The first handful of games from a season can both be a portend of things to come or simply be a small sample to be written off over the course of an 82-game campaign. On one hand, it’s only been about five or six games for most clubs, but on the other hand, six games is more than seven percent of the fantasy totals you’ll get from a full season.
This is a time to both shrug and buckle down, depending on the circumstances. A lot of it comes down to how confident you are in a player’s ability, whether that’s to keep up a torrid start or overcome a slow one. You’ll need to assess each roster piece on its own merits and come to a decision. But it’s worth noting that seasons can be won or lost based on the early jockeying for assets.
In the interest of both stoking and quelling your fears simultaneously, let’s have a look at how some players were faring at this time last season compared to now.
Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Minnesota Wild: On Oct. 26 last season, Fleury was 0-4-0 for the Chicago Blackhawks and had averaged minus-5.49 fantasy points per game, on pace to subtract more than 200 fantasy points from rosters by season’s end. The 36-year-old at the time tender had allowed 18 goals in those contests and posted a 5.75 goals-against average. His fantasy demise was nigh. Or so it appeared. As we all know, the Hawks didn’t get a lot better and Fleury wasn’t a set-and-forget fantasy asset, but he turned his season around. He finished with 28 wins, was traded to the Wild and earned 125.6 fantasy points, which was good for 17th among goaltenders last season. Right now, Fleury is 1-1-1 across four games, averaging minus-3.20 fantasy points per game, on pace to subtract 170 fantasy points by the season’s end. The 37-year-old has allowed 18 goals and posted a 5.25 GAA. Given how last season turned out with a start that was even worse than the current one, I think we can cut Fleury a little slack here.
Mitchell Marner, W, Toronto Maple Leafs: Are managers who selected Marner biting their fingernails as the alleged top-20 pick sits tied for 155th with 9.8 fantasy points? I certainly wouldn’t blame them. One goal and four assists through five games is not what you signed up for at the draft. But maybe Marner is just a slow…
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