It is not enough to comb through the top 100 fantasy hockey rankings, so we decided to dig just a bit deeper. This is not to spotlight guys like Jaromir Jagr, who is ranked 130, by the way. No, the goal was to go down the rabbit hole even more. People just do not understand how Yahoo left the door open for value in their ranks. Trust me on this fact! Check the entire list of players before you draft so you can find the gems most inevitably will forget.
For people wondering, we looked at Yahoo’s O-Rank and almost laughed at first and then shook our heads in utter disdain. Let’s get this moving quickly because these three players are probably going to be passed over for a variety of reasons. The first one alone is going to stir some fantasy hockey debate just because there are people who just hate any offensive players in New Jersey right now.
Three Deep Digs
Michael Cammalleri (New Jersey) — LW,C
This may not be that deep but the forward scored 26 goals in somewhat limited duty for Calgary. The thing is Michael Cammalleri has 30-30 potential even for New Jersey which should make fantasy owners smile. If Jagr could squeeze out over 60 points with a rotating band of left wingers on his other side then imagine what he could do with a constant threat to score. Consider that Travis Zajac started to play like the Zajac we saw over two years ago, there is a lot of optimism that Cammalleri could push past 30-30, 200+ shots, and possibly 20+ power play points. His value should be higher but 183 is just a bit low honestly.
Cam Atkinson (Columbus) — RW
Part of this rests on whether Ryan Johansen holds out or not. Either way, Cam Atkinson has nearly point a game upside and can generate scoring chances from anywhere. There was lots to alike including the 21 goals on 216 shots which means he has ability to get above 10 percent shooting. His upside is also a good bit north of 30 goals once he sees true top six ice time and not what Todd Richards was masquerading him as last season. The man advantage points should head upward this year as Columbus and a healthy Nathan Horton should make things that much easier on Atkinson and his production.
Craig Smith (Nashville) — C, RW
People’s last impression of Craig Smith was the four-point outburst in the final game of the season. Since then, Nashville has upgraded their forward corps with Mike Ribeiro and Derek Roy. Yes I understand that neither are the players they used to be but it represents a significant upgrade at the top two pivots. Smith’s 52-point campaign is far from a fluke and really was without much substance from the front end. This also featured a meddling coach who is gone now. Yes Barry Trotz had run his course and when he loosened up a bit, Smith’s play unsurprisingly rose. With Roman Josi, Shea Weber, and a healthy Pekka Rinne, Smith should flourish and see first line ice time at long last. His O-Rank near 250 is just ridiculous as he is much closer to a Top 75 or Top 100 fantasy hockey contributor.
