and diversifying the schedule arent all about television. Choose your league size, customize the scoring and set the rules you want to follow in order to create the fantasy basketball league you want to play in. and our Again, margin of victory in individual categories, large or small, matters not. The team with the most overall points wins. Who will win each 2023 conference tournament? So what you see is what you get here: an end-of-draft winger to help fill out your active roster that won't hurt your team. In 563 career NHL games over eight seasons, all with Detroit, he has scored 169 goals . A healthy Campbell is going to eat 70% of the crease share over an aging Mike Smith and a healthy Campbell can turn those minutes into top-10 fantasy goalie value. 32 NFL players who could change teams this offseason. In stricter dynasty leagues, where few bodies move in or out, it's often nifty to maintain relationships with players from their rookie debuts, well into the veteran years - substantial commitment and all. 1A Matt Murray. But there isnt much returning production at receiver or much returning experience on the offensive line, and theres a coordinator switch from Kendal Briles to Dan Enos. Managers engaged in this style of contest, where stat egalitarianism reigns, are best served by striving for competitive balance. Fantasy Store. One last bit of advice: Invest in Kane as a prominent commodity in all forms of fantasy competition, including Daily, until he's dealt, anywhere, or the trade deadline passes. For example, Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk checks a bunch of valuable boxes, night in and night out, in fantasy leagues that reward both scoring and physical play. In the end, I dont think either side will haggle too much, as neither really can afford to alienate the other. Look for the Capitals to try to stick it to non-believing management by battling for a playoff spot until near the end. While dynasty/keeper competition is more kindred to how real teams are run - management doesn't get to start from scratch every year in the NHL - with redraft leagues, there's the benefit of enjoying a clean slate the following season, no matter how badly a current campaign is unfolding. But that also means victory, when achieved, tastes all the sweeter after such a season-long grind. It's official. NHL free agent tracker | Trade grades | Free agency winners and losers, Jump ahead: Johnny Gaudreau | Max Pacioretty | Ondrej Palat | Brent Burns | Evander Kane | Claude Giroux | Jack Campbell | Matt Murray | Vincent Trocheck | Rickard Rakell | Evgeni Malkin | Andrew Copp | Darcy Kuemper | David Perron | Ilya Samsonov | Valeri Nichushkin | Andre Burakovsky | Cam Talbot | Max Domi | Pavel Zacha | Ryan Strome | Justin Schultz | Mason Marchment | Eric Comrie. 24.4 PER. You win that category, full stop. It's not too late to play! If Zacha can slide into that same role -- again, assuming Bergeron re-ups -- then we can hope for a surprise season from the 25-year-old. Copp is someone who might be best left undrafted. Top-tier, well-rounded players are extra valuable in battling for a favorable blowout, especially on small rosters. 1 and probably would have made a 12-team Playoff. Rickard Rakell and Evgeni Malkin, W/C, Pittsburgh Penguins: In re-signing Rakell and Malkin before free agency opened, the Penguins secured their existing top six heading into next season. While this style of league lacks the charm of despising another individual manager over seven exclusive days in head-to-head combat, it - unlike classic roto leagues - serves as an excellent introduction for newbie managers to get their feet wet. It's only a matter of time, in my view, that the 25-year-old is tossed onto a top power play with Filip Forsberg, once the prominent winger returns. A few months ago, I heard about half the schools (the have-nots) favored the eight-game plan; more recently I heard it was down to three or four holdouts. Unless coach Gerard Gallant goes mega rogue, the scoring winger will reunite with his former Blackhawks pal Artemi Panarin on a line centered by Vincent Trocheck. Rostered in only 0.7% of ESPN.com leagues, he's riding a four-game point-streak with four goals and four assists. You'll start fresh with a 0-0 record. The SEC would love to get close to or even exceed that $1.1 billion annual figure the Big Ten is getting. The most popular game in ESPN's fantasy hockey universe pits individual managers against others in weekly head-to-head fisticuffs with a slew of weighted points at stake. It also bears repeating: Goaltenders cannot be shrugged off in any brand of H2H league, including this type, when more than two categories are devoted to the position. There is no Bryan Harsin this year. Landing in Toronto, Gustavsson (22.7%) loses a bit of shine in joining the Leafs' blue line. Daily, weekly, yearly (set-it-and-forget-it) - it's up to you. No one's going to relinquish Connor McDavid as a keeper in 2022, but some very good players will inevitably re-enter the draft in these modified leagues. Or