20 Fantasy Thoughts: Sell high on Tyler Bertuzzi, buy low on Marc-Andre Fleury

Detroit Red Wings left wing Tyler Bertuzzi. (David Zalubowski/AP)

And the award for the most overdone costume of the year goes to anything Squid Game.

It’s Halloween, so how about a scary riddle to start us off?

What do Kirill Kaprizov, Victor Hedman, Patrice Bergeron, Jamie Benn, Cole Caufield and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, among others, currently have in common? Each has yet to score a goal this season.

It’s November tomorrow.

Trick or treat? Fantasy owners need a lineup that’s complete. I tried my best.

1. The Sabres still haven’t traded Jack Eichel, but whatever, they’re an absolute wagon right now. Off to a surprising 5-1-1 start, I wanted to give them some love, and you should too, when it comes to daily fantasy. Victor Olofsson, Zemgus Girgensons, Kyle Okposo, Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarksi all have been providing sneaky category coverage early in the season. Oh, the irony of it all.

2. On the contrary, I’m out on all things Arizona Coyotes. And yes, that includes stud blueliner Jakob Chychrun. The 23-year-old is off to a miserable start (8 GP: 0 G, 0 A, -14).

Woof.

3. When it comes to your waiver wire, don’t sleep on the Anaheim Ducks. In addition to John Gibson and Kevin Shattenkirk, Trevor Zegras, Jakob Silfverberg and Adam Henrique are definitely worth rostering at the moment.

4. Speaking of which, how can you not grab Troy Terry right now? Quietly, the 24-year-old Ducks winger is riding a seven-game point streak (4 G, 5 A). Stay hot!

5. Welcome back, Sidney Crosby! With that in mind, take a flier on Evan Rodrigues. He’s got the initial garden seat on Pittsburgh’s top line alongside Crosby and Jake Guentzel. Must be nice.

6. Trade for Marc-Andre Fleury. Undoubtedly, due to his bad start, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner can be had for way less than market value right now. I’m in the minority on this one but sign me up.

7. Stream J.T. Compher. With Mikko Rantanen (DTD) out of the Avs lineup the last two games, the 26-year-old has stepped up large in an elevated role tallying two goals and two assists. Have a look.

8. Looking for a Rantanen/T.J. Oshie RW injury replacement? Jeff Carter, Mike Hoffman, Yanni Gourde and Blake Coleman could help you out.

9. Scoop up Red Wings rookie Lucas Raymond. The 19-year-old is off to a blazing start with four goals and nine points in nine games. The future is here for Detroit.

10. Add Michael Bunting. In recent outings, the 26-year-old rookie has been playing with Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Clearly, there’s lots of value to be found with that placement.

11. Patrick Kane, Kris Letang, Mark Scheifele, Ryan O’Reilly and Mats Zuccarello are six marquee names currently in COVID protocol. Kirby Dach, John Marino, Paul Stastny, Robert Thomas and Marcus Foligno are some players to target internally in relation to those absences.

12. Be mindful: The San Jose Sharks just had seven players land in COVID protocol on Saturday night.

Needless to say, keep close tabs on that situation as it unfolds.

13. Last note on San Jose, some food for thought. If you need a goalie start, James Reimer has been very good early on. In four appearances, the 33-year-old is 2-1-0 with a ridiculous 1.13 goals-against and a 0.964 save percentage.

14. Ironically enough, Martin Jones has almost crazily emerged as a viable streaming option for the Flyers as well. The former Shark is 2-0-0 with a 2.01 goals-against and 0.941 save-percentage early on.

15. Lastly, Jonathan Bernier, who made 33 stops for a 4-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday night in his return to the Devils lineup (LBI), can help you out in a crunch as well.

With Bernier, just be cognizant that number-one Mackenzie Blackwood (heel) is close to making his season debut.

16. Now’s the time to execute a sell high on Tyler Bertuzzi, his value has reached its highest point. In terms of potential return targets in a deal, I’d go after someone who’s struggling. John Carlson comes to mind. Good luck.

17. Snatch up Josh Norris. Flanked by Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson, the Sens centre has tallied four goals and one assist over a modest three-game point streak. I love what I see.

18. Put Evan Bouchard on your watch list. The numbers aren’t there yet, but the 22-year-old’s definitely gaining ground on others in Edmonton. Somewhat surprisingly, he’s been very good out of the gates.

19. Goodbye October, Hello November. Here’s how the first week will shape up (Nov. 1 – 7):

Monday: 3 Games

Tuesday: 9 Games

Wednesday: 4 Games

Thursday: 9 Games

Friday: 5 Games

Saturday: 12 Games

Sunday: 5 Games

Total: 47 Games

20. Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, Ottawa and Vegas have four-game weeks, so that’s where I’d look for waiver help.

Chicago Blackhawks: Mon (OTT), Wed (CAR), Fri (@WPG), Sun (NSH)

Waiver Looks: Kirby Dach, Kevin Lankinen

SN Fantasy Pool: Alex DeBrincat (3), Seth Jones (2)

Nashville Predators: Tues (@CGY), Wed (@EDM), Fri (@VAN), Sun (@CHI)

Waiver Looks: Ryan Johansen, Mikael Granlund

SN Fantasy Pool: Roman Josi (2), Filip Forsberg (2)

Additionally, steer clear of the following seven teams (BOS, CAR, COL, CBJ, FLA, LAK, PIT). They place just twice.

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