is ESPN the holdout? Or does he have to settle for whomever the Avs get to play second-line center and miss out on top advantage time? Make lineup moves, savvy free agent pick ups, and trade with friends wherever you are. Not sure who to play with? 28 . Theyre shocked some people still use ESPN for fantasy hockey. Retuning to the theme of adjusting expectations, if you've been keeping a stubborn grip on Jonathan Quick to this point - and too many of you have, ostensibly based on name recognition - now is the occasion to let him go for good. needed to keep competing. And he's rostered in only seven percent of ESPN.com leagues. While the situation remains fluid - Domi himself could still be dealt - there's a solid argument, supported by a goal in each of his past two games, to be made for streaming Athanasiou in the meantime. Most total points wins the week 1-0 - no fuss, no muss. Absolutely that reality exists for Stoops at Kentucky. -- Allen, When you get a goal scorer like Pacioretty into the fold, you don't think twice about it. Top five SEC QBs entering next season? Daily, weekly, yearly (set-it-and-forget-it) - it's up to you. The resume is somewhat similar to Geoff Collins, who couldnt win at Georgia Tech and didnt make it to the end of his fourth year. 1 power play - a possible option for Sheldon Keefe, but hardly guaranteed - the offensive-defenseman won't benefit from the same quality of chances to contribute as he did in Washington. That translates into a gig alongside Artemi Panarin, which further projects into an inevitable bump from last season's haul of 1.7 fantasy points/game in ESPN standard leagues. Set up a private league to play with your family and friends! The Stars don't have the depth the Panthers do at pivot, so if Marchment can't force his way onto a scoring line (not happening for the Joe Pavelski line without injury; maybe for the Jamie Benn line), he won't be making further fantasy waves into 2022-23. Even if Barrie ends up joining Roman Josi on the Pred's top unit, which remains to be seen, there's little chance he continues his season's pace in Tennessee. We should learn fairly early on if the two-time Stanley Cup champ is indeed capable of rebounding off his most recent pair of ugly, and largely injury-riddled, seasons in Ottawa. Before being hurt in mid-December, Campbell trailed only Igor Shesterkin by posting 5.09 fantasy points per 60 minutes through his first 23 games of the season. Home. Meanwhile, acquiring Mattias Ekholm from Nashville bolsters the club's defense overall. So you've decided to take the fantasy hockey plunge, joining millions of others in enjoying one of the sporting world's best game within a game. Maybe less than a month. Your essential guide to the top fantasy hockey player picks and NHL matchups for Wednesday, March 1. Play ESPN Fantasy Hockey. ), in sashays Burns via a deal from the Sharks. The NHL official stat keepers review all collected stat data and make appropriate retroactive updates to the stats recorded on the day of the game. Jeffrey N. I dont think the eight-game schedule ever had half the votes, but Greg Sankey didnt want to ram-rod through a nine-gamer against a few schools objections when there were also other issues to be ironed out. Are you taking the under, over or push? 1. Warren B. Last week's shiny new asset from the Blues (Tarasenko), if not Kreider, appears most vulnerable in losing his spot on the club's top power play to Kane. This type of league operates in similar fashion to "each" category competition except - and this is a Zdeno Chara-sized exception - whichever manager emerges with the weekly victory wins 1-0. Which hopefully doesn't take too long. A 6-5-1 win is just as good as 12-0. In stricter dynasty leagues, where few bodies move in or out, it's often nifty to maintain relationships with players from their rookie debuts, well into the veteran years - substantial commitment and all. Invested fantasy managers should also keep a close eye on who lines up on the right side of this forward duo, now that both Andrew Copp and Frank Vatrano have bolted for Detroit and Anaheim, respectively. But anyway ). Thats the beauty of the 12-team Playoff: Its going to provide more hope to more programs, the way the NCAA Tournament has given platforms for non-traditional basketball powers to become something. Which fantasy hockey league is right for you? If not, Samsonov -- signed to just the one year in Toronto - will be eagerly waiting in the wings to take over, and prove last year's barely so-so season in Washington isn't one to define his talent and skill. Top-tier, well-rounded players are extra valuable in battling for a favorable blowout, especially on small rosters. He's good for upwards of two fantasy points/contest. Still, we'll need to wait and see how this depth chart shakes out to decide if Strome is going to have a big season with the Ducks. Grab Wilson for points and hits, if your fantasy roster is in need. Sanders was the SECs second-leading rusher. 